Meeting Current and Future Aged Care Needs of Regional and Rural Communities Through the Multipurpose Service Model -...

Despite more than two decades of implementation, there is limited peer-reviewed evidence evaluating whether the multipurpose service (MPS) model effectively meets the contemporary health and aged care needs of rural and regional communities. This gap is particularly significant given recent government inquiries highlighting persistent inequities in rural health service access. The objective of this scoping review was to examine whether the key recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and the New South Wales Parliamentary inquiry into Health outcomes for rural, regional and remote New South Wales support whether the multipurpose service model (MPS) is effective as a model of care for service delivery.

A scoping review of five databases was undertaken. The first stage included title and abstract review followed by full text reviews. A thematic analysis was undertaken, informed by Braun and Clarke.

Nine articles met the criteria for review. Themes that were derived from the data that aligned with the two independent government reports were: MPS model and its infrastructure; funding; staffing and skill mix; and community engagement and needs.

Overall, this scoping review established that the MPS model of care is an appropriate model to meet the recommendations of the two government reports. However, there needs to be further investment in staff development to extend scopes of practice when working in rural, regional and remote New South Wales.