SA Community Care provides older patients with the option of receiving care in their own home including Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs). The program can help residents with immediate hospital avoidance or support an early return home from hospital.

Services commonly delivered by SA Community Care to patients in Residential Aged Care Facilities include:

  • intravenous antibiotic therapy
  • continence management
  • blood transfusion – low risk
  • end of life terminal care
  • other nursing for complex post-acute care.

SA Community Care provides care for public patients living in the Adelaide metropolitan area, including in Residential Aged Care Facilities.

The Metropolitan Referral Unit (MRU) is the single point of contact for referrals into SA Community Care. Residential Aged Care Facility staff and General Practitioners working in aged care can contact the MRU for short-term clinical services through SA Community Care to support immediate hospital avoidance for residents who are at risk of a hospital presentation.

If the resident is not eligible for SA Community Care, the MRU can provide navigation and links to other more suitable services and programs.

If you have a resident who you think we could assist in avoiding a public hospital presentation, please contact the MRU and discuss the resident’s individual needs.

The MRU is open between 8:00am and 8:00pm, seven days a week including public holidays.
Referrals can be submitted anytime via email or fax and the overnight referrals will be triaged each morning. A clinician at the MRU will access the patient’s eligibility for SA Community Care and confirm their admission or suggest more suitable alternative services.

Please note that the program is not an emergency response and usual processes for emergency care should be followed.

For further information about the referral process visit the referral forms page.

Please contact the Metropolitan Referral Unit (MRU) on 1300 110 600 if you would like to have the team from the MRU arrange a time to visit your organisation and directly discuss the services that can be provided.