General News
19 May, 2025
New service to free up ambulance system
There is a push for the community to consider the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) as the go-to option for non-life-threatening medical emergencies.
VVED is an Australian-first video telehealth medical consultation service run by Northern Health and funded by the Department of Health.
According to Kristy McMahon, acting operational community engagement liaison co-ordinator (OCELC) for Grampians, the service can be beneficial to the community in the Wimmera.
The service is free and is staffed by highly skilled emergency doctors and nurses who can asses and treat patients virtually, arrange referrals and provide a follow-up care plan if needed.
"I'm a mum of three and it's hard to access GP services – it gets more and more difficult – so that's why this is perfect," Ms McMahon said.
"With three children, the number of scenarios where one needs care but you have the other two, it's ideal to be able to talk to a doctor.
"The doctor is examining your child virtually and the other two can still be at home – you aren't bundling them into the car in the middle of the night.
"For me, personally, I've found that to be a real perk."
Ms McMahon said the service could be used for any non-life-threatening emergency, like a minor fall, bites, diarrhoea, dizziness, nausea, rash and vomiting.
"All of those conditions and many, many more, anything that isn't an emergency you can call VVED for and consult with them."
Not only does this benefit the caller by allowing them to stay in the comfort of their home but it also benefits the care system.
"When patients use VVED it definitely reduces the non-urgent and repeat call-outs and the time paramedics spend at cases," Ms McMahon said.
"If we can improve the availability of ambulances, we can then reach the patients (who are) sickest faster.
"The beauty of VVED is it provides the right care at the right time in the right place."
VVED is available across Victoria daily, 24 hours, and can be accessed by anyone with a mobile phone and a connection to the internet.
It can be accessed by visiting https://www.vved.org.au/.
Community members can choose to pre-register so that their account is ready when they need the service.