Change in the health system not easy – but virtual hospitals are the future

Australians are currently among the healthiest people in the world and our life expectancies are higher than most.

We have access to a well-trained and educated workforce, delivering world-class healthcare and outcomes. Our hospitals, research institutes and care facilities are among the best anywhere.

But there are risks facing our much-vaunted health system and we need to deal with them in order to continue to enjoy world-class healthcare.

As a nation, we’re getting older. There is an widening gap between the health outcomes of country and city people. Nine out of 10 people have an underlying health issue, almost half of Australians have a chronic condition, and chronic disease causes 9 out of every 10 preventable deaths.

This puts stress on the system. Elective surgery waitlists have lengthened. We have a GP shortage, particularly in the country, specialist care is hard to access in many areas such as mental health and burnout among healthcare workers is prevalent.

Without changes, our health care system will struggle to deliver the care and health outcomes our community expects.

Virtual hospitals, an innovation tested in recent years with significant success, is one of the best opportunities to support the sustainability of our healthcare system. Virtual hospitals deliver acute care in the comfort and security of a patient’s home. It is true bricks and mortar hospital substitution, offering patients radiology, intravenous therapies, live vital sign monitoring, virtual ward rounds and regular contact from clinicians direct to patients via mobile devices.

It is already working in some of Australia’s biggest hospitals and has shown a remarkable reduction in the sorts of complications acquired during bricks and mortar hospital stays. Most importantly too, patients also report higher satisfaction.

It is a model that needs to be more broadly embraced across Australia if we are to continue to enjoy the healthcare standards we have come to expect as a nation.

Last week, I sat down with Nine’s Today Show and discussed the benefits of treatment in a virtual hospital and why Medibank is calling for more states to consider them.

Patients want choice and deserve healthcare in the right place, at the right time and by the right caregiver. We know from the early experiences of these new hospitals that it is possible to take beds out of traditional hospitals and into the home. Now is the time to embrace virtual hospitals across our nation.