Abu Dhabi: The number of accredited home healthcare providers in Abu Dhabi has reached 58, extending services to community members following best practices and international standards.
The Department of Health - Abu Dhabi (DoH) has revealed that 12 home healthcare providers in the Emirate have seen their licenses cancelled due to failure to meet the standards set by DoH in the developed model for home healthcare services.
The model was launched earlier as part of the Department's efforts to further strengthen the healthcare sector in Abu Dhabi to elevate outputs and services.
Standards
The conditions indicated in the home healthcare services model included a set of requirements and standards such as:
- International accreditations,
- The provider's ability to offer the required health services on an ongoing basis,
- The geographical scope of the service provider's work, and
- Its proximity to the place of residence of the beneficiary of its services, in addition to achieving the minimum number of patients specified in the model.
The Department revealed that home healthcare providers offered services to more than 4,600 beneficiaries in 2022.
Services
These services included home nursing care, speech therapy, physiotherapy, respiratory therapy, psychotherapy, occupational therapy, home hemodialysis, and specialised visits to senior citizens and people of determination.
Since the launch of the improved home healthcare model, DoH has continued to work closely with home healthcare providers in Abu Dhabi to enable them to provide high-quality and accessible healthcare services to Emirate residents, ensuring their sustainable access to services by specialists in the field.
The Department worked on several other aspects related to home healthcare services, including providing a clear guide to determine the eligibility of service beneficiaries, clarifying the concept of services offered within home healthcare, and defining licensing requirements for service providers.
How providers are evaluated
DoH indicated that the beneficiary's eligibility for home healthcare services is evaluated according to several basic criteria, which include diagnosing the condition that needs home care and the type of treatment and nursing care required.
The Department also determines the appropriate service provider according to the needs of each patient's health condition.
In 2021, DoH launched a developed model for home healthcare services to maintain the availability and access of services to eligible patients. Since then, these upgrades have contributed to enhancing the health and well-being of the Emirate's residents by providing outstanding and timely patient-centred services.
