“That ICPA Qld lobbies the Queensland Government and the Department of Education (DoE) to implement a coordinated and structured telehealth service model for students enrolled in remote and very remote state schools.”
Students in remote and very remote communities continue to face real barriers in accessing essential health and developmental services, including speech pathology, occupational therapy, psychology, and early intervention.
While some departmental services do exist, they are not consistently available across all schools. In practice, where there is no allocated professional for a service, it is often not delivered.
This creates a clear gap, where access depends on schools identifying and escalating concerns, or on families advocating for support themselves. In small and remote communities, this is not a reasonable expectation and can result in delays or missed opportunities for early intervention.
It also places additional pressure on schools, which are not resourced to coordinate health services, and on families who already face distance, cost, and time
Access to these services should not depend on location, provider availability, or a family’s capacity to travel.
A coordinated telehealth model would provide consistent and equitable access to services such as speech pathology, occupational therapy, and psychological support. This would be supported by appropriate infrastructure within schools, including reliable connectivity, private spaces, and scheduled access during school hours.
This approach also has the potential to deliver significant cost savings to government by reducing travel requirements, improving workforce utilisation, and enabling more consistent service delivery across remote areas.
