Healthy Ageing at TMC Medical: A Nurse-Led Approach

When TMC Medical looked closely at the care needs of their patients living in local Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs), a problem became clear: residents were missing out on timely, holistic care. General Practitioners simply didn’t have the hours to provide the long, complex consultations required.

To change this, the practice introduced an innovative Nurse-Led Clinic Model, piloted through the Living Well, Your Way Summer Strategy. The idea was simple but powerful to give nurses the lead in aged care consultations to ensure residents received thorough, personalised attention and care while easing the burden on GPs.

At the heart of this model was Lead Nurse Lauren Carter, whose passion for aged care brought both skill and heart to the clinics. “It’s personal for me,” Lauren explained. “So many of our residents are lonely, and the clinics made a difference, especially for those without family. It made the care feel personal rather than clinical.”

Over three clinics, Lauren saw 15 residents, spending an average of 43 minutes with each patient. They were booked for follow-up appointments, and 10 residents were also onboarded to the HOPE digital platform to track their quality of life and the interventions implemented in the clinics.

For the GPs, the benefits were immediate. Dr Alireza Yousefi described the change: “It supported my time management to know health assessments were being done in the RACF where usually they would be delayed. It takes a load off a very busy schedule, while still trusting the work is being done.”

Behind the scenes, the model also streamlined practice workflows. Practice Manager Tahli Hattwell reflected, “The team complement each other and work well together to support our patients. Lauren picked up extra days to run the clinics, and it only positively impacted how we managed the needs of our residents.”

For Lauren, leading the clinics was not just about providing care, but also about professional growth. She spoke of the autonomy the model allowed her, and how working within an aged care home required adaptability and resilience.

The success of the pilot has inspired TMC Medical to think bigger. With strong support from RACF partners, they now plan to evolve the model into a multidisciplinary team approach, bringing in dietitians, exercise physiologists, and other allied health professionals to work alongside the lead nurse.

The vision is clear: to provide aged care residents with a holistic, team-based model of care that meets not just their medical needs, but also their physical, social, and emotional wellbeing.