Overview
Virtual health care, also known as telehealth, safely connects patients with health professionals to deliver care when and where it is needed. It complements face-to-face care. The COVID-19 Recovery Plan details a range of NSW Government recovery responses including a planned focus for NSW Health that involves a further rollout of digitization and virtual services across the state. Virtual health care services received a major boost during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Patients and clinicians embraced the service with a 700 per cent increase in February to May 2020 compared with the same period in 2019. This audit may examine the use of virtual care services, where clinically appropriate, and NSW Health’s focus on sustainably embedding the virtual care model.