Western Sydney Local Health District

Te Whatu Ora names new data and digital chief Leigh Donoghue has been appointed as the new data and digital chief at Te Whatu Ora. Donoghue brings to the table significant experiences in leading major projects, including the national rollout of EMR systems across the United Kingdom, the introduction of a national electronic health platform in Australia, and the transformation of national telehealth services in New Zealand. Based on a media release, he will lead a team that will undertake a multi-year programme of change and digital enablement that underpins the transformation of health services delivery in New Zealand. That team will also ensure Te Whatu Ora's digital assets are being utilised to support equitable outcomes throughout the health system, as well as enabling a culture of transparent, usable data sharing to drive innovation using insights from across the sector. NT Health officially appoints new CEO Dr Marco Briceno, who has been serving as acting CEO of NT Health since last year October, has been officially appointed to the role. According to a media release, he had held various leadership roles over the past 15 years, including as a system manager. "It is a tremendous honour for me to be officially appointed as CEO of NT Health, where I am in a position to lead health strategy and support my colleagues in the amazing work they do right across the Territory to improve the health of all Territorians," Dr Briceno said about his appointment. Western Sydney LHD adopts new voice AI to support people with long COVID Western Sydney Local Health District is using a newly launched conversational voice AI solution to provide support to people with long COVID. Developed by health tech company Healthily, the GoShare Voice solution enables phone calls with patients in multiple languages. It also provides health education, reminders, appointment confirmations, surveys, and real-time responses to patient questions, among others. The LHD is using both online surveys and automated phone calls via GoShare Voice to reach people who are potentially dealing with long COVID symptoms, including those with low-English proficiency and literacy. GoShare Voice has also enabled the organisation to risk-stratify, prioritise, and deliver tailored interventions to different segments of the community. CSIRO collaborates with startup to develop AI dental x-ray analysis models CSIRO has been working with Sydney-based startup Eyes of AI (EAI) in developing AI models to detect abnormalities in dental x-rays. EAI has developed a web-based image viewing platform and compiled a large dataset of orthopantomogram, bitewings, periapical and cone beam CT images. Since last year, it has been collaborating with Data61, CSIRO's data and digital arm, to develop machine learning models to detect dental and jaw diseases and landmarks, as well as measurement features to quantify the size, distances, and densities in and between pathological and non-pathological anatomical landmarks. The organisations will continue their research partnership over the next 12 months to improve the accuracy and efficiency of their AI models. EIA is also seeking partnerships with top Australian universities to scale the impact of its technology. BPAC's eReferral system integrates referral management from Novari Health New Zealand-based BPAC Clinical Solutions has integrated its e-Referral system with Canadian company Novari Health's referral management software. This integration allows clinicians using BPAC to transmit referrals from their PMS to private and public healthcare providers using Novari. Healthcare providers then can leverage Novari's customisable workflow to receive, triage, waitlist, and process patient referrals.

More residential aged care residents in Western Sydney can now access an IT-enabled urgent care service by the New South Wales government following its expansion. The inTouch urgent care service provides patients with less urgent conditions with access to comprehensive health assessment via video conferencing and direct support from GPs and aged care staff. Its expansion in Western Sydney will support 65 residential aged care facilities. It will also increase referrals for aged care residents, the NSW Ambulance, and GPs, as well as improve systems for assessment, care protocols, and clinical documentation. WHY IT MATTERS Aside from providing a better experience for aged care residents, their families, and care teams, the inTouch care model, according to NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park, is expected to help around 120 aged care residents every month receive care at home and avoid going to the hospital emergency department. THE LARGER CONTEXT The Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) first introduced the inTouch service in 2021 to provide at-home care for over 45,000 COVID-19 patients. It was later expanded to support residential aged care facilities in April last year. Its expansion across NSW is part of the state government's A$124 million ($83 million) programme to deliver 25 urgent care services. ON THE RECORD "Many people who visit our emergency departments could receive more timely and better-tailored care in a community setting, such as a GP clinic, but that care has become increasingly difficult to access. By ensuring older Western Sydney residents get the high-quality care they need for less urgent conditions, the model frees up NSW Ambulance paramedics and our busy emergency department staff to focus on those in need of emergency care," Graeme Loy, WSLHD chief executive, commented.