The plan aimed to ensure Victorians would receive the specialist care they needed, faster and closer to home. Image: DC Studio/stock.adobe.com. The Victorian Government has launched a new plan to reduce waiting times for specialist appointments. Key initiatives include thousands more specialist clinic appointments for children and youths, and a new service for patients and GPs to receive specialist advice without a referral. The government said the system-wide plan – the Specialist Care Reform Blueprint – would make care fairer and more equitable, no matter where a person lived. It said waiting months for a specialist care appointment cost families time and money but the plan aimed to ensure Victorians would receive the specialist care they needed, faster and closer to home. Developed with clinical experts, it would make the system easier for patients to navigate and would strengthen collaboration across hospitals, primary care and community services. Reform would be achieved by: expanding access to virtual appointments to give patients more options, saving them time and money making appointment scheduling more flexible streamlining processes like referral, triage, and waitlist management for faster appointments improving shared care arrangements with GPs to minimise the need for patients with chronic and complex care to attend hospitals for regular reviews increasing the use of nursing and allied health-led services to improve timely access to care. The State Government’s investment in specialist care in the 2026-27 Victorian Budget will support the work. Specifics of the plan include: $16 million to deliver 45,000 more specialist clinic appointments for children and young people so more children access the right care, in the right place, at the right time, with the right clinician. An $8 million investment to establish and pilot Specialist Advice Now – a service for GPs and patients to get timely specialist advice without the need for a referral. $33.3 million to expand secure digital portal VicKey and increase the number of health services using the platform. VicKey allows clinicians to focus on care and improve coordination of appointments and communication with patients. Victorian Minister for Health Harriet Shing said in a media release on 29 May 2026: “We’re making sure more families right across Victoria can access the specialist care and treatment they need. “Too many Victorians are waiting too long or struggling to navigate a complex system to get the specialist appointments they need. “That’s why this reform is vital – it will mean quicker access, clearer communication, and more options for patients and their families.” The post Specialist Care Reform Blueprint for Victoria aims to reduce waits appeared first on Hearing Practitioner Australia .