Skip to resources for patients
For clinicians
A guide for NSW Health employees covering:
A central hub for information, resources and news (NSW Health login required). It also has a contact list for local virtual care managers who can help with:
- information specific to your local health district or workplace
- approved platforms
- solving connectivity issues
- training and other resources.
A series of reports sharing experiences from local health services delivering virtual care, including an initiative from Southern NSW Local Health District.
Other clinical considerations
If a patient deteriorates during a virtual care appointment, each team should have their own protocols for:
- confirming the patient’s address and contact number at the start of any consultation
- being able to call an ambulance or other emergency support
- organising an urgent in-person visit
- contacting a family member.
Communicating with patients about virtual care
There are two online learning modules available on My Health Learning:
- Introducing virtual care in consumer conversations
Course code: 487521515 - Establish a confident telepresence in a virtual care environment
Course code: 487522974
| Use or adapt these example scripts when offering virtual care to a patient, family or carer | |
|---|---|
| When someone first contacts the service | We offer home visits, clinic visits, video call and phone calls – which would you prefer? |
| When a patient calls to cancel a home visit or clinic appointment | Sorry to hear that you can’t make it, would you like us to organise a video appointment or phone call instead? |
| Offering to include someone else in a consultation (of any kind) | Is there someone else that you would like to include, such as your GP, family member, carer, specialist or other important person? |
| Offering a home or clinic visit when you can see during a virtual care appointment that a patient has deteriorated | I'm concerned about you because [add reason], I think we need to see you in-person. Here are some options… |
For patients
A range of printed and video resources (including translations) are available to support palliative care patients to use virtual care.
- Virtual Care in NSW: Guide for patients, carers, families and the community (NSW Health)
- Preparing for a virtual appointment
- Video: how to use the myVirtualCare videoconferencing platform
- Consumer troubleshooting guide for technical issues
- Access information and resources about virtual care for the community
Also available in community languages:
Arabic العربية简体中文 Chinese - Simplifiedکوردی Kurdish Tiếng Việt Vietnameseहिंदी HindiAuslan
Also available in community languages:
Arabic العربية简体中文 Chinese - SimplifiedTiếng Việt Vietnameseहिंदी HindiAuslan
Also available in community languages:
Arabic العربية简体中文 Chinese - SimplifiedTiếng Việt Vietnameseहिंदी HindiAuslan
Attending your palliative care appointment
A consumer information sheet introducing virtual care for palliative care, covering the benefits, topics to discuss in a consultation, preparing for an appointment, what will happen during an appointment, and when virtual care is not suitable.
Download the Attending your palliative care appointment information sheet (PDF 308.4 KB)
Also available in community languages:
Arabic العربية简体中文 Chinese - Simplified繁體中文 Chinese - TraditionalGreek ελληνικάहिंदी HindiItalianoEspañolNepali नेपालीTagalogTiếng Việt Vietnamese
Patient and family stories
Patients, their families and health staff share their experiences using virtual care in end of life and palliative care.