Northern Health aiming to reshape the way care is delivered, experienced, and improved, following the launch of the Victorian Centre for Virtual Health Research (VCVHR).
The VCVHR has been established to develop, evaluate, and scale innovative virtual models of care that are safer, more equitable, and more efficient.
It will support the Victorian Virtual Care Strategy by providing robust evidence to inform service planning, policy development, and workforce initiatives.
VCVHR director Dr Rebecca Jessup said the centre, based at Northern Hospital, represented a powerful intersection of technology and humanity.
“My mission is to harness technology to democratise healthcare,” Dr Jessup said.
“At the heart of my professional journey lies a deep-seated passion for creating equitable health outcomes, ensuring that every individual has access to quality care when they need it.”
The VCVHR will focus on examining the safety, efficiency, and acceptability of virtual care models from the perspective of funders, users and providers, while also improving access for people facing barriers to traditional health care, such as older adults and those with complex needs.
The centre will also investigate how virtual care is perceived by clinicians, and embed co-design with consumers, clinicians, and system partners to create virtual care models that are relevant, acceptable and sustainable.
Professor Martin Curley, a globally renowned figure in digital health innovation whose work has revolutionised health systems across Europe and beyond, attended the centre’s launch event.
Professor Curley delivered a keynote address during the launch, championing what he calls a “new proactive digital paradigm.”
“Healthcare needs a Copernican shift,” Professor Curley said.
“We must move from reactive, hospital-based care to proactive, digitally enabled care at home and in the community. When done right, we don’t just see a 10 per cent improvement, we see a tenfold
return.”
