News

Telehealth delivering safer care at MBH

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 08:36:00

The head of Victoria’s lead agency on healthcare quality and safety has inspected first-hand the successes of a partnership with Mildura Base Hospital to deliver quicker, safer intensive care to some of the hospital’s most seriously ill patients.

Safer Care Victoria Chief Executive Officer Professor Euan Wallace AM toured Mildura Base Hospital last week as part of a series of visits to hospitals and health providers across Victoria.
MBH CEO Julia Morgan and senior staff took the opportunity to showcase success of a telehealth project at the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, delivered partnership with Safer Care Victoria.
“The MBH Critical Care Telehealth Project began in August last year, and since then, it’s prevented the need for 24 patients to be transferred to Melbourne hospitals,” Ms Morgan said.
“The telehealth project allows our Intensive Care staff here at Mildura Base to confer with the best-qualified specialists in Melbourne, in real time and provide treatment here under the oversight of the appropriate specialist,” she said.
“It means specialist assessment and advice is quicker and with much less upheaval to the patient and the patient outcomes have been excellent.”
Ms Morgan said doctors, specialists and Intensive Care staff at MBH were proud of the achievements of the project.
“There have been 19 Intensive Care patients and four renal patients who have been able to stay in Mildura, close to their family and supports, but with the benefit of oversight by Melbourne specialists, as required,” she said.
“We were excited to show Professor Wallace around the hospital, but particularly the Telehealth Project, because we have had many patients speak about how important it was to them, when they were critically ill, to be getting the best of care, but to still have their family and supports with them.
“Visits such as this one give us an opportunity not only to show what’s happening here, but to discuss our challenges and get advice on how best to meet them.”
The ICU Telehealth project was delivered by MBH in partnership with Safer Care Victoria, which oversees and supports health services to provide safe, high-quality care to patients.
Professor Wallace said he was impressed by MBH, and that the ICU Telehealth Project was one of the highlights of his visit.
“It’s always a great pleasure to visit hospitals around the State and to see the innovative work being delivered to address the local needs of patients and families,” Professor Wallace said.
“The telehealth ICU project is just one such example of fabulous innovation being led by MBH. The real success of the ICU project is evident in the stories it’s able to tell: the patients who have been able to receive care at MBH, close to their families. The family and friends who have been able to support their loved ones through a tough time. And the teams of people who have been supported to deliver care locally,” he said.
“We are interested to explore whether MBH’s expertise can now be picked up by other health services elsewhere in the state. It’s an example of regional Victoria leading the way.”