On 11 May, the City of Whittlesea and NORTH Link brought together key stakeholders for the second Epping Health Precinct event titled Connecting Digital and Physical Health. At the event, Professor Donald Campbell and Dr Loren Sher, clinical leaders at Northern Health, talked about the unique Hospital without Walls approach to healthcare. This transformational model combines traditional healthcare infrastructure with innovative digital technology to create the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department. This service, run from Northern Health allows patients to receive diagnoses and medical advice virtually, reducing the burden on Northern Health’s physical emergency department which is the busiest in Victoria and the third busiest in Australia.
The Connecting Digital and Physical Health event then heard from Christian Griffith from Stantec who presented the Trackless Rapid Transit (TRT) proposal currently under consideration for the Caufield-Rowville region. This model of transportation was put forward as an innovative solution for Melbourne’s northern area by connecting the Epping Health Precinct with the rapidly expanding region in Epping.