Allied Health support

Adelaide PHN recognises that Allied Health plays a critical role in primary health and aged care in helping people to lead healthier lives – and if they become unwell to receive the right care in the right place at the right time.

Digital Health Support

How can Digital Health help you? 

Digital health is an umbrella term referring to a range of technologies that can be used to enhance the efficiency and coordination of health care delivery and make health care more personalised and precise. 

Browse the tabs below for further information. 

Secure messaging supports the delivery of messages containing clinical documents and/or other information between healthcare organisations, sent either directly or through one or more secure messaging providers.  

The use of post, fax, or email to share patient and clinical information is an unsecure and unencrypted method of communication which poses both security and clinical risks due to the potential of interference. Secure messaging however offers security, auditability, and privacy, ensuring the communication is encrypted and received by the intended recipient within the secure messaging network.  

With 96.3% of General Practice in APHN Region using HealthLink, HealthLink is the preferred secure messaging provider within our region.  

Healthcare providers may benefit through: 

  • Streamlined administration due to reduction in paper-based processes  
  • Improved coordination of care because of improved communication between healthcare providers 
  • Confidence in privacy and security of transmitted patient data 
  • Patients may benefit through:  
  • Patient data being appropriately and securely managed 
  • A reduced need to retell the same information 
  • Confidential patient correspondence only being seen by treating clinicians 

To set up your practice for HealthLink or to get further training for your practice, please get in contact with the Digital Health Team.  

Adelaide PHN is offering free Telehealth (virtual health) video conferencing license to General Practices (GPs), Allied health, and other primary care providers within our region.  

Our Digital Health Team are available to provide support to help support allied health providers on their telehealth journey. We offer: 

  • Free license to a telehealth video conference platform 
  • Assistance with account setup and technical support 
  • Training and education for seamless telehealth integration 

The Telehealth (virtual health) video conferencing platform available through Adelaide PHN is the Health Direct Video Call which provides a virtual waiting area for healthcare professionals to consult with their patients.   

Healthdirect Video Call was developed by Healthdirect Australia to make it easy for health care providers to offer their services via video consultation. Patients can connect with their health care professional from anywhere that is convenient, using everyday devices such as a smartphone, tablet or desktop computer. Healthdirect Video Call can support practices and patients to facilitate health consultations while staying safe. 

The pilot program for the Healthdirect Video originally launched during COVID was extended to allow for continued use for current users and is still open for anyone wanting to use the platform. Licenses can be provided to GP services and non-GP type primary care services classed as mental health, aged care, maternity, Indigenous health, and allied health services.   

Further information:

My Health Record is an online summary of an individual's health information. It contains information such as medication history, allergies, medical conditions, and test results. Patients have control over who can access their record and can add information to their record as they see fit. 

Healthcare providers can access a patient's My Health Record to provide better and more coordinated care. The My Health Record system is secure, with stringent privacy and security measures in place to protect patient data. 

Having a My Health Record can improve patient safety and reduce the risk of medical errors. It can also save time and reduce the need for patients to remember and repeat their medical history to different healthcare providers. 

My Health Record is a valuable tool for both patients and healthcare providers in improving the quality and coordination of healthcare. As part of the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce, the Australian Government is committed to modernising My Health Record by improving availability of health information to patients and their health care team. By 2024, it is expected that uploading and sharing of pathology and diagnostic reports on My Health Record will be a mandatory legal obligation. 

Further information 

The healthcare industry is a prime target for cyber crime due to the potential value of health data. It is vital that healthcare organisations put in place mechanisms to protect against to cyberattack and to minimise the impact to their business and patients should they be subject to a successful attack. 

Adelaide PHN, in partnership with the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) promotes the use of safe and secure digital health services and systems to improve health outcomes. 

This can include: 

  • Having fit for purpose cybersecurity software and IT architecture. 
  • Building a human firewall through staff awareness of cybersecurity issues and common threats. 
  • Using strong passwords and multi factor authentication. 
  • Daily backup of data, stored offsite. 
  • Have in place a tested disaster recovery plan which can be enacted in the event of a successful attack. 

Further information 

Last updated: October 23, 2025