Older Persons Emergency Network (OPEN)

OPEN is open for referrals 8am-8pm, 7 days a week.

OPEN is an emergency department substitution service offering emergency care for older people in their own home. The service provides care to the community including residential aged care facilities.

OPEN aims to provide an alternative pathway for older persons to access acute care in the community. The multidisciplinary team consists of senior medical officers, nurse practitioners, specialist nurses and pharmacists.

Refer a patient

OPEN is suitable for vulnerable older persons who have emergent care needs and would benefit from acute care in their home rather than transfer to a hospital emergency department.

Healthcare Providers ONLY

Who can make a referral to OPEN?

• Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS)
• Virtual Emergency Department (VED)
• General Practitioners (GPs)
• Residential Aged Care District Assessment and Referral Service (RADAR)
• Community based services in Caboolture and Redcliffe catchment areas

What can be referred to OPEN?

• Acute injuries and illnesses

Who can be referred to OPEN?

• Residential aged care facility residents based in the Metro North catchment
• Older adults in their community homes in the Caboolture and Redcliffe catchment (>65 years of age or >50 years for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples).

Patients

If you have the following symptoms, call 000

• Chest pain
• Breathing problems or turning blue
• Comatose or unconscious
• Sudden inability to move or speak, or sudden facial drooping
• The effects of a severe accident

For all other acute symptoms contact the Virtual Emergency Department 8am – 10pm

Virtual Emergency Department (ED) – Metro North Health

Why was OPEN developed?

In Australia, patients aged 65 and over accounted for approximately 22% of all emergency department presentations.  The older population continues to experience the highest growth in emergency department presentations. There is greater risk of hospital-based harm in older persons due to a high level of vulnerability to complications such as falls, delirium, pressure injuries and secondary infection. The OPEN model aims to reduce these risks by providing emergency healthcare in the home.