WNSW PHN’s Better Health Care Connections – Resident GP Video Connect pilot program has been operating in Broken Hill since April 2016, working to improve the quality of health care for aged care recipients in residential aged care settings through a model of care where GPs provide video consultations in addition to face to face contact. The project has completed over 600 successful GP video consultations, with six GPs and three Residential Aged Care Facilities on board in Broken Hill.
On February 2, 2017, the project launched in Dubbo with participation from Dubbo Family Doctors practice and the Catholic Healthcare Facilities: Holy Spirit Aged Care and St Mary’s Villa. WNSW PHN CEO, Andrew Harvey, attended the go live, encouraging stakeholders involved in the rollout and emphasising the importance of the program. Elyse Donoghue, Aged Care Coordinator from Northern Queensland PHN (another BHCC pilot location) also visited Broken Hill and Dubbo, to see the program in action and capture best practices from the WNSW PHN project in Broken Hill.
BHCC Resident GP Video Connect is a pilot project funded by the Australian Government Department of Health, to understand the usefulness and effectiveness of GP video consultations with residents in aged care facilities. The project ends on 30 June 2017 and will inform the project evaluation and influence national policy decisions in the matter.
For further queries, please contact Rekha Pillai, Aged Care Coordinator, rekha.pillai@wnswphn.org.au
