Telehealth support in residential aged care homes continues to be a focus for the Australian government, following the 2021 Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety Report.
Since the report was published, Primary Health Networks have undertaken dedicated activities that address the issues identified at the interface between the primary health care and aged care systems.
Western Victoria Primary Health Network (WVPHN) undertook two dedicated residential aged care home (RACH) pilot programs: one off grants to all 140 RACHs in the region to choose their own telehealth solutions, and a Visionflex Telehealth cart pilot program that was rolled out to 12 local RACHs. These telehealth carts include a range of medical examination tools.
Both pilots provided valuable insights into resident outcomes, workforce experiences, implementation challenges, and the overall value for money delivered by each program.
“We have learnt a lot with the implementation of both pilot programs and these insights will provide us with direction on how we can target further support and improve links between RACHs and primary health care,” said WVPHN CEO Craig Wilding.
Both programs recognised that telehealth improves access to care, reduces travel burden and enhances resident and family satisfaction.
They also reflected the diversity of RACH environments and underscore the importance of tailored, context-sensitive telehealth solutions.
For example, the small grants program delivered value for money and was widely adopted. The Visionflex Telehealth Cart showed promise but faced some implementation challenges that limited its broader uptake.
“We will continue supporting telehealth initiatives that demonstrate strong value for money and broad adoption. Where we have experienced implementation challenges, we will address these through tailored solutions and improved training. We see it as critical that telehealth support is available to RACHs and we aim to foster collaborative partnerships that refine and enhance telehealth delivery in aged care,” said Craig Wilding.
For more information on how WVPHN is helping promote telehealth in aged care in our region, see our Residential Aged Care Telehealth Training Program page.