THE free virtual healthcare service has been expanded to the Illawarra and Shoalhaven.

Residents from the Illawarra Shoalhaven local health district will be able to access free and safe virtual care for non-life threatening conditions, right from the comfort of their own home.

The virtual care service will provide care for urgent but non-life threatening illnesses or injuries including:

• Coughs, colds, fevers and flu;
• Respiratory symptoms;
• Vomiting and diarrhoea; or
• Minor infections and rashes.

The service will be available between 8am and 10pm seven days a week for people aged 16 years and older. The service can be accessed by phoning HealthDirect on 1800 022 222 where patients will first speak to a registered nurse who will assess your condition, and if appropriate, refer you to the virtual care service.

The service uses video conferencing technology to connect patients with a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, including doctors and nurses, where clinically appropriate.

Virtual care forms part of a broader range of measures to relieve pressure on the state’s busy EDs, including:

• $100 million investment for a further two years to continue our urgent care services, providing a pathway to care outside of our hospitals for an estimated 114,000 patients;
• $70 million over 4 years to expand emergency department short stay units to improve patient flow to reduce ED wait times by nearly 80,000 hours;
• $15.1 million for an Ambulance Matrix that provides real time hospital data to enable paramedics to transport patients to emergency departments with greater capacity and reducing wait times;
• $31.4 million over 4 years to increase Hospital in the Home across the state allowing over 3,500 additional patients each year to be cared for in their home rather than a hospital bed; and
• $53.9 million to improve patient flow and support discharge planning by identifying patients early that are suitable to be discharged home with the appropriate supports in place.

Minister for the Illawarra and South Coast Ryan Park said people from right across the local health district will be able to avoid for a wait for a GP or in a hospital through this expanded virtual care service.

“It will relieve pressure on our busy emergency departments by creating more alternative pathways to care outside the hospital,” he said.

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