Rural Support Service

17/12/2025

👀 Applications for the 2026 Regional Health Scholarship Program are open!

👍 The program supports regional South Australians studying or working in health by providing financial assistance for the 2026 academic year. Eligible applicants include those enrolled at universities, TAFEs, or registered training organisations.

👩‍🎓 Recipients include school leavers, students and SA Health employees pursuing a wide range of study areas including Aboriginal Primary Health Care, Allied Health, Human Resource Management, Medicine, Nursing and Midwifery.

✅ Last year, 60 scholarships were awarded to support healthcare professionals throughout all six regional Local Health Networks.

👇 The program offers seven categories of scholarships:

• Regional Bonding
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employee
• Regional Employee
• Regional School Leaver
• Professor Margaret Tobin Scholarship
• Student Placement Grant

👉 For details, please visit the SA Health website: https://tinyurl.com/2vy4mycj or contact the RSS Scholarships Team via: regionalhealthscholarships@sa.gov.au

⏳ Applications close on Monday 9 March 2026 (midnight).

04/12/2025

Experience inspiring moments from the 2025 SA Health Awards, a night recognising the people and programs making a real difference across SA Health. 🎉

01/12/2025

We are absolutely thrilled to share the news from Friday’s SA Health Awards: John Denton of the RSS has been named winner of the 2025 Young Professional of the Year!

Young professionals are the current and future leaders of SA Health, and this award recognises exceptional commitment, innovation, creativity and ambition by young professionals that drive meaningful improvements to public health.

iCCnet Research and Operations Manager John Denton embodies all of this. He is driving virtual care innovation in regional South Australia, leading the design of scalable, evidence-based models including the Virtual Regional Cardiology Service, 24/7 Remote Health Monitoring Service, and CATCH telerehabilitation.

By aligning clinical services with funding models and strategy, John is delivering impact where it matters -- keeping care closer to home, reducing hospital demand, and setting new standards for rural healthcare.

John’s been recognised for driving the future of virtual care in regional SA -- championing game-changing services like the Virtual Regional Cardiology Service, Regional Heart Failure Optimisation Service, 24/7 Remote Health Monitoring, and CATCH telehealth rehab.

And we’re so proud of our other finalist, the Regional Care Connect Pilot Program -- a collaboration with the Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health, SA Health’s statewide services, the RSS and the Renmark Medical Clinic in the Riverland in regional South Australia -- in the Dr Phil Tideman Award for Improving Access and Equity category.

This is a standout moment for RSS in delivering rural services together with the regional LHNs. There is extraordinary work happening together across our teams. The innovations recognised on Friday are reshaping how regional South Australians access care, further strengthening the future of rural health.

We are incredibly proud of everyone involved in these achievements. What an exceptional result for RSS and for the communities we serve across Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network, Eyre and Far North Local Health Network, Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network, Limestone Coast Local Health Network, Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network, and Yorke and Northern Local Health Network!

Check out this video from the moment John’s win was announced 👇

27/11/2025

The big night is here!

We're cheering on our SA Health Awards finalists:

📶 Regional Care Connect Pilot Program (a collaboration between the CEIH and the RSS) – Dr Phil Tideman Award for Improving Access and Equity category

💻 John Denton (iCCnet, RSS) – Young Professional of the Year category

We’re so proud of the innovation, leadership, and collaboration they bring to rural health every day.

To our finalists: Good luck and remember, you’re already winners in our eyes!

26/11/2025

Meet John Denton, our 2025 SA Health Awards Young Professional of the Year finalist. He leads programs that make a real difference for hundreds of patients across regional South Australia, ensuring care is accessible, effective, and closer to home. Highlights of his leadership include:

↗️ CATCH telehealth rehabilitation supported 349 patients in 2024, with a 91.4% completion rate (well above state and national averages)

💗 Expanded CATCH program capacity by 17% without additional resources

💪 Oversees the Virtual Regional Cardiology Service, improving access to specialist care, reducing unnecessary hospital travel, and strengthening GP-specialist collaboration.

John’s work exemplifies leadership and innovation in scaling virtual care solutions for rural communities.

Drop a comment below and join us in wishing him luck at tomorrow’s awards ceremony!

26/11/2025

Reducing ED presentations by 80%? That’s just one of the accomplishments of our Regional Care Connect Pilot Program -- an SA Health Awards finalist! 🏆

This innovative program -- a collaboration between the RSS, the Commission on Excellence and Innovation and Health, the Renmark Medical Clinic in the Riverland and SA Health’s statewide services -- is transforming care for regional patients, bringing virtual specialist-led care closer to home.

By empowering patients to manage their health safely at home while reducing strain on clinicians, the Regional Care Connect Pilot exemplifies how collaboration and technology can improve health outcomes in rural communities.

Drop a comment below and join us in saying ‘good luck!’ to the talented teams behind this program as we look ahead to this Friday’s awards ceremony!

12/11/2025

Rural emergency nursing leadership recognised on the national stage

We're so proud of Ammie Thredgold, our Emergency Advanced Nurse Educator, who was recently a keynote speaker at this year’s International Conference for Emergency Nurses , hosted by the College of Emergency Nursing Australasia.

Ammie shared how she and her team are working in partnership with South Australia’s rural nursing teams to strengthen emergency care across the state. Together, they’re developing new training pathways, capability frameworks and education programs – including Emergency Nurse and Midwifery Education (ENAME), an innovative approach ensuring that SA’s rural nurses and midwives have the training and support they need to deliver high-quality emergency care.

This achievement reflects Ammie’s leadership and the incredible dedication of our rural nursing teams, whose commitment makes high-quality care possible across regional South Australia.

This is what happens when passion meets purpose. 👏

03/11/2025

Supporting regional patients on their kidney care journey

Managing medicines can be complex for people living with kidney disease, especially for those living in regional areas.

Thanks to funding from The Hospital Research Foundation Group, SA Pharmacy and the Rural Support Service Renal team are working together to create a new way to connect country patients and regional health staff with specialist pharmacy expertise.

This pilot project will trial new ways of working, aiming to make kidney care more coordinated, help people manage their medicines more confidently, and enable patients to continue their kidney treatment closer to home.

30/10/2025

📸 👋 Say hi to Tullie and Talia, two of the wonderful Occupational Therapists (OTs) employed across South Australia’s regional areas as recent graduates. Tullie is an OT for the Eyre and Far North Local Health Network and Talia is an OT within the Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network.

🥳 As part of , we’re celebrating our dedicated OTs, and the amazing work they do across our regional health system.

😀Every day, OTs improve the lives and health outcomes of many children and adults in our regions.

👍 OTs play a valuable role in our healthcare system - primarily helping people to live well and independently in their communities.

🏥 When hospital admission is required, OTs are essential in ensuring a smooth, well-supported discharge process, and coordinating any necessary home modifications.

👏 Thank you to all our OTs, for your passion, collaboration, and persistent commitment to putting , and improving the health and wellbeing of regional South Australians.

27/10/2025

👏

Eight new grants for regional SA. 🎉

We’re so excited to announce a fresh $268K in funding for eight new projects to boost regional healthcare in South Australia. 👏

The grants will help upskill our rural health workforce and purchase vital equipment for local hospitals, like that used by the hard-working community nursing team in Wallaroo (pictured).

Check out the eight projects 👉 https://thrf.link/pz8

26/10/2025

🌟 It’s OT Week 2025! 🌟

👏 This week, we’re celebrating the amazing Occupational Therapists (OTs) working across South Australia’s regional Local Health Networks — from the Eyre Peninsula to the Limestone Coast and everywhere in between.

🏡✨ Every day, OTs put , helping people live safely, independently, and meaningfully — wherever they call home.

Our OTs make a real difference across our communities by:

👵 supporting older adults,
💪 enhancing recovery,
🧒 helping children achieve their milestones, or
🤝 enabling participation in daily life

🤗 Let’s take a moment to thank and celebrate their dedication, creativity, and care that helps South Australians live their best lives.

📸 Pictured are a wonderful group of regional OTs who gathered last year for an RSS-led professional development event, with the road sign inspired by the theme: 'Navigating our future: Driving innovation, learning and connection'.



Limestone Coast Local Health Network Yorke and Northern Local Health Network Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network Eyre and Far North Local Health Network Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network

16/10/2025

Join us in celebrating Rural Generalists! 💙

Big news: Rural Generalist Medicine has been officially recognised as a new specialist field within General Practice in Australia!

What is a Rural Generalist?
They’re highly skilled GPs who go above and beyond -- providing vital primary and emergency care in community, hospitals, or remote settings, often with advanced training in one or more specialised areas such as emergency medicine, obstetrics, or anaesthetics. Rural Generalists are often the backbone of our rural hospitals, health services and clinics.

Do you know a South Australian Rural Generalist who’s made a difference in your community? Tag them in the comments and share your congratulations on this significant milestone, and your thanks!

We’re proud to support our current and upcoming Rural Generalists through programs and services such as the Rural Generalist Program South Australia, the Single Employer Model, and in partnership with Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network, Eyre and Far North Local Health Network, Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network, Limestone Coast Local Health Network, Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network, and Yorke and Northern Local Health Network.

Read more at the links in the comments.