Patients in regional and rural Queensland are benefitting from faster access to specialist medical advice thanks to a ground-breaking service funded by the State Government and delivered by Mater.
The Mater Queensland eConsultant initiative connects GPs with Mater specialists, enabling regional and rural doctors to obtain clinical advice on complex cases and reducing the need for patients to travel to major centres for face-to-face consultations.
Based on a Mater Research trial program, eConsultant was launched in October 2025 with $6.4 million in Queensland Government funding, offering GPs access to 15 different medical specialists including cardiology, endocrinology, dermatology and immunology.
As at 31 May 2026, 1,048 patients had accessed the service through more than 278 GPs across the state.
GPs who requested specialist advice received responses within one business day and 90 per cent of patients were able to avoid the need for face-to-face consultations with a specialist.
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls said the Queensland Government’s partnership with Mater was delivering better care for Queenslanders, particularly in remote and regional communities.
“All Queenslanders deserve access to world-class healthcare, no matter where they live in the state,” Mr Nicholls said.
“The Mater Queensland eConsultant model encourages GPs and specialists to work more closely together, ensuring our healthcare system meets the needs of remote and regional patients.
“The expanded service is sparing patients and their carers the inconvenience, cost and time it takes to attend appointments in Brisbane. It’s a gamechanger for remote health practices and their patients.”
Mater Research Executive Director Professor Allison Pettit said the ongoing partnership with the Queensland Government was essential to delivering innovative, sustainable healthcare solutions across Queensland.
"This funding commitment empowers Mater to extend our clinical expertise beyond our hospitals and into regional communities," Prof Pettit said.
"Strong partnerships between healthcare providers and government are critical to meeting the rising demand for complex care. This investment ensures that funding is directed where it has the greatest impact on patient outcomes.
"We are proud to work alongside the Queensland Government to build models of care that support local GPs and deliver Mater’s high standard of healthcare to all Queenslanders, regardless of where they live."
Roma resident Ivy Bowen, 99, used to take an 11-hour round trip to Brisbane to receive specialist care for her diabetes, but now her GP, Dr Rosemary Geraghty, is able to manage her condition locally thanks to expert eConsultant support.
“I was given extremely good advice on how to manage Ivy’s difficult-to-control diabetes and changed her medication as a result,” Dr Geraghty said.
“This has led to reduced episodes of low and high blood sugar levels, which can be extremely dangerous for someone of Ivy’s age.”
Mrs Bowen said she was grateful to receive expert diabetes care close to her home in Roma.
“It’s been a wonderful thing for me because it saved me all that time travelling to Brisbane, which is very difficult at my age, and we got the results back in less than two days,” Mrs Bowen said.
“I would definitely recommend this to others. I am feeling much better on the new medication.”
Mrs Bowen’s care is being guided by Mater Queensland eConsultant’s endocrinologist and clinical lead, Emeritus Professor David McIntyre.
“As demand for faster and more complex care continues to rise, eConsultant is an effective and efficient way to enhance healthcare for Queenslanders in rural areas,” Prof McIntyre said.
"In our experience, GPs are very skilled in deciding which patients and conditions can be effectively managed via the e consultant program.
“Patients who need in-person consultations still receive them, but in most cases Mater specialists are able to provide GPs with guidance that enables patients to be treated locally.”
“Our service is closing the rural and regional healthcare divide, delivering high-quality care that’s close to home.”
Queensland GPs can seamlessly access the service via the Consultmed platform, allowing them to securely request advice across a growing list of specialties including: cardiology, dermatology (adult and paediatric), endocrinology, geriatric medicine, haematology, immunology, infectious diseases, nephrology, neurology, obstetric medicine, rheumatology and respiratory and sleep medicine.
To learn more about the program, visit: www.mater.org.au/health-services/health-professionals/mater-econsultant
