Community Assessment Unit (CAU)
How we can help you
The Community Assessment Unit (CAU) cares for people in the community who have chronic and complex health conditions. Their GP can refer them for a short admission to the Unit and our health professionals will work together to understand their complex health needs and make appropriate plans to support their care.
We will help to arrange community health services so that they can have care while living back in the community in partnership with their GP and other health professionals.
The CAU team includes doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, dietitians, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, pharmacists, and a social worker. Our team will work with you and your family to understand and meet your health care needs.
We provide nursing care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The rest of our team are available seven days a week from 8:30am to 5:00pm.
Our nurses work three different shifts - morning, afternoon, and night. Our medical and allied health team work from 8:30am to the afternoon. Our healthcare team meets together to discuss your care 7 days a week at 9:00am and 3:00pm.
Our nurses will take your blood pressure, temperature and heart rate, and complete other assessments while you are here. Each morning starting from 8:30am our doctors visit patients bedsides to discuss their care. Specialist doctors visit patients throughout the day.
Meals are delivered from 7:30am, 12:30pm and 5:30pm. Please let the staff know if you have any specific allergies and dietary requirements.
You may need to come back for an outpatient clinic appointment after you have left the Hospital. We will provide you with the details of this appointment.
We are a teaching hospital, and you may be asked to be involved in research or for a student to be present while you are assessed. You have the right to say no. If you do so, this will not impact in any way on the services we will provide.
Please let us know if you need an interpreter while in the CAU. If you are dialing in from home, you can contact us by telephoning the Translation and Interpreting Service (TIS) National on 131 450. Tell the operator what language you speak and then ask the interpreter to set up a telephone conversation between you, an interpreter, and the healthcare professional you want to speak with.