Year-in-Review-2021-22 - Flipbook - Page 144
Feature:
Our Stories
RPA Virtual Hospital
marks milestone
Virtual care plays key role in District’s COVID
response.
Australia’s first virtual hospital, rpavirtual, has now
provided care for more than 36,000 patients, as it
marks two years at the forefront of the response
to the COVID-19 pandemic in NSW.
“rpavirtual plays an important leadership role. It’s
a “lighthouse” service, guiding other local health
districts and interstate health services about
delivering hospital level care in the community,”
Dr Teresa Anderson, Sydney Local Health District’s
Chief Executive, said.
Shih-Chi Kao’s team aims to
empower the LGBTIQ+ community
Launched in February 2020, a 24-hour Virtual Care
Centre and the Sydney District Nursing service
are key to rpavirtual’s operations, with its model
of care combining the latest in digital healthcare
strategies and technology.
Launched by the NSW Health Minister Brad
Hazzard, the NSW LGBTIQ+ Health Strategy 2022
– 2027 is a comprehensive plan to understand
and address the health and wellbeing needs of
the state’s LGBTIQ+ population.
The purpose-built Virtual Care Centre is equipped
with ‘Care Pods’ that include videoconferencing
technology and the ability to remotely monitor
patients with wearables.
This includes the health, wellbeing and safety of
the District’s staff who are LGBTIQ+.
The team at the Virtual Care Centre has grown
from an initial six Registered Nurses to more than
70 staff including doctors, a multidisciplinary
allied health team, a Digital Patient Navigator; and
a new Aboriginal Cultural Response Team.
Patient feedback has been positive with 88 per
cent of patients reporting they felt confident at
home knowing they were being supported virtually.
The strategy focuses delivering high quality,
safe, inclusive and responsive care; responding
to the health needs of transgender and gender
diverse people; responding to the health needs of
intersex people; and capturing data on sexuality,
gender and intersex variations.
The District is committed to delivering these key
priorities.
As home to one of Australia’s biggest LGBTIQ+
communities, the District is dedicated to ensuring
that all people, regardless of their sexuality or
gender identity, feel accepted, welcomed and
valued.
“We partner with our LGBTIQ+ community to
enhance their health and wellbeing. Our vision is
to deliver equitable healthcare services that are
responsive to their needs,” Dr Kao, the Director
of Priority Population Programs at Sydney Local
Health District, said.
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Sydney Local Health District
