Specialist emergency health care by telehealth is now available around-the-clock supporting patient care in rural and remote WA.  The Emergency Telehealth Service (ETS) saw a marked increase in use over the Christmas-New Year period after it expanded to a 24/7 service last month.  The WA Country Health Service has more than 70 regional and remote hospital emergency departments and emergency care facilities spread across the state.  ETS sites in the Bunbury Geographe region are located at Collie, Donnybrook and Harvey (map).

WA Country Health Service Acting Chief Executive Shane Matthews said the increased demand showed how valuable the ETS was in supporting local clinicians to provide safe, quality emergency care for country patients.

“The Christmas-New Year period is the busiest time of year for medical emergencies and it’s gratifying to be able to connect local health staff and country communities with specialised emergency care around the clock thanks to the reach of telehealth.”   Mr Matthews said the ETS also provided important back-up for local doctors during holidays.  “Country GPs who usually support emergency care in country hospitals and nursing posts work hard all year and are often stretched over Christmas and New Year.  WACHS, through the Emergency Telehealth Service, is proud to be able to support country GPs by taking some of the load off them over the holidays.”

The Emergency Telehealth Service (ETS) started in 2012 to support doctors and nurses working in nursing posts and small hospitals in rural and remote locations to provide specialist emergency care. It has supported more than 58,000 emergency cases since it began and now deals with about 300 cases a week.

Emergency rooms at hospitals and nursing posts are fitted with a large screen, camera, microphone and telephone which allow local doctors and nurses and their patients to see and speak to the ETS doctors.

The ETS doctors, based at ETS headquarters in Perth and large hospitals around the State, can then guide the country clinicians in diagnosis and first treatment for patients.  Country doctors and nurses now use the ETS daily to support emergency care in situations including motor vehicle accidents, heart and respiratory attacks, reptile and insect bites and mental health concerns.