Overview
Initiative type
Model of Care
Status
Deliver
Published
June 2026
Summary
A transdisciplinary allied health model to reduce paediatric outpatient wait times and improve access to earlier assessment and diagnosis for school aged children with neurodevelopment, learning and behaviour concerns.
Implementation sites: Nambour Hospital
Partnerships: University of the Sunshine Coast
Aim
To improve patient flow and provide more timely, appropriate access to paediatric outpatient services for children with developmental and behavioural concerns.
Outcomes
Wait time from referral to first consultation reduced from 169 days to 48 days following implementation of the Advanced Allied Health Practitioner (AAHP) model. Time from referral to diagnosis reduced from 57.2 weeks to 30.59 weeks. Approximately 52% of children were managed by the AAHP clinic without requiring paediatrician review, reducing demand on specialist medical services. Earlier identification of developmental, behavioural and psychosocial concerns improved pathways to intervention.
Background
The project was initiated in response to significant growth in demand for paediatric outpatient services across the Sunshine Coast Health, particularly for children with developmental, behavioural and learning concerns.
Long waitlists were resulting in delays to assessment, diagnosis and intervention, contributing to family stress, reduced patient satisfaction and missed opportunities for early intervention. At the time, many children were waiting extended periods to access paediatricians, with increasing pressure on specialist services and limited system capacity. Existing outpatient models relied heavily on medical specialist appointments, even when many children may have benefited from earlier allied health-led assessment and intervention.
The central questions addressed by the project were: Could advanced AAHP's reduce demand on paediatricians? Could wait times to consultation and diagnosis be reduced? Could children and families access more timely and appropriate care?
Methods
The project implemented a transdisciplinary Advanced Allied Health Practitioner (AAHP) model within paediatric outpatient services. The AAHP's completed comprehensive assessments, brief interventions, care planning, and liaison with schools and community services. Cases were discussed with paediatricians through structured case conferencing processes, with only children requiring medical input proceeding to specialist review.
The project used a quality improvement and service redesign methodology incorporating: Retrospective and prospective comparison groups Waitlist and patient flow analysis Transdisciplinary models of care Continuous stakeholder engagement Development of clinical pathways and triage processes Outcome measurement and evaluation using hospital data systems.
The study compared outcomes across three cohorts totalling 225 children, including traditional paediatrician-only pathways and AAHP-supported pathways
Discussion
The project demonstrated that innovative allied health-led models can significantly improve access and efficiency in paediatric outpatient services while maintaining high-quality care.
Key factors contributing to success included strong executive support, collaborative relationships between allied health and medical teams, stakeholder engagement, targeted workforce development and clear governance structures. A major strength of the project was the transdisciplinary approach, which enabled more holistic assessment and earlier identification of developmental and psychosocial concerns.
The project also demonstrated that sustainable cultural change takes time, with the most significant improvements evident after the model became embedded into routine practice. The model has strong potential for broader application across QueenslandHealth, and has been rolled out already in various other QH HHS, as well as health services across the nation.
This innovative project represents a high value, high impact initiative for families within Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service.
The original project, completed in 2014, has been extended and expanded over the past decade. Sunshine Coast HHS has since provided consultation across Australia on this model of care, contributing to its adoption in every state and territory, which represents a significant achievement.
References
- Children’s Health Queensland. Children’s Health Queensland Strategic Plan 2013–2017. Queensland Health, 2013.
- Children’s Health Queensland. General Paediatrics Allied Health Screening Service. Queensland Health.
- Queensland Health. General Paediatrics Allied Health Model of Care Project. Royal Children’s Hospital, Queensland Health.
- Queensland Health. In the Interests of Children Working Group. Sunshine Coast-Wide Bay Health Service District.
- Queensland Health. South-East Queensland Paediatric Planning Report.
- Queensland Health. Rhodes, K., et al. Study of children attending general paediatric hospital outpatient appointments examining developmental and behavioural needs, psychosocial screening and multidisciplinary models of care.
- Sunshine Coast-Wide Bay Health Service District. Paediatric Outpatient Service Delivery Report. Southern Cluster, 2010
Key contact
Dr Julie Creen
Advanced Occupational Therapist
Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service