Doctors on wheels are being rolled into some aged care homes in an effort to combat the lack of access to GPs in the New England region.
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The telehealth carts will be introduced into 19 of the 22 Royal Freemasons' Benevolent Institution (RFBI) aged care homes across Australia, with the most recent being at Moonbi on August 23.
Moonbi Masonic Village care manager Babita Adhikari said there have been times when residents have had to be transferred to the hospital because they could not get a GP onsite.
"We are a bit far away from the town, about 20 to 30 minutes drive," Ms Adhikari said.
"So, there has been difficulty in not being able to get access to health professionals as per the need of our residents."
Ms Adhikari said the responses from people in the 87-bed high, low and dementia care residential facility have been positive towards the e-cart, which comes complete with two screens, a blood pressure unit, and a camera with a light.
"We believe it will reduce hospital visits and simultaneously, it will help doctors with the continuity of their care," Ms Adhikari said of the nurse-assisted telehealth carts.
"We can also do video conferencing with the GP as well as with a family member if they wish to."
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Ms Adhikari said the telehealth cart won't replace doctors but will instead be an additional support for when they are unable to get a health professional onsite.
The telehealth carts cost about $20,000 each and are jointly funded by the NSW government's Primary Healthcare Network and RFBI.
The next telehealth cart is scheduled for the Tamworth Masonic Village in September.
RFBI spokesperson Alana Parker said the team in Tamworth has just received their telehealth cart and are in the process of being trained in its use.
There will also be a session to "show and tell" patients and GPs how it works and the diagnostic tools at their disposal, she said.
"Our goal is that we'll have it across all of our villages very soon," Ms Parker said.
About 30.8 per cent of people nationwide of all ages had a telehealth consultation in the 2021 to 2022 financial year, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data.
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