A Real-World Case Study in Hybrid Care Delivery

Just above Canberra, there is a forest overlooking the capital. Each oak tree in that forest represents a child who has reached a milestone in their allied health journey.

For Eat Speak Learn, those trees symbolise more than achievement. They reflect a philosophy: care should be integrated, meaningful and designed around the real lives of children and their families.

Today, Eat Speak Learn is recognised as an innovative provider delivering speech pathology, exercise physiology, physiotherapy, dietetics, occupational therapy and psychology under one multidisciplinary model. What sets them apart is not only their speciality in paediatric feeding disorders, but their deliberate and highly successful adoption of hybrid care.

This is the story of how they built a telehealth-enabled model that amplifies care rather than replacing it.

From Spare Room Startup to Multidisciplinary Clinic

Eat Speak Learn began in 2013, shortly after the introduction of the NDIS. Speech pathologist Lauren MacDonald saw a clear gap in the market, particularly in supporting children with feeding difficulties. These cases required more than one discipline. They demanded collaboration across physiotherapy, dietetics and allied health.

Her husband Chris MacDonald brought corporate experience and operational thinking into the practice. What began as a small home-based clinic quickly grew. Within a few years, Chris left his public service role to work in the business full time.

The practice expanded from delivering one service to six in just a year. Today, it employs more than 30 staff and operates as a fully integrated paediatric allied health clinic.

From the outset, the goal was always multidisciplinary care. Telehealth would become a natural extension of that strategy.

Telehealth Was a Strategic Decision, Not a Reaction

Unlike many providers who rushed into virtual care during COVID-19, Eat Speak Learn had already planned to launch online services in April 2020. The pandemic simply accelerated implementation.

The decision to adopt telehealth was based on observation. The team had seen other practices use virtual care to expand their reach and amplify outcomes. Telehealth offered the ability to deliver services in schools, homes and community settings without the constraints of travel time or clinic space.

Today, approximately 20 percent of Eat Speak Learn’s services are delivered virtually. Telehealth is not an add-on. It is a core pillar of their hybrid model.

When Is Telehealth Clinically Appropriate?

The success of Eat Speak Learn’s hybrid model lies in thoughtful clinical decision-making.

Telehealth is not used indiscriminately. Instead, practitioners assess whether virtual delivery will produce a better clinical result. They consider whether engagement will improve, whether attendance is more likely, and whether virtual sessions create capacity to help more families.

In many cases, telehealth fits “amazingly well” with intake sessions, follow-ups, spontaneous check-ins and collaboration with teachers or other third parties. It also supports therapeutic interventions where environment matters.

The result is a continuum of care that blends in-clinic services, community outreach, mobile appointments and virtual consultations seamlessly.

Why Eat Speak Learn Chose Coviu

When selecting a telehealth platform, Eat Speak Learn wanted something that reflected their professional standards. Generic video tools were quickly ruled out as too limited for clinical workflows.

Coviu stood out because it was purpose-built for healthcare.

The ability to customise the virtual clinic with their own branding reinforced professionalism and trust. The waiting room mirrored the physical clinic environment, creating familiarity for families. The platform felt logical and intuitive to set up, even without intensive onboarding.

More importantly, Coviu supported the way clinicians actually work.

Therapists use the interactive whiteboard to simplify complex diagnoses and treatment plans for children. Screen sharing extends beyond desktop use, integrating with iPads to support Augmentative and Alternative Communication clients. The second camera functionality allows therapists to read books or play games while maintaining face-to-face engagement, which is essential in paediatric therapy.

The eLr application provides targeted therapy activities across phonology, reading, spelling, semantics and language processing. Interestingly, the team sometimes uses these tools in person as well, reinforcing consistency across hybrid sessions.

Coviu’s group functionality has also transformed collaboration. Parents can join from work. Teachers can participate in reviews. Multiple practitioners can coordinate care in real time. For busy families, this flexibility removes significant barriers.

The Critical Role of Telehealth Onboarding

One of the strongest themes in Eat Speak Learn’s experience is that technology alone does not guarantee success.

The clinic invests heavily in onboarding families. They assess internet speeds, browsers and device positioning before sessions begin. Expectations are clearly set around what virtual appointments look like. If a session involves a shared activity, both sides prepare materials in advance.

Parents are coached not only in technology but in participation. In some cases, they are asked to model behaviours during sessions. A telehealth support person is available to help families build confidence and troubleshoot issues.

This structured preparation reduces cancellations, improves session quality and strengthens engagement.

Telehealth Brings Clinicians into Children’s Worlds

Perhaps one of the most unexpected benefits of paediatric telehealth has been insight.

Children show clinicians their bedrooms, introduce pets and share parts of their everyday lives. The device camera becomes their eyes. This visibility can deepen rapport and provide contextual understanding that may not emerge in a clinic room.

Attendance has improved as well. Families no longer need to coordinate siblings, navigate traffic or manage school schedules. Parents join sessions from workplaces or while travelling. Services have been delivered to remote and even overseas locations.

For children requiring consistent therapy, avoiding missed weeks can prevent significant setbacks.

Demonstrating Outcomes

As a care provider, Eat Speak Learn understands that value for money must be clearly demonstrated.

The clinic structures reporting around measurable goals and tangible outcomes. Telehealth is positioned not as a cost-saving shortcut, but as a way to achieve participant goals more efficiently and consistently.

Reducing cancellations is a priority, as missed sessions can undermine progress and budget utilisation. The clinic advocates for stronger communication between case managers and providers to better align financial structures with clinical realities.

The Future of Hybrid Allied Health Delivery

For Eat Speak Learn, telehealth does not replace in-clinic services. It amplifies them.

The most effective model is neither fully virtual nor entirely face-to-face. It is blended. A hybrid approach allows providers to personalise care, extend access and optimise clinician capacity.

Interestingly, some of the clinic’s most reluctant families became telehealth’s strongest advocates once they experienced its benefits. In complex cases, virtual care often proved more powerful than expected.

As more allied health providers embrace structured hybrid models, and as virtual care becomes further embedded in the NDIS landscape, the opportunity to improve access and outcomes continues to grow.

What This Means for Allied Health Providers

Eat Speak Learn’s experience offers a clear message. Telehealth is most effective when it is planned strategically, supported with education, and delivered through a purpose-built healthcare platform.

Hybrid care is not about replacing traditional practice. It is about expanding it.

For allied health clinics seeking to extend their reach, reduce barriers for families and deliver measurable outcomes under the NDIS, a thoughtfully implemented telehealth model can become a powerful extension of care.