THOUSANDS avoided visiting busy emergency departments after record demand over the Christmas and New Year period by utilising Victora’s Virtual ED (VVED).
Established as a pilot in October 2020, the service allows non-urgent patients to be virtually assessed by emergency doctors and nurses from their home or workplace – while paramedics can also link patients up for assessment on whether a trip to hospital is needed.
Premier Daniel Andrews and acting minister for health, Colin Brooks visited the VVED to thank the doctors and nurses who have supported more than 85,000 Victorians since the service was launched and expanded.
The VVED provides clinical assessments, medical advice, treatment and local referrals to other health services if required, freeing resources like emergency departments and ambulances for those who need them most.
While the VVED treats an average of 300 to 350 Victorians every day, over the holidays this skyrocketed – with more than 640 patients seen on Boxing Day alone.
Ambulance Victoria also saw record demand over the festive period – with New Year’s Day being AV’s busiest day on record, responding to more than 2,300 emergency incidents including 1,327 Code 1 callouts.
As a virtual service, the VVED offers a flexible work model – allowing it to respond to high demand as doctors and nurses log on for shifts from right around the state.
While the service was able to deliver expert care to all Victorians who needed it, feedback from doctors and nurses shows a significant number of patients accessed the VVED over this period because they couldn’t get into a local GP with reduced holiday hours – or, with bulk-billing doctors now few and far between, the cost was too high.
To access this service, visit www.vved.org.au
