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

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

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

Meanwhile, the SAVCS has treated about 18,000 patients since December 2021 with 80% avoiding unnecessary ED trips. 

WHY IT MATTERS

Based on a media release, the latest funding to the two virtual care services will help relieve the immense pressures that the South Australian health system is currently facing. These services have been proven to help free up beds, improving patient flow while serving as an alternative to accessing healthcare.

THE LARGER CONTEXT

The South Australian health system is facing its worst congestion issues in years, having to deal with swamped EDs, bed shortages, and thousands of hours of ramping. It has since leveraged virtual technology to reduce hospital admissions while still delivering quality care at home. 

Aside from the adult and children virtual care services, SA Health also started a free 24/7 remote health monitoring service in rural and regional areas. It provides a monitoring kit, which includes medical devices and a digital tablet for uploading health data. 

In SA's capital, Adelaide, the safe@home project led by Flinders University is providing chronic disease patients access to daily primary care service via virtual care and telemonitoring. 

Meanwhile, the SA government has provided the State Health Control Centre funding of A$31.5 million ($22 million) over five years to upscale its operations. Launched in May, the centre is providing 24/7 support and oversight of the SA health and hospital system, supported by predictive data and analytics. 

ON THE RECORD

"We’re making massive investments to improve the system but a key challenge is the number of patients who present to an ED sicker than they otherwise would be because of 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, easing pressure on the system," SA Premier Peter Malinauskas commented.