Critical care boost for Glen Innes

21 May 2010

Glen Innes Hospital staff will soon have greater access to specialist medical advice and treatment options for their patients.

The hospital’s emergency department now has a remote-controlled high resolution camera linking local doctors and nurses to emergency specialists via a sophisticated internet-based video link.

Glen Innes District Hospital Acting Manager Matt Krug says this system allows specialists at other health services to share expertise and assist in the diagnosis and treatment of critically ill patients at Glen Innes Hospital.

“This system transmits voice and video images across our secure internet network,” Mr Krug said.

“This means doctors and nurses in Glen Innes have instant, real-time access to the advice of emergency medicine specialists in places like Tamworth Hospital – which as you can imagine provides excellent benefits for patients,” he said.

“It offers a welcome back up for our local clinicians while they provide the immediate treatment for critically ill patients who present to the hospital.

“Advising specialists are able to see and talk to everyone involved in the care of the patient around the bedside, the patient and their family members,” Mr Krug said.

“The quality of support and consultation is improved, it makes the whole process more efficient and greatly assists with the timeliness of clinical decisions such as whether the patient needs to be retrieved and which hospital is appropriate.”

A unique feature of the system is the ability of authorised staff to access the camera from any computer connected to the secure Hunter New England Health network.

“This really is about providing rural hospitals like Glen Innes with equitable and accessible expert clinical advice,” he said.

This is the first of a number of cameras to be installed in hospitals across the northern parts of Hunter New England Health, following the success of these cameras in places like Muswellbrook and Cessnock.

Contact: Emma Gibbs

Phone: 0428 114 767