Telehealth carts to be wheeled into 18 of RBFI’s 22 aged care homes

Royal Freemasons’ Benevolent Institution (RFBI) has rolled out its first telehealth carts at Goulburn Masonic Village aged care facility, making healthcare more accessible for its residents.

With access to doctors and specialists challenging in regional areas, RBFI hopes the innovation will reduce barriers to accessing medical services.

The telehealth carts have been purchased with the assistance of $150,000 from Public Health Networks and the same amount invested by RBFI itself.

18 telehealth carts have been purchased so far, and will be rolled out to other aged care facilities where residents and local community members are struggling to access GP and specialist services.

Healthcare practitioners will be able to use the machine to make high quality recordings, capture images and document care notes direct into a resident’s file, reducing the administrative burden of a typical telehealth appointment, a statement from RBFI said.

The telehealth carts can help residents by reducing doctor wait times, avoiding the need to travel to appointments, maintaining continuity of care when in-person visits are difficult, accessing end-of-life care, and helping them stay in touch with family.

The SOURCE: Though telehealth carts will never replace face-to-face consultations, it’s wonderful to see this innovation helping to bring difficult-to-access healthcare services to residents in the regions.