The successful rollout of three telehealth carts is already paying dividends for both residents and staff at RAAFA as well as the wider healthcare network.
Funded through a grant received from the WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA), the telehealth devices provided to RAAFA’s McNamara Lodge, Gordon Lodge and Alice Ross-King Care Centre aim to improve resident’s access to primary health care and prevent unnecessary hospital presentations either for appointments, or in emergency cases.
With an additional two devices set to be rolled out to Karri and Tuart Lodge, and Vivian Bullwinkel Lodge soon, the service has received an overwhelming response from RAAFA’s Residential Care centres, including Gordon Lodge resident, Kate Quan.
Kate sustained a laceration to her head which allowed our nurses to assess the wound with medics via video. Shortly after, medics arrived and sutured the wound, saving Kate from an unnecessary trip to the local hospital where there is already a short supply of hospital beds.
“Having an experienced emergency department professional come to my house at Gordon Lodge to carry out the professional procedure is an excellent example of working smarter rather than working harder. No ambulance ramping, no emergency department overcrowding. Very impressed,” said Kate.
RAAFA’s General Manager of Residential Care, Carol Dickson said the telehealth carts allow RAAFA’s nurses to extend their delivery of care.
“We are thrilled to be recipients of five telehealth carts across our Residential Care sites. Instrumental to making best use of the telehealth devices is the way in which we use them to connect and engage with the broader healthcare network. Kate’s story is an excellent example of where the Department of Health’s Virtual Emergency Department is enhancing the service provided by our staff and improving the patient journey for our aged and vulnerable residents,” said Carol.
Each telehealth cart supplied by WAPHA is equipped with Visionflex’s Vision video call platform and Bluetooth-enabled devices including pulse oximeter, blood pressure cuff, digital stethoscope with headphones, and a high-definition examination camera. The medical-grade carts include an all-in-one computer with integrated webcam, wireless keyboard and mouse, a patient-facing webcam and monitor and in-built video conferencing software.
WA Primary Health Alliance Executive General Manager – Primary Care Innovation and Development, Bernadette Kenny, said the telehealth carts will help eliminate barriers and improve access to care.
“Access to new technology like mobile telehealth carts is a crucial step towards creating better primary care experiences across the board. We are thrilled to hear stories of success and benefits received by residents in aged care within such a short period of time since the service began,” said Kenny.