Gone are the days of health consultations being only face-to-face — more virtual appointments are on the horizon.
Stanhope Health is expanding, with a state-first health service opening in August.
Stanhope Health, in collaboration with Telecare, will open the doors to the Stanhope Telecare Medical Centre on Monday, August 12.
The opening of the service follows a 12-month drought of GPs at Stanhope Clinic, which is an issue that will be addressed through a combination of face-to-face consultations and weekly virtual telehealth consultations with Telecare GPs Dr Ken-Tze Koh and Dr Raymond Wen.
The two new doctors have a combined 20 years of experience in rural health care.
Dr Wen is the medical director of primary care services at Telecare and said he was excited to bring this service to Stanhope.
“Telecare is one of Australia’s largest telehealth providers. Bringing this service to Stanhope will ensure the local community gets the high-quality GP care they need, and I look forward to meeting the community,” he said.
The service, a part of the GPs in Community Health Project, aims to tackle the Campaspe community’s healthcare needs and explore better ways to deliver affordable and sustainable primary care services in rural areas.
An increase in virtual care has come in response to a state-wide healthcare shortage, especially in rural and regional areas.
While the service will begin on August 12, Stanhope residents will have a few weeks of weekday face-to-face consultation sessions to get used to the new change.
Beginning August 30, running out of the existing Stanhope Health Clinic, the service will reduce face-to-face consultations to two days a month (within one week) and telehealth consultations two days a week.
Telehealth consultations can be held on any handheld device, tablet or computer, or clients can attend Stanhope Health for assistance with their online consultation.
A practice nurse will be recruited to aid clients with both face-to-face and telehealth consultations at Stanhope Health.
Stanhope and District Development Committee president Glenda Cowie said she believed the service would “have a profound impact on the community” following 12 months without a local GP.
“It will greatly improve our quality of life and bring peace of mind to many families,” she said.
“I’m grateful for this much-needed addition to Stanhope and hope the community gets behind the doctors and service.”
Kyabram District Health Service chief executive Anne McEvoy, who oversees services in Stanhope Health, said the collaboration between Stanhope Health and Telecare would enhance existing health services to ensure the community’s needs were adequately met.
“This GP service offers our community convenient access to quality health care and it’s fantastic to use the redeveloped Stanhope Health building to support the provision of primary health services,” she said.
“Throughout the rollout, KDHS will support the community to use the new GP service, including on-site support at Stanhope Health to access Telecare. Clients should expect a level of care consistent with the same quality standards as any GP.”
From August 12 to August 30, all appointments will be bulk-billed.
After this, all clients, apart from non-concession card holders, pensioners or children under 16 years old who will still receive bulk-billing, will pay a full fee of $80 with a Medicare rebate of $42.85.
Appointments for Stanhope Telecare Medical Centre are open now and available for dates from Monday, August 12.
To book, contact Telecare on 4800 5291 or email stanhope@telecare.com.au