The Agency for Clinical Innovation is working with local health districts, specialty health networks, pillars, eHealth NSW and NSW Health to support the adoption and implementation of innovative virtual care services across NSW.
Our virtual care team shares the latest news in this rapidly evolving area of healthcare.
Celebrating Telehealth Awareness Week
A series of events are underway to celebrate Telehealth Awareness Week, 21-29 October 2021.
We launched the week by unveiling this Aboriginal artwork by Lizzy Stageman. The artwork depicts virtual care as a way to access healthcare close to home (on Country) and get the right care at the right time. Learn more about the artwork's story.
Artwork by Lizzy Stageman.
Lunch and learn sessions are running each day from 12.30 to 1pm. They feature clinicians, consumers and telehealth managers or leads providing their insights into and experiences with virtual care. RSVP for a session.
Keeping patients connected to loved ones
It’s important hospital patients maintain contact with their loved ones. This supports their wellbeing and allows them to make important healthcare decisions together.
The Stay Connected program gives health staff practical ways to support virtual visiting between patients and their loved ones. Guides developed with clinicians and consumers make it easy for inpatient staff, who haven’t used virtual care platforms before:
- Supporting virtual visiting
- Virtual visiting using myVirtualCare (using direct call)
- Virtual visiting using myVirtualCare (room link)
- Virtual visiting using Pexip
- Virtual visiting using a videoconferencing cart.
There is also information and training videos available for intensive care staff to support ICU virtual visiting. iPads available in all NSW ICUs can be used with the guides above. More information is available on the Intensive Care NSW website.
myVirtualCare is booming
Use of the myVirtualCare (myVC) platform has increased by 500%. September was the busiest month on record for myVC usage, with:
- 35,118 consultations (17% increase from August)
- 19,423 hours of consultation (18% increase from August)
- 5,014 unique clinician connections (13% increase from August)
- 477 active clinical rooms (20% increase from August).
The number of NSW Health staff undertaking the myVC training program has increased by 280%, with 1,403 training modules completed in September.
Support for clinical teams to enhance virtual modalities is available, request support using this form.
For more information about myVC, training or demo and drop-in sessions visit Virtual Care Central.
Palliative care trials online platform to share patient resources
There are currently 17 active myVirtualCare rooms delivering palliative care, bereavement and support services across NSW. Since January 2021, more than 2,300 palliative care consultations have taken place on myVirtualCare.
These services are also trialling a new platform, GoShare, which allows clinicians to send customised bundles of patient stories, animations, information sheets and COVID-19 support resources to palliative care patients, via SMS or email. For more information, talk to your local telehealth or virtual care manager, or visit the GoShare website.
Learn from other virtual care initiatives
Two new Spotlight on virtual care initiatives have been published:
- Virtual Mental Health Emergency Care (MHEC) in NSW – Hunter New England and Western Sydney local health districts share how videoconferencing helps avoid unnecessary transport and trauma for patients of mental health emergency care services.
- Providing a multidisciplinary chronic pain service – learn how virtual care improves access to multidisciplinary pain services in the Murrumbidgee Local Health District.
Explore more virtual care initiatives on the Agency for Clinical Innovation website.