20 October 2025

Austin Health and the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) are joining forces to launch Victoria’s first Virtual Hospital in a pilot program – providing greater access to specialist care for all Victorians.

Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas announced the exciting initiative on 20 October alongside representatives from both health services.

The pilot will support expert care for patients from the comfort of their own homes or local hospitals, including from regional settings where specialist treatment may not be available, using innovative digital technology.

It will also aim to help patients return home sooner after a hospital admission by providing check-ups and monitoring remotely, where safe to do so.

Austin Health’s Chief Executive Officer, Jodie Geissler, said:

“We are thrilled to be leading with RMH this unique partnership that will deliver more virtual care options for the benefit of Victorians.  We will draw on the expertise across our hospitals to deliver care in the right place for patients and innovate in the interests of the future of healthcare in Victoria.”

The RMH’s Chief Executive, Professor Shelley Dolan, said:

“We are delighted to be working closely with Austin Health, the Local Health Services Networks (LHSN) and regional colleagues to deliver the next phase of virtual care for Victoria. This will reduce length of stay and provide improved access to world-class healthcare for more communities across Victoria.”

The pilot will see initiatives including a virtual ward for heart failure patients and after cardiac surgery; virtual ward rounds for regional neurology and hematology patients; and a virtual foetal monitoring service for expectant mothers, delivered in partnership with the Royal Women’s Hospital.

Austin Health has developed a strong track record in virtual care, having implemented models across the health service over the past several years, and this experience as well as expertise from RMH will be drawn upon in the delivery of the Virtual Hospital Pilot program. The program will build upon the success of Austin Health’s established virtual ward caring for heart failure and post cardiac surgery patients as well as RMH’s Digital Coordination Centre (DCC) – a digital hub that oversees access and flow across the RMH.

A collaboration with Ambulance Victoria will see a dedicated representative based within the DCC to support enhanced coordination of ambulance and health service capacity and demand and help ambulances get back on the road faster.

The pilot is anticipated to increase inpatient capacity, reduce waiting times, improve equitable care, support access and flow, and establish a blueprint for future expansion. It will also promote collaboration and shared learnings within and across the Local Health Service Networks.

Teams from across Austin Health and the RMH have been working closely with clinical, operational and digital teams across the partnership to co-design and define the service model, with a focus on safety, innovation, and equity.

Eligible patients will be able to benefit from the new model of care from the end of this year, with its success to be evaluated throughout the pilot ending in June 2026.

The pilot is supported by a $3 million investment from the Victorian Government, announced in the 25/26 Victorian Budget.