The Royal Women’s Hospital has seen its first virtual hospital patient. This is a key step in Victoria’s new Virtual Hospital pilot. It aims to change how specialist healthcare is provided across the state.
Brianna, 35 weeks pregnant with twins, joined a session linking specialists at the Women’s in Melbourne to her local obstetricians at Grampians Health. They used a secure virtual hospital platform. This technology lets specialists at the Women’s view live ultrasound feeds. They can see exactly what regional clinicians are observing in real time, unlike in a standard video call.
Associate Professor Clare Whitehead, a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist at the Women’s, said the shared real-time view is key for clinical decision-making.
“Interpreting the clinical information together means we’re not just giving advice from afar; we’re making decisions as one team,” A/Prof Whitehead said.
“We saw enough in real time to recommend delivering Brianna’s babies right away instead of waiting for the planned caesarean a week later.”
The Virtual Hospital pilot seeks to cut travel, boost access, and provide tertiary hospital-level care closer to home for regional patients. Grampians Health (Ballarat) has already joined the program. Bendigo Health is set to come on board early next year.
This first consult happened in maternity care, but the pilot goes beyond just one clinical specialty. The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Austin Health lead the initiative, funded by the Victorian Government. It helps patients who would normally need to go to a city hospital. Instead, they can get advanced care online.
The program features virtual ward models for heart failure and post-cardiac surgery care. It includes specialist virtual ward rounds with regional hospitals. It also improves digital coordination to boost ambulance flow and hospital capacity across Victoria.
Under the maternity model, patients needing advanced maternal–fetal care, like those with multiple pregnancies or fetal growth concerns, first visit the Women’s for specialist scans and procedures. Once clinically stable, care moves to virtual consultations with their specialists in regional centres. These connect city specialists with the patient’s local hospital team.
Dr Sarah Malone, Head of the Women’s Multiple Pregnancy Clinic, said the model boosts teamwork and ensures safe ongoing care.
“Complex pregnancies often need input from multiple specialists,” Dr Malone said. “Virtual consultations help us work with local clinicians to plan care. This way, patients get the right care at the right time, closer to home.”
A/Prof Whitehead and Dr Malone led the consultation. Carly Struck, Project Manager – Clinical Operations at Royal Melbourne Hospital, provided support. Dr Natasha Daureen Frawley, Clinical Director of Women’s and Children’s Services at Grampians Health, and Tonia Mitchell, Nurse Unit Manager - Maternity Outpatients, joined virtually.
For Brianna, the experience demonstrated the value of the new approach.
“Although the unexpected outcome surprised me, I’m incredibly grateful for this project,” she said. “It saved me hours of travel and stress, and I felt supported by both teams every step of the way.”
Learn more about the Victorian Virtual Hospital Pilot: Victoria's Virtual Hospital Pilot | health.vic.gov.au