Isolated WA clinic joins Emergency Telehealth network

An isolated clinic in the town of Lancelin in Western Australia has joined the state’s Emergency Telehealth Service network.

The Lancelin Primary Health Centre, operated by health and community care provider Silver Chain Group, will pilot the service over the next 12 months. Other Silver Chain centres in isolated locations may also be included in the network.

While Lancelin is only 90 minutes from Perth, its isolation and busy tourist season have been putting pressure on Silver Chain staff at the centre, according to WA Health Minister Dr Kim Hames.

“Now, thanks to the introduction of this service, nurses in Lancelin have peace of mind knowing they can instantly link to highly trained emergency specialist doctors via videoconference to help when they are treating seriously injured or acutely unwell patients,” Hames said.

“The Emergency Telehealth Service has proven to be a runaway success for regional WA. It has grown from a pilot program in eight Wheatbelt sites in 2012 to now being accessed in 74 towns across the state, significantly improving access to emergency medicine support in small regional hospitals.”

The service is staffed by emergency medicine specialists in Perth available to consult with doctors and nurses in remote locations via videoconferencing. Since its launch in August 2012 there have been over 23,000 consultations via the service, which operates from 8 am to 11 pm, seven days a week.

It forms part of the state government’s $500 million Southern Inland Health Initiative, which is funded under the Royalties for Regions program.

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