Dubbo Health Service and Lourdes Hospital are among the sites involved in providing the care to the wider region using the latest innovations.

The use of Telehealth is part of Western NSW Local Health District’s (WNSWLHD) focus on using cutting-edge technology to make it easier for people to access the health care they need in their own community.

Mudgee and Rylstone patients are the first in the health district to benefit, with the project led by Dubbo-based palliative care clinical nurse consultant Alison Dawes.

Ms Dawes said the main aim of the project was to support palliative care patients in their local communities.

“Telehealth will allow patients to be seen by specialist teams often in their own home or at their local hospital,” she said.

“This will make it much easier for general practices, patients and their carers and families to access expert clinical advice.”

Flexible funding for palliative care from the NSW Ministry of Health has been provided to the health district to purchase infrastructure that will improve access and timeliness of palliative care support.

This will enable sites that have specialist palliative care health care professionals to access portable Telehealth units.

Lourdes Hospital in Dubbo, Bathurst Daffodil Cottage, Cancer Services at Orange Hospital, Lachlan Health Service (Parkes and Forbes) and Dubbo Health Service as well as five other pool units throughout the district have all benefited from the infrastructure.

WNSWLHD also purchased an additional 16 laptop tablets that will enable more flexible palliative care support options, which have been distributed to primary and community health nurses across the region.

WNSWLHD chief executive Scott McLachlan said palliative care was one area where they could use Telehealth to make it easier for people to access health care as close to home as possible.

“We know that palliative care patients from rural communities often have to travel to see specialists and this is often not practical for palliative care patients,” he said.

“This can cause great hardship to patients and families and can lead to increased pain and discomfort.”

Mr McLachlan said it was important people understood the provision of health services through technology was not about replacing face-to-face contact between staff and patients, but about increasing the equity and access to services right across the area.

Telehealth was about making the most of 21st century technology to go beyond what would have been thought possible a decade or two ago, he said.

“As we use the technology, we are finding that it is really improving health care through improved communication between patients, general practice, the specialists based in larger communities and our local teams,” he said.

“This results in a true team approach to the delivery of care to patients, no matter where they live.”