Victorians will soon be able to receive hospital-grade care without leaving home as the Allan Labor Government prepares to launch the state’s first Virtual Hospital Pilot, led by The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Austin Health.
Premier Jacinta Allan and Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said the six-month program, beginning in December, will support more than 250 patients who would otherwise be admitted to a hospital ward. The aim is to ease pressure on hospitals and help paramedics return to the road sooner.
The pilot will allow doctors to deliver remote specialist care, with regional Victorians expected to gain the most from the initiative. Through virtual ward rounds, medical teams will monitor patients remotely in partnership with rural health services, cutting the need for long-distance travel to city hospitals.
The program will focus on patients recovering from heart failure or cardiac conditions, using digital monitoring to track recovery and respond to changes in real time. Expectant mothers in regional areas will also benefit through a new virtual foetal monitoring service that transmits imaging to specialists at The Royal Women’s Hospital for live consultations.
As part of the initiative, the Royal Melbourne Hospital’s Digital Coordination Centre will expand its use of real-time data to direct ambulances to hospitals with more capacity, improving patient flow and reducing wait times.
Premier Allan said the Virtual Hospital Pilot marks an important step toward modernising healthcare delivery. “We don’t just want to give Victorians the best health care in the world – we want that care to be easier, cheaper and faster to access,” she said. “The Virtual Hospital Pilot is a game changer for regional Victorians, because patients recover better when they’re in the comfort of their own home with their family.”
Minister Thomas said the program will have benefits for patients and emergency services alike. “This pilot is going to make it easier for patients to get the care they need, and expanding the digital coordination centre at RMH is going to get our paramedics back on the road faster,” she said. “We’re giving people get the care they need, freeing up beds and getting our paramedics back on the road sooner.”
Following its completion in June 2026, the pilot will be evaluated to guide the next stage of digital health expansion.
The Government has already invested heavily in home-based care. Many hospitals across Victoria now provide hospital-in-the-home services, and this year’s budget allocated $437 million to double the capacity of the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department and make it a permanent fixture of the state’s health system.
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