NACCHO is pleased to announce the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing has provided funding for a 12 month project to support Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services with getting starting in the provision of Telehealth services to their patients. NACCHO will also offer Affiliates funding to host workshops at the State/Territory level to support ACCHSs in the provision of Telehealth services. This project is an outcome of the successful partnership between NACCHO and theAustralianCollegeof Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM).

What is Telehealth?

Telehealth enables existing consultations between health service providers and their patients to be delivered at a distance. A telehealth consultation is a consultation which occurs through telecommunication systems such as videoconferencing, for example, between a patient and specialist in another location. This program will support telehealth interactions taking place in real-time (synchronous) and conveyed by audio and video using online technology.

What will the project offer ACCHSs?

All ACCHSs will be supported through this project through a variety of means:

• A funding offer to NACCHO Affiliates to host training and information workshops in each State/Territory for ACCHSs (see below);
• NACCHO will fund exemplar ACCHSs to produce videos of how they operate telehealth consultations within their own service, to be used as training resources for other ACCHSs;
• NACCHO will host a virtual telehealth community to assist member services with telehealth issues;
• The ACRRM telehealth directory of specialist service providers will be available to assist ACCHSs to access the services of specialists providing telehealth consultations;
• NACCHO will provide telehealth ‘interpretative guidelines’ customised to the ACCHS sector as well as other resources;
• NACCHO will support staff development through online training modules in telehealth service provision such as the clinical technical and operational aspects of quality telehealth practice.

 What will the project offer NACCHO Affiliates?

• NACCHO Affiliates will be invited to consider hosting a Telehealth training workshop in their own jurisdiction. The workshops will need to be delivered sometime between September and December 2012 to member services.
• Workshops will be supported  for one day each location: Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and the Northern Territory comprising split for Top End and Central Australia.
• Regional ACCHSs that wish to host their own workshop will be invited to contact NACCHO.
• The cost of running these workshops will be covered by this Telehealth project and based on agreements with NACCHO. Funds will be allocated based on number of ACCHSs, and will support some travel for delegates.
• The materials required to run the workshops will be provided to Affiliates. NACCHO will develop these materials accessible to Affiliates through an online ‘Telehealth Orientation Event Kit’which will contain:
  • Guidelines for presenters, templates for the facilitation of the workshop, templates for key sessions ( eg MBS rebates and claiming; installation and usage of telehealth equipment; using the NACCHO guidelines; ways to engage with specialists for telehealth, etc)
  • Online registration for delegates-with evaluation/feedback forms
  • Downloads/pre-reading for delegates
  • Continuing Professional Development accreditation proforma

Participation on the NACCHO Telehealth Working Party to guide the above work.

Current members of NACCHO Telehealth Working Party: Dr Sophie Couzos (NACCHO), Vicki Sheedy (ACRRM), Nives Deshpande (ACRRM), Paul Ryan (AHCSA), Sarah Ahmed (AHCSA), Nick Williams (AHCSA), Trevor Lord (KAMSC), Simon Scates (AHCWA), Mitesh Patel (AHCWA), Marion Concotta (VACCHO), Roy Monaghan (QAIHC). This group will be expanded and all NACCHO Affiliates will be represented.

 For further infomation about this project contact

Dr Sophie Couzos
FRACGP FACRRM FAFPHM
Public Health Officer
National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO)
20Cleveland Terrace,Townsville,Queensland,Australia,4810

+61 7 47240059 (P/F) +61 417178514 (M)

(Except Wednesday)