The Southern and Murrumbidgee Oral Health Services

Southern NSW Local Health District (SNSWLHD) and Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) are neighbouring districts in the south of NSW, with both local health districts considered to be rural areas. The virtual component of the Southern and Murrumbidgee Oral Health Services began as a pilot in 2018, and due to its success, is now a leading provider of acute and specialist dental services to patients in the SNSWLHD and MLHD.

Specialist dental care through virtual appointments

The Southern and Murrumbidgee Oral Health Services (the service) provides pathways for patients to access acute and specialist dental care through virtual appointments, making the service accessible for those in remote areas. Originally, to provide support to patients, the service used store and forward modalities, an electronic communication method of acquiring and storing of clinical information. The service has since expanded to using videoconferencing capabilities to conduct virtual appointments. It was the first in SNSWLHD to successfully conduct a patient appointment using the myVirtualCare (myVC) platform.

The use of virtual care technology has enabled the service to deliver care with a patient-centred approach that is effective, efficient and improves patient health outcomes. The integration of virtual care has increased access to acute and specialist dental care close to home. This contributes to overall health and well-being, as poor oral health is associated with several chronic diseases, including stroke and cardiovascular disease.¹ The service allows patients to access quality acute and specialist dental advice through videoconferencing, reducing the need for patients to travel long distances. The service also uses 22 public dental clinics across both districts to refer patients into, should they require in-person emergency dental care.

Implementation through collaboration

The service began as a project through the HETI Next Generation of Leaders program in 2018.  As a relationship had already been established between MLHD and SNSWLHD, the service was implemented with ease, with SNSWLHD providing the oral health services for MLHD. A virtual consultation room was setup in the myVirtualCare platform (under SNSWLHD), which the service refers to as their virtual dental clinic. This clinic is shared by clinicians across both districts.

Patients were provided with a patient information pamphlet when they were referred to the paediatric dental specialist service. A virtual desktop consultation was facilitated using ‘store and forward’. Follow-up surveys were sent to patients after their consultation to identify any barriers, challenges and positives to assist with further service improvement.

When it was first established, the service used photos of the patient's mouth to triage into appropriate codes. The service gradually expanded to provide virtual components. The service developed a training and onboarding checklist based on a modified version of the ACI's competency checklist, that ensured clinicians were competent in using virtual care and the myVC platform. Staff were trained on the myVC platform using My Health Learning training modules, virtual workshops and ‘buddy sessions’.

Reduction in emergency voucher usage

The service provided around 800 consultations between July 2021 and 30 June 2022, with 40 clinicians connecting to patients. A point-in-time review of the initial pilot into the use of myVC for triaging emergency patients showed that of 53 clients triaged, only 47% were provided with an emergency voucher to manage their symptoms. Before this model of care, all clients would have received a voucher. An evaluation of the telephone appointments was completed in 2020 with 127 responses including both patients and clinicians. The average rating was 8.51, with 1 as very unhappy and 10 as very happy.

Download Virtual Care: The Southern and Murrumbidgee Oral Health Services (PDF 4.5 MB)

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