Communities in Bombala, Braidwood, Crookwell, Delegate and Yass now have access to 24-hour virtual medical support, specialty-level advice, critical care expertise, transport, logistics, and coordination support, thanks to the Virtual Rural Generalist Service (VRGS) available in Southern NSW Local Health District (SNSWLHD).
The VRGS model supports local medical and nursing staff to continue to deliver safe and high-quality care to rural communities, keeping residents closer to home and on Country when it’s safe to do so, and will improve access to care where support services have not previously been available.
Minister for Regional Health, Ryan Park, said the VRGS model meets community expectations for enhanced service delivery in rural areas.
“We are excited about the benefits this innovative virtual model of care offers our regional communities and our staff,” Mr Park said.
VRGS doctors are experienced, Australian-trained clinicians who work both virtually and in person to provide specialist medical coverage for hospitals and multipurpose services (MPS) and fatigue management when a local visiting medical officer is not available.
SNSWLHD has implemented VRGS at five pilot sites in Bombala, Braidwood, Crookwell, Delegate and Yass following a successful trial in mid 2023. The service was developed and delivered in collaboration with Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD), which implemented the service in 2020 and received last year’s Premier’s Award for Excellence in Digital Innovation for developing the model.
“The VRGS service ensures that patients presenting to our rural emergency departments, hospitals, and multipurpose services can see a doctor without having to unnecessarily travel to other hospitals,” Mr Park said.
SNSWLHD Chief Executive Margaret Bennett said VRGS will also help manage fatigue and relieve burnout amongst rural medical staff, and in doing so the model has been proven to significantly assist the recruitment and retention of clinicians in regional areas.
“VRGS will ensure our local doctors can maintain a healthy work-life balance while knowing their community is being well looked after,” Ms Bennett said.
“The service also empowers our nursing staff to care for their patients locally, with the reassurance that VRGS doctors with comprehensive knowledge of our District’s services and procedures are always readily available.”
People seeking medical assistance at VRGS- enabled sites should continue to present to their local Emergency Department as they currently do. They will be triaged by on-site nursing staff, who will arrange the clinical assessment and treatment with a VRGS doctor using mobile virtual care equipment.
Patients and their carers can then see, hear, and interact directly with the VRGS doctor on screen, answering questions and discussing their condition, all with the support of onsite nursing staff.
Once a plan care is finalised, the patient will either be referred for specialist care at another facility, admitted as an inpatient for further care, or discharged with advice by the VRGS doctor and nursing team, as is also the case with on-site doctors.