First-of-its kind virtual ED unveiled

With a permanent population of just 10 people, towns do not get much smaller than William Creek.
 
Surrounded by red dirt, cattle stations, and remote outback communities, it sits more than 800 kilometres north of Adelaide.
 
And until recently, the closest thing it had to a doctor’s office was the local pub.
 
But that has all changed with the opening of a new state-of-the-art virtual emergency department.
 
This week, the service welcomed an additional $29.1 million in Commonwealth funding to continue its work, as well as $1 million for the William Creek Community Health Service.
 
In the event of a medical emergency, patients can now enter the building, contact a doctor via telehealth, and access the virtual emergency centre 24 hours a day.
 
The purpose-built room includes a fingertip oxygen monitor, blood pressure monitor, electrocardiography leads, and devices for wound assessments, dermatology imaging, and throat and dental examinations.
 
Any medical results are live streamed back to their consulting doctor.
 
It also offers a multi-functional patient care space for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) to conduct its fly-in community health clinics with GPs and allied health professionals.
 
In the future, there are plans for an ultrasound probe to also be installed.
 
RFDS South Australia Chair Peter de Cure said the Australian-first system also helps to facilitate the chain of survival, linking patients to immediate, hospital-grade medical treatment.
 
‘Historically, RFDS teams have consulted with patients at the William Creek Hotel or in the attached tourist accommodation where there are no fixed medical provisions,’ he said.
 
‘[Now], with an on-site AED and remote RFDS medical chest, the on-call doctor can advise the local medical chest custodian of immediate life-saving medications and care, while patients wait in a safe and secure treatment room for an RFDS aeromedical crew to arrive.’


A patient waiting in the new treatment room at William Creek while receiving virtual care. (Image: RFDS) 

The RFDS staff includes a significant number of GPs helping to run almost 25,000 clinics across Australia each year.
 
RACGP Vice President and Rural Chair Associate Professor Michael Clements, who once worked for the RFDS, told newsGP the funding is an important addition to a vital service.
 
‘I’ve certainly been the doctor on the ground in a small town and it’s such a relief to hear the engines of the RFDS flying overhead as they come to rescue my patients,’ he said.
 
‘Any funding and recognition of the important role that they play in remote and rural communities is amazing, so I’m very pleased to see this investment.
 
‘The RFDS has a long history of providing care to many towns where nobody else will, towns that are simply forgotten by the state and federal governments.’

The RFDS currently lands at William Creek around 30 times a year, for both fly-in community clinics and emergencies.
 
The town sees around 26,000 tourists annually and acts as a hub for nearby station communities.
 
Associate Professor Clements said the hub is an ‘interesting solution’ he had never seen before.
 
‘We’ve got to recognise that these models are going to be increasingly important moving forward,’ he said.
 
‘Quite rightly, the RFDS holds a special place in the community, and they have a good history on the ground of working closely with the GPs in those communities.’
 
The William Creek Community Health Service will officially open to the public next month.
 
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remote RFDS Royal Flying Doctor Service rural virtual care