This month is Telehealth Awareness Month – a month where Victoria will celebrate and promote the achievements and opportunities provided by telehealth.

Due to the impacts of COVID-19, this year the RCH provided up to 70% of all clinical appointments through telehealth.

Eight-year-old RCH patient Rosie is one of the many children who has benefitted from the introduction of telehealth appointments this year.

After being born at 31 weeks and four days gestation, Rosie spent the first six months of her life in hospital, where she received treatment for a hole in her heart. Eight years on, Rosie still regularly attends the RCH for appointments with multiple departments.

Although living locally to the RCH, Rosie’s mum Shona said that often in the past, Rosie was forced to take time away from school in order to travel to her appointments.

“Many children with complex medical needs unfortunately need to take quite a lot of time away from school, so being able to minimise that by attending an appointment virtually from home, has been great for Rosie,” Shona said.

“In previous circumstances when Rosie had an appointment, it meant that either myself or my husband needed to take time off work to come into the hospital.

“Now that we are able to log onto an appointment from home, it means less time away from work which makes it easier for the family.”

To find out more about telehealth awareness month, please visit telehealthvictoria.org.au/