REGIONAL emergency departments are set to be revolutionised over the next 12 months as Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) rolls out tele-health services.
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CEO Susan Weisser said tele-health would allow smaller hospitals to link with Wagga Base Hospital to access specialist medical knowledge, allowing for better treatment.
MLHD’s tele-health program could also potentially reduce transfers from regional hospitals to Wagga Base, meaning more time would be spent on treatment rather than travel.
“It helps inform better decisions about a patients care,” Ms Weisser said.
The details of the tele-health rollout were revealed to MLHD board members from Griffith, Deniliquin, Wagga and Young at a meeting in Junee last weekend.
Ms Weisser said the meeting was a strategic planning workshop.
“It’s an opportunity for new board members to get together to look at how they function and review items on the strategic plan,” she said.
MLHD board meetings were held around the Riverina and were conducted from a district perspective, not just with a focus on Junee, Ms Weisser said.
“We’re looking at different models of care and how to deliver these services,” she said.
Staffing continues to be a key focus for MHLD in providing the care and service expected by Riverina residents.
Significant gains had been made in reducingthe divison’s reliance on nursing locums with staff recruited to fill vacancies in the 12 months since the release of the MHLD strategic plan, Ms Weisser said
She said MHLD had been working with Charles Sturt University to ensure graduates had the skills required to provide essential health services to work in regional areas.