Restoring Health - St Vincent’s Hospital HARP (Hospital Admission Risk Prevention Program)

The Restoring Health HARP program provides a coordinated program for clients with chronic lung disease, chronic heart failure and diabetes (type I or II) to improve health outcomes and to reduce reliance on emergency department attendances.

The program ensures optimal medical management, education, exercise and support is provided to maintain and manage clients with the above chronic diseases in the community.

The Restoring Health Community Nurse is a part of a multidisciplinary team, which links closely with community based services and St Vincent’s Hospital to provide continuity of care from hospital to the community. The community nurse is given a designated area. There are two Restoring Health Community Nurses based at Inner East CHS - Richmond. They are Barbara Gemmell and Bill McDonald. There is another Restoring Health Community Nurse based at Darebin Community Health Centre who is Karen Thorne.

The Restoring Health Community Nurse provides follow up, education, resources, support ,care planning/implementation of care plan and identification of deterioration in client’s health to clients recruited to the program.

Clients who fulfil certain criteria (moderate to severe disease) may be recruited to the program if and when they attend St Vincent’s Hospital.

HARP Eastern Region

Eastern Hospital Admission Risk Program (HARP) is the HARP program servicing the eastern municipalities.

The target population for Eastern HARP is people with defined chronic diseases & complex needs who are most likely to benefit from integrated care and have the potential to reduce avoidable hospital use. This includes:

  • People with chronic heart disease
  • People with chronic respiratory disease
  • People with diabetes
  • Older people with complex needs
  • People with complex psychosocial needs

Evidence shows that these groups are ‘people who frequently use hospitals or are at risk of hospitalisation’. The focus is therefore on ensuring healthcare needs are met in the community to reduce/eliminate avoidable hospital admissions.

Eastern HARP provides varied services to ensure that all client needs are met, including Care Coordination, Psychology, Community Case Management, Specialist Clinical Nursing, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Pathology and Dietetics.

There a number of sites and agencies that are key HARP service providers, and Inner East CHS is one of them. Inner East CHS has 4 clinicians working for the Eastern HARP program . Occupational Therapist, Dietician, Speech Pathologist and Psychosocial Care Coordinator.

Referrals to the program are via HARP Access 1300 661 141.