South Australia makes child, adult virtual care services sustainable with $89M funding

The South Australian government has earmarked additional funding for its new virtual care services for children and adults to make permanent.

$30.8 million ($21 million) of funding has been allocated to the Child and Adolescent Virtual Urgent Care Service (CAVUCS) over the next four years while $67.8 million ($47 million) has been set aside for the Adult SA Virtual Care Service (SAVCS) next in five years.

Since its launch in August 2021, the children’s virtual care service has seen over 24,000 patients, nine out of ten of whom avoid unnecessary visits to the ED. This service, provided through the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, has also enabled the SA Ambulance Service to treat 1,000 children at home.

Meanwhile, SAVCS has treated around 18,000 patients since December 2021 80% avoid unnecessary ED visits.

why it matters

Based on a media release, the latest funding for two virtual care services will help relieve the enormous pressures the South Australian health system is currently facing. These services have proven to help free up beds, improve patient flow, and serve as a substitute for healthcare access.

larger context

The South Australian health system is facing its worst overcrowding issues in years, with swamped EDs, bed shortages and thousands of hours ramping up. Since then it has leveraged virtual technology to reduce hospital admissions while providing quality care at home.

In addition to adult and child virtual care services, SA Health has also launched a free 24/7 remote health monitoring service in rural and regional areas. It provides a monitoring kit, which includes medical equipment and a digital tablet for uploading health data.

in SA’s capital, Adelaide, The Safe@Home project, led by Flinders University, is giving chronic illness patients access to a daily primary care service through virtual care and telemonitoring.

Meanwhile, the SA government has provided A$31.5 million ($22 million) funding to the state health control center over five years to scale up its operations. Launched in May, the center is providing 24/7 support and oversight of the SA health and hospital system, backed by predictive data and analytics.

On the record

“We are investing massively in improving the system, but a key challenge is the number of patients who are ill for EDs, who otherwise would be due to a nationwide shortage of GPs. These virtual care services have already demonstrated They can play a vital role in helping people get the help they need without leaving home, reducing pressure on the system,” SA Premier Peter Malinauskas commented.