The Aged Care Rapid Response Team (ARRT) is a geriatric outreach service offering care to older people who live within the Lower North Shore and Ryde and Hunters Hill areas of the Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD). Depending on the clinical need, ARRT offers virtual assessments and home visits to help people remain at home or in their Residential Aged Care Facility (RACF).
ARRT is one of three geriatric outreach services provided by NSLHD. The ARRT team was established in 2012 with a geriatrician, advanced trainee registrar in geriatrics and two clinical nurse consultants (CNCs).
ARRT provides rapid geriatric assessment and treatment to people in their own home, including people who live in the 40 RACFs within the catchment. This includes the review of older people who are deteriorating functionally or medically and are at risk of hospitalisation. ARRT aims to treat people safely in their residence, ensuring they receive the right care, in the right place, and at the right time. ARRT reduces the number of avoidable emergency department (ED) presentations for older people who are acutely unwell and may provide an alternative to hospitalisation. ARRT uses videoconferencing to enhance their existing services.
Initially, ARRT began using videocalls between the geriatrician and CNCs to enable the team to work more efficiently. Following the success of this approach, the team piloted the use of video calls between RACFs and ARRT to triage referrals and gain a clearer picture of a person’s condition.
Download Virtual Care: Aged Care Rapid Response Team (PDF 1.9 MB)
