Delivering virtual healthcare at scale across Australia

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated Australia’s need for accessible, consistent virtual health services. Aspen Medical was initially engaged by a national government health agency to support urgent pandemic response efforts, providing clinical triage, remote patient monitoring and critical health advice to the public. 

Strong performance during this period led to the expansion of our role. Aspen Medical now delivers a national 24/7 virtual health service, supporting millions of Australians through after-hours care, ambulance diversion and emergency department overflow management. Our work continues to shape how virtual care is delivered across the country. 

Approach

Aspen Medical’s role began with emergency pandemic support and expanded based on our ability to rapidly scale, maintain quality and deliver results under pressure. 

COVID-19 response (2020–2023) 

• Deployed more than 700 clinicians to staff coronavirus helplines and virtual care programs. 
• Triaged more than 1.8 million calls, including outbound monitoring of 147,000 COVID-positive patients. 
• Delivered peer advice to clinicians, supported contact tracing and provided continual public access to care. 
• Built the systems and governance required for reliable national delivery under dynamic conditions. 

Ongoing virtual health services (2022–present) 

Following successful delivery, Aspen Medical was selected to operate a national after-hours health service. This includes: 

• 24/7 nurse-led triage and clinical advice for the public 
• after-hours GP helpline integration 
• overflow support for ambulance services, mental health lines and private emergency departments 
• workforce recruitment, credentialing and rostering 
• clinical governance, audit, wellbeing and continuous improvement frameworks 
• secure, compliant IT and data infrastructure supporting nationwide operations. 

Results

Aspen Medical’s work has helped millions of Australians access timely, appropriate health advice and care, especially in rural and remote settings or outside regular hours. Outcomes include: 

• national-scale virtual care infrastructure now in continuous operation 
• ongoing coverage with high service availability and strong clinical compliance 
• reduced burden on frontline hospital and ambulance systems 
• trusted, scalable delivery recognised through contract extensions and service expansion. 

Outcome

What began as an emergency response evolved into a long-term, national care solution. Aspen Medical plays a critical role in Australia’s virtual health landscape, delivering accessible, high-quality care through a patient-focused model underpinned by robust clinical governance. Our continued delivery ensures Australians can get the help they need, when and where they need it.