Hospital Admission Risk Program

We provide treatment, care and support for people with chronic and complex health issues.

Key points

Short-term support and co-ordination for people with chronic and complex health issues
Includes care co-ordination and specialist care for people with heart failure, respiratory disease and diabetes
Delivered in partnership with trusted community partner Merri Health

Patients need a referral from their GP or healthcare provider. Access referral information

What we do

Our HARP service provides support and care for people with chronic and complex health issues to enable clients to better manage their condition in the community and reduce avoidable hospital admissions.

We provide:

Short-term support and intervention
Assessment
Integrated care planning and coordination
Education and monitoring
Service linkages
GP liaison

Find out more about our HARP specialised services.

Who can use our service

HARP is a service for people with chronic and complex health issues who have had:

One or more avoidable Emergency Department presentations or hospital admissions in the past 12 months or are at imminent risk of hospitalisation and community services cannot meet their needs
Have complex medical or psychosocial needs and would benefit from short term, intensive input
Live in the local government areas of Melbourne, Merri-bek and Moonee Valley City councils

HARP is a partnership between the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Merri Health.

For patients

For health professionals

Referrals

Direct Access Unit

We accept GP and specialist referrals:

Use the RMH Community Services referral form, the RMH referral form or a template from your own system
Complete and fax your referral to Direct Access Unit on (03) 8387 2217

DAU welcomes phone enquiries. Contact us on (03) 8387 2333 to discuss potential or existing referrals.

Referrals should include:

Relevant clinical history
Reason for referral
Patient details including address, date of birth and contact phone numbers
Your details and provider number
Name of the consultant (for Medicare clinics)
Investigation reports related to the referral

Referrals are triaged based on priority. In an emergency, patients can go to the Emergency and Trauma Service at any time.

For advice, urgent referrals and out of hours support, call The RMH Switchboard on (03) 9342 7000 to page our registrar on call.

HealthPathways Melbourne provides guidance on best practice assessment and management of common medical conditions, including when and where to refer patients.

Parkville Connect is a secure web-based portal providing GPs, specialists and other health professionals with information in the Parkville electronic medical record (EMR).