From the ground up: Learnings from the development of an innovative statewide adult urgent virtual care service

Abstract

Virtual Care (VC) enables clinicians to remotely assess and manage healthcare needs. While many healthcare services have integrated virtual components into existing in-person care models, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted organisations worldwide to rapidly develop new VC services from the ground up. This article outlines the establishment of a statewide adult urgent VC Service, detailing its conception, development and the first 6 months of operations. The conceptual phase (7 weeks) involved the project team collecting data and insights from stakeholders to build a business case for the VC Service, with a focus on two referral pathways. The development phase (7 weeks) included creating the model and establishing infrastructure, a workforce, and governance to ensure a high-quality, timely and safe service. The initial operations phase (26 weeks) fully integrated the first two referral pathways. During this time, the leadership team completed recruitment, developed a learning system, expanded operating hours and built a model to expand its referral pathways. The leadership team plans to enhance VC by improving assessment capabilities and by enabling new referral pathways into settings such as aged care. Including research methods in this model is essential to capture the benefits and risks associated with these important changes in healthcare delivery.

Plain language summary

Health services have traditionally been delivered by in-person consultations with a healthcare professional. Some services are offered virtually, with options such as telephone or video calls to connect with a health care professional. While many services offer virtual care as an option to complement their in-person care, this paper outlines the steps taken to create a statewide virtual care service from the ground up. It divides the process into three broad phases: concept, development and operationalisation. We highlight valuable lessons learned that may help others avoid similar pitfalls. Additionally, we advocate for rigorous research methods to track service outcomes. By doing this, organisations can publish their own learnings and enable others to benefit from their experiences.