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Women’s and Children’s Hospital
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Urgent Care Service to Reduce Emergency Visits

Virtual Urgent Care Service graphic
WCH News
Posted 30 Aug. 2021

A new virtual urgent care service at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital (WCH) is now available, helping to reduce wait times and ease pressure on the hospital’s Paediatric Emergency Department (PED).

The Children and Adolescent Virtual Urgent Care Service will be available seven days a week from 1pm to 8:30pm.

This service provides families with medical assessment and advice from their home, helping avoid unnecessary trips to the emergency department.

Women’s and Children’s Health Network CEO, Lindsey Gough, said the video service will allow concerned parents to link up with highly skilled emergency nurses and doctors to receive personal medical advice for their child.

“Our hospital’s new service provides access to timely medical care in the home for children with non-life-threatening conditions,” Ms Gough said.

“A visit to the emergency department can be daunting for children and their parents, and this virtual care will allow children who are well enough the ability to avoid a trip to the hospital while still receiving expert healthcare virtually.”

“We’re also aiming to decrease the demand on our PED staff and ensure care is available to those who need it most.”

The service can be accessed online, and parents will be asked a series of questions to determine the urgency of the medical condition.

Project lead, Kerry McKeough, said the service will operate during peak demand time for the hospital’s emergency department.

“Patients will be able to speak directly to a skilled doctor or nurse via video-link from their own home or community,” Ms McKeough said.

“The clinician will then provide specific advice, and may refer patients to a general practitioner, local pharmacy, or an emergency department, depending on the child’s condition.”

“We have a highly skilled team of consultants, nurses and administration staff working on this initiative to ensure it’s a valuable resource for our consumers.”

For more information or to access the service visit our Children and Adolescent Virtual Urgent Care Service web page.