The Rapid Assessment of the Deteriorating Aged at Risk (RADAR) Team is a community based geriatric multidisciplinary team. Our goal is to keep older people safe at home.

About this service

The RADAR service is a multidisciplinary team consisting of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals. The service provides targeted care to the older person through a nursing and/or medical led intervention in collaboration with the allied health services to prevent a subsequent hospital admission through tailored interventions including but not limited to

• Cognitive, functional, and psychosocial assessments
• Falls assessments and management strategies
• Review of medications and management strategies
• Review of pain medication and assistance with titration of pain medications
• Home safety and equipment recommendation
• Short term allied health interventions including Social Work, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Dietetics input.
• Referrals onto aged care services
• Arranging direct admission to hospital if required
• Short term liaison with care providers involved in your care

Who we care for

Our services are available for persons aged 65 years and over, or 50 years and over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

We accept referrals from:

• Canberra Hospital inpatient departments
• Canberra Hospital Emergency Department
• North Canberra Hospital inpatients
• North Canberra Hospital Emergency Department
• University of Canberra Hospital
• General practitioners and nurse practitioners in the community
• Aged care outpatients clinics

We offer these services for free.

How to access this service

If you are in hospital, the medical team in the Emergency Department or in the wards can refer you to our service when you’re discharged.

Otherwise, you will need a referral from your general practitioner or community health professional.

You, your carer or family can contact us by phone on (02) 5124 8293.

We are available from 8am to 4.30pm, Monday to Saturday.

What to expect

We will triage all referrals Monday to Saturday.

We will write to your general practitioner or referring doctor to confirm we have received and triaged their referral.

We will contact you to organise a date and time for our review, this may be a home visit or a clinic review.

What to bring to your appointment

• Vision and hearing aids
• We suggest during the clinic or home visit that a family member, spouse or close friend is present if available
• Medicare card
• Any letters or correspondence from your general practitioner
• Medicines you need to take
• List of medicines you are currently taking (or the boxes), including medicines you have bought without a prescription, such as herbal supplements and vitamins
• Previous x-ray films, scans, ultrasounds or any other test results or reports

Where we’re located

We go to your home but booked appointments can also be organised at Canberra Hospital and the University of Canberra Hospital.