Australia's first national safety and quality standards for virtual care will be developed as telehealth use continues to surge, with more than 11 million Australians accessing remote healthcare services in 2025.
Australians using telehealth and other virtual health services will soon be covered by national safety and quality standards aimed at strengthening governance, accountability and patient outcomes.
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has been tasked by the federal government with developing Australia’s first National Virtual Care Safety and Quality Standards, a move health leaders say will help ensure patients receive safe, high-quality care regardless of whether services are delivered in person or remotely.
Virtual care, which includes consultations and interactions between patients and clinicians conducted via digital technologies, has become a mainstream part of healthcare delivery since the covid pandemic accelerated the adoption of telehealth across Australia.
More than 11 million Australians accessed telehealth services in 2025 alone, highlighting the growing importance of robust national safeguards and consistent expectations for providers.
The standards will apply across hospitals, primary care, community health services and commercial virtual care providers, establishing a common framework for safety, quality and clinical governance.
The ACSQH will also examine options for implementing the standards nationally in partnership with governments and healthcare stakeholders.
The initiative forms part of a broader national effort to strengthen clinical governance across the health system.
The commission’s chief executive Conjoint Professor Anne Duggan said the standards would bring virtual healthcare into line with the expectations Australians already have of traditional healthcare settings.
“Virtual care is an established and growing part of our health system, and it is important that the same expectations of safety and quality apply whether care is delivered in-person or virtually,” Professor Duggan said.
She said the standards would build on the commission’s recently released National Model for Clinical Governance and provide practical guidance for health services on governing virtual care safely and effectively.
“Our leadership in clinical governance describes how health services can provide the right culture, structures, support and leadership to deliver high-quality care. Applying this to virtual care will provide a nationally consistent approach regardless of how or where care is delivered,” Professor Duggan said.
The commission will work with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, the Australian Digital Health Agency, clinicians, consumers and industry groups to develop the framework.
Professor Duggan said the standards would also support the rollout and effective use of national digital health infrastructure to improve consistency across the healthcare system.
Federal health minister Mark Butler said patients should be able to expect the same level of safety and quality whether they receive care through a screen or in a clinic.
“Australians deserve the same assurance of safety and quality when they receive care through virtual services as when they walk through the door of a hospital or clinic,” Mr Butler said.
“These standards will ensure quality and safety are built into virtual care from the ground up.”
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The announcement was welcomed by virtual healthcare provider Montu, which said clear national standards would support confidence in telehealth and improve access to care for underserved populations.
Montu’s head of Government Relations Edward Strong said virtual care was particularly important for people living in regional and remote areas, people with disability, shift workers and parents who may face barriers to attending face-to-face appointments.
“We have long advocated for a clear, nationally consistent framework for virtual care, and we believe that with the right standards in place, virtual care can be every bit as safe, if not safer, than face-to-face care,” Mr Strong said.
Montu said it would contribute to the development process through its membership of the Australian Digital Health Agency’s Virtual Care Expert Advisory Group and its involvement in earlier telehealth quality initiatives.
The Commission expects to release the completed National Virtual Care Safety and Quality Standards by the end of 2027.
