Kellie Castle

Registered Nurse (RN), Narrandera

Based in Narrandera and a proud Murrumbidgee local, Kellie is excited to support her community through this important initiative.

Over the next three months Kellie will be one of two Respiratory and Heart Failure Nurse Clinicians working throughout the district to help people living with COPD and or/CHF navigate the new care pathway and assess how it is working for them.

Kellie comes to us with a wealth of experience as a RN, specifically within cardiac and respiratory chronic disease management. She genuinely believes in the Living Well Care Pathway and is passionate about supporting people to self-manage their chronic conditions.

In this role, Kellie will help develop practices in line with the new MLHD Respiratory and Heart Failure Model of Care, which include supporting patients to achieve optimal quality of life through health coaching, building health literacy, restoring functional capabilities, developing strategies to help achieve mutually agreed healthcare goals, and helping patients access clinical interventions that prevent unnecessary hospitalisation.

“It’s important to have local support in the community for patients with chronic conditions. I think patients need to feel supported and develop trust in their health providers to ultimately develop the confidence to take control of their health. They also need ongoing education and reassurance in the early stages of self-management, and to know there is another health professional to contact when they have a lengthy wait between specialist medical appointments.

“I am excited to be bringing this service to the region and am looking forward to interacting with patients and empowering them to manage their own chronic conditions. I also look forward to working collaboratively with other health professionals to ensure we achieve patient-focused care with positive outcomes, like reducing hospital admissions.”