Patients in rural and remote communities across regional NSW are receiving safer care, thanks to Western NSW Local Health District's Virtual Support remote monitoring service.
The Virtual Support service operates as a patient safety net, monitoring existing digital health data of patients at 35 rural hospitals and health facilities across western NSW in real-time.
Using complex algorithms, the sophisticated remote monitoring software tracks routinely collected data points from rural and remote patients in emergency department and admitted in-patient beds, triggering alerts and generating early warning scores.
Raw data is monitored and assessed centrally by the District's Western Virtual clinicians 24 hours a day, seven days per week with key information and concerns relayed directly to local frontline staff caring for patients.
This monitoring helps to identify clinical deterioration earlier and allows rural clinicians to provide timely and appropriate responses when needed.
When hospital staff are alerted to patient deterioration through early detection, appropriate escalation and action is possible regardless of where the patient is located.
A two-year evaluation project led by the University of Sydney's School of Rural Health, in collaboration with the Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre, has shown the measurable improvements the Virtual Support service is delivering.
This includes improvements in patient safety, earlier detection of clinical deterioration, and an increase in health system efficiency.
Since the introduction of the Virtual Support service, there has been a 12‑percentage‑point improvement in vital signs monitoring, helping staff identify when patients may need additional support and enabling timely care when required.
This rapid response means better patient outcomes, such as reduced complications of care or earlier discharge.
Virtual Support has also helped staff in the early identification of more patients at risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), a serious but preventable blood clot condition and one of the leading causes of preventable death in Australian hospitals due to its 'silent' symptoms.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Regional Health Ryan Park:
"Everyone should be able to access quality healthcare when they need it, and we know that initiatives like these can make a real difference for our patients in rural and regional areas.
"This innovative Virtual Support service is improving access for patients right across Western NSW, delivering safer, timely and more connected care, closer to home."
Quotes attributable to Labor Spokesperson for Bathurst, Stephen Lawrence:
"Regional patients travel further for healthcare, but this new vital virtual care service is helping support patients and the clinical teams that treat them.
"It's better for staff and patients, by improving care, safety and overall health outcomes for the region."
Quotes attributable to Digital Health Cooperative ResearchCentre CEO Annette Schmiede:
"This research shows virtual support, when designed around clinicians and patients, can significantly improve safety and care quality in rural hospitals.
"It demonstrates how evidence-based digital health solutions can reduce inequity, strengthen local services, and deliver measurable value to the health system, with the potential to scale virtual models of care across regional and rural Australia."
Quotes attributable to WNSWLHD Director of Virtual Health Meegan Connors:
"Keeping our patients safe and reducing unnecessary transfers are our biggest priorities. The Virtual Support service means more patients can receive high-quality care closer to home, without the disruption and risk of being transferred long distances.
"Feedback from local communities has described the VS service as reassuring and potentially lifesaving, particularly for patients without carers, as a means of improving continuity and safety of care.".
Quotes attributable to University of Sydney, Associate Professor of Rural Health Georgina Luscombe:
"The Virtual Service is an investment in safety and efficiency; the research has provided valuable insight into the benefits of the service - safer care, fewer transfers, and more completed treatments for patients in rural settings.
"The research findings demonstrate the value of virtual care as a long-term investment. The findings confirm the Virtual service is delivering on its promise - improving patient safety, strengthening rural care delivery, and supporting clinicians to provide the best possible care.
"Continued investment will help ensure every rural patient in Western NSW benefits from safer, more connected healthcare."
This collaborative research project was supported by Digital Health CRC Limited (DHCRC). DHCRC is funded under the Australian Commonwealth's Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program.
