Hospital Admission Risk Program (HARP)

The Hospital Admission Risk Program (HARP) is a Health Independence Program (HIP), which provides care coordination for people with complex medical and/or psychosocial issues. These are people who frequently use hospitals or are at risk of hospitalisation and may benefit from coordinated care.

This includes people with a chronic disease, conditions of ageing (including falls) or psychosocial needs.

HARP specialises in assisting people with diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, chronic heart disease, complex psychosocial and complex aged needs.

Generally, eligibility is restricted to 18 years of age or over.

People with complex needs can include people who have:

• multiple diseases
• self-management issues
• decreased functional ability
• fragile or no support system at home
• medication management issues

People who live alone and are not coping, or people experiencing disadvantage or have a psychosocial issue in addition to their disease process, also meet the complex needs criteria.

People with complex psychosocial needs can include people with:

• depression
• anxiety
• drug and/or alcohol problems
• homelessness (or at risk of homelessness or living in insecure housing)
• social isolation
• community/family breakdown
• financial insecurity
• self-harming behaviours
• mental or physical disability

Clients can self-refer via fax or phone.  Referral inquiries: 03 5320 6690

Referrals to HARP by a practitioner or doctor are sent directly to Central Intake via RIMS (Grampians Health Ballarat – Community Programs) or alternatively faxed (using the SCTT templates) to 03 5320 3893.

All referrals undergo priority assessment.