“Looking at our data over that period and comparing the beginning of December to the final week, we have seen an increase in VVED utilisation of 40 per cent,” VVED’s Richard Penberthy said.
This includes direct community referrals and those from local healthcare providers.
“Breaking things down further, there was a 52 per cent increase in VVED presentations direct from the local community,” Mr Penberthy said.
“We saw the majority of these calls come through between 10am and 1pm and then a second peak between 7pm and 9pm.”
Mr Penberthy said this had resulted in an overall diversion rate of 89 per cent.
Echuca resident Tiff Bartram, who recently used VVED, said it was definitely “worth a call before you consider physically attending ED”.
“For anyone who is feeling nervous about using Virtual ED — it’s amazing,” she said.
“I saw a doctor for my child at midnight, and she reassured me and let me know whether I needed to go to ED or not.
“She even talked me through which medication to give, which really calmed me down and gave me strong peace of mind.
“It was actually so friendly and knowledgeable. If it’s for a child, you get transferred straight to a paediatrician.”
Before Christmas, Echuca Regional Health encouraged people to use the virtual service where appropriate.
“The Victorian Virtual Emergency Department service is a great innovative metro and regional collaboration to provide additional services to the Echuca-Moama community,” ERH chief medical officer and executive director of medical services Dr Annemarie Newth said.
“The VVED will either be able to help you from start to finish, or they will refer you to the most appropriate place, including the ERH Emergency Department or your general practitioner.”
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