Post-Operative Discharge Support Service (PODSS) is a telehealth service led by Clinical Nurse Consultants (CNCs) designed to reduce unnecessary Emergency Department (ED) presentations by providing targeted support to post-operative patients within 30 days of discharge. This service provides a structured post-operative clinical pathway, enabling patients and carers to contact their local PODSS nurse for assistance with low-acuity issues such as unmanaged pain, wound concerns, medication management issues, urinary and bowel management issues, post-operative instructions, anesthesia side effects, and medical device inquiries.
The PODSS Model of Care (MoC) is both proactive and reactive. PODSS nurses actively reach out to patients who are at risk of ED presentation to address potential clinical concerns early. They perform triage and assessment through telehealth, provide clinical advice, and arrange face-to-face consultations in a rapid-access nurse-led clinic if necessary. They also coordinate care with the patient’s treating medical team and facilitate streamlined, prompt admissions when clinically appropriate.
The PODSS MoC supports timely patient discharge, by facilitating access to expert post-surgical care in the community. This provides a safety net for patients and reassurance to clinicians. The service supports flexible referral pathways including patient self-referrals, ED triage, acute care referrals, community team referrals, and GP referrals.
