Uplifting digital health in aged care

Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN recently offered the ‘Connected Health Care Grants’ to Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs) located within the region to purchase the required equipment and/or enhance current information technology infrastructure for the purpose of increasing the number of video telehealth consultations offered to residents.

In the Darling Downs and West Moreton region, the PHN engaged with over 92% of facilities, with 59 of 64 participating in consultation. From this, 57 facilities received a grant from the Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN.

This funding is crucial in ensuring the PHN can continue to assist local health care providers to adopt digital health tools.

Adopting digital health tools enables our providers to:

• access patient health information to support clinical decision making, patient safety and continuity of care
• provide patient-centred care
• provide quality care through remote monitoring, consultations and treatment using telehealth, ability to receive electronic scripts
• streamline processes, reducing waiting times and reducing duplicate testing.

Access to health workforce in remote and rural communities continues to remain one of the greatest barriers in addressing health need in Queensland, particularly in the primary health care setting.

Executive Director of Operations at Clifton Community Health Service, Wannapa Foytong, spoke on the difference the PHN-funded Visionflex All-in-One Telehealth Cart will make for both GPs and patients at the service, thanking the PHN for our funding support.

“Clifton Community Health Service- RACs is in the enviable position to purchase video health- Visionflex, Ms Foyton said.

“The video health cart will help to prevent unnecessary hospital presentations and enhance medical support, increase access to GP and specialist service to residential aged care,” she said.

“Telehealth is the soulmate of remote monitoring, removing the need for a face-to-face consult by allowing the patient to attend the medical practice whilst consulting with a doctor (GP and specialist) from another location.”

“Telehealth is now a permanent, sustainable, and vitally important feature of Medicare offering doctors the opportunity to support RACF residents better and potentially avoiding the need for long journeys to see city-based specialists.”