The OPERA (Older Person’s Emergency Review and Assessment)service is an innovative urgent care model designed to provide an alternativeto Emergency Department (ED) presentations for older people, delivering rapid,multidisciplinary assessment in an out-of-hospital setting.
As demand on acute services continues to grow, particularly from ageing populations, models such as OPERA play a critical role in improving patient flow, reducing hospital admissions, and enhancing care experiences for older Australians.
This project involved a rapid program evaluation of OPERA to assess its effectiveness, utilisation, and system impact, with a strong focus on opportunities to strengthen performance, scalability, and sustainability within the broader health and aged care system
HealthQ Consulting, as an experienced aged care consultant and health system evaluator, was engaged to deliver a rapid, independent evaluation of the OPERA service.
The evaluation applied a structured mixed-methods program evaluation framework, examining appropriateness and effectiveness across service design, outputs and outcomes.
The approach combined: 1. Quantitative analysis of activity data, admissions, length of stay, referral sources and discharge outcomes; 2. Review of operational, financial and model-of-care documentation; 3. Targeted stakeholder consultations across internal leaders, clinicians and external partners; 4. Assessment of system integration, ED diversion performance and scalability.
This methodology enabled a robust, evidence-based assessment of both patient-level outcomes and system-level impact, ensuring findings were grounded in real-world implementation and operational context.
A key strength of the evaluation was its focus on translating insights into practical system improvement opportunities, aligning with HealthQ’s consulting approach of delivering actionable, executive-ready recommendations.
The evaluation found that OPERA delivers high-quality, person-centred care for older people and is effective at achieving positive patient-level outcomes, including timely assessment, short lengths of stay and high rates of discharge home.
Importantly, the evaluation highlighted that while the model has a strong theoretical and clinical foundation, there were opportunites to improve future effectiveness.
We acknowledge and pay our respects to the Traditional Custodians of the Country on which we live, work and play and honour their connection to Country and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging.
