All correctional facilities in New South Wales are now able to access online care.
The Forensic Mental Health and Justice Network has worked with Corrective Services NSW, Youth Justice NSW and local health districts to roll out virtual care across prisons, courts and youth justice centres across the state.
According to a press release, the service expands routine and specialist care for detainees, including prenatal and palliative care, mental health and chronic disease management. It also uses multi-purpose medical cameras and scopes.
WHY IT MATTERS
“Patients in correctional facilities have unique needs and often have poorer health outcomes than those in the wider community,” notes Wendy Hoey, chief executive of Justice Health NSW.
Hoey stressed that when virtual care allows for early diagnosis and treatment of illness, it helps reduce the need to transfer patients to hospitals, keeping many patients out of already overcrowded emergency departments.
THE BIGGER TREND
Since 2021, NSW has been scaling up the integration of virtual care as an alternative way to access care, guided by a five-year strategy. Last year, NSW completed the rollout The NSW Telestroke Service has been launched statewide and announced the statewide expansion of the virtualKIDS Urgent Care Service. The Murrumbidgee Local Health District in southern NSW piloted the virtual hub concept late last year, a dedicated telehealth facility in rural communities. The Virtual Rural Generalist Service, first introduced in northern NSW, has also recently expanded to southern NSW.
