Across South Australia’s 653 regional health sites, clinicians face unique challenges: high staff turnover, reliance on locum GPs, and inconsistent access to up-to-date clinical procedures. Doctors and nurses unfamiliar with local protocols often staff hospitals—making quick, accurate access to current clinical guidelines a critical safety issue.
The idea for the SA Regional Clinical App came after a clinician delivered emergency training to rural nurses. She consistently heard the same feedback: essential clinical documentation wasn’t easily accessible at the point of care. “She received the same feedback and complaints over and over,” says Advanced Nurse Facilitator and SA Regional Clinical App project lead, Tovah Green. “Clinicians wanted faster, easier access to the right tools while they were with patients.”
While some health services had built apps for similar purposes, these often relied on App Store deployment, required specialist developers to update, and posed governance challenges because they weren’t linked to live systems. SA Ambulance had its own app, but its design and update process couldn’t meet SA Health’s legal and technical requirements.
“Our legal team was clear,” says Tovah. “Those other options carried too much risk. We needed something interoperable, fit for purpose, and aligned to our governance rules.”
Adding to the challenge was the need to deliver quickly. “We had eight weeks,” Tovah explains. “We couldn’t afford a partner who’d figure it out as they went. We needed someone who could walk in with a technical solution from day one.”
Microsoft referred Canon Business Services ANZ’s (CBS) team as a trusted Power Platform delivery partner, and one of only 1% of Microsoft Solution Partners to hold all 6 Microsoft Solution designations. From the first conversation, the team focused on understanding the vision, constraints, and urgency.
“From day one, they saw the vision,” says Tovah. “We’d already experimented with Power Apps, so we were very clear on what we wanted. That can be challenging for some developers, but CBS embraced it.”
Before contracts were signed, CBS presented a full technical architecture showing how the app could be built, integrated, and maintained. “That was huge for me,” Tovah recalls. “It meant I wasn’t taking a guess. I could go to our executives and say, ‘This is exactly how it’s going to work’.”
CBS worked with Tovah, her colleague Ammie Thredgold and her team, combining their clinical expertise with CBS’s technical capability. The goal? A device-agnostic app accessible via desktop, tablet, or mobile, displaying clinical resources in a consistent, readable format.
Key technical features included:
“Clinical guidelines can run to 20 pages,” Tovah explains. “In a high-pressure situation, clinicians don’t have time for that. We created concise, two-page tools with clear symbols and colours so they can act quickly and safely.”
CBS also optimised the app so that content displayed consistently across devices, avoiding the formatting issues common with traditional document sharing. “They needed it to work on any device—mobile, tablet, desktop—without distortion,” says Sam Mountstephen, CBS Technical Architect. “Power Apps gave us that flexibility.”
Budget restrictions meant CBS had to maximise the use of SA Health’s existing Microsoft 365 tools. “We really pushed Power Apps and SharePoint to their limits,” says Sam. “In an ideal world, we’d have used a broader premium stack, but we worked within what was available and still delivered all the key functionality.”
For CBS, the community impact outweighed the commercial constraints. “It was important work for the community, so we focused on building the best solution possible,” says Michelle Stokes, CBS State Manager SA/WA.
The eight-week delivery window included multiple public holidays. “Easter, Anzac Day—it could easily have delayed us,” says Tovah. “But the CBS team kept us on track. All critical bugs were fixed before go-live, and we came in exactly on budget.”
Clear communication was a major success factor. “I’ve been in project management a long time,” Tovah says. “From the start, I said I wanted regular touchpoints, clear budget tracking, and open communication channels. They met all of it—and even said they appreciated the structure.”
The CBS team also valued the passion and clarity Tovah brought. “It’s rare to work with someone who’s both a registered nurse and technically minded,” says Michelle. “That dual perspective made decisions faster and kept the focus on patient care.”
The SA Regional Clinical App went live in late June, launching to more than 4,000 targeted regional clinicians and made available to all 35,000 SA Health staff accounts
While formal usage metrics are still being gathered, early feedback has been strongly positive. Clinicians have welcomed the ability to access consistent, up-to-date procedures without returning to a desk or relying on outdated local documents.
Tovah Green, Advanced Nurse Facilitator and SA Regional Clinical App project lead
“Our sites are diverse, our workforce is transient, and our care needs to be standardised. Now, anyone can walk in and deliver care to the same high standard.” says Tovah.
For both teams, the project was a genuine partnership. “Tovah and Amymie were fantastic to work with,” says Sam. “They were flexible, gave great feedback, and understood the technical trade-offs when we needed to adapt.”
CBS’s early technical clarity and willingness to adapt to SA Health’s requirements set them apart from other vendors. “Other partners said, ‘We think we can do it’,” Tovah recalls. “CBS said, ‘Here’s how we’ll do it, and here’s the architecture.’ That made all the difference.”
SA Health is now in the expansion phase, broadening the app’s scope and preparing to present it for potential statewide adoption. Other states have expressed interest in exploring similar solutions.
CBS remains involved, supporting enhancements and ensuring the app continues to meet the evolving needs of clinicians and patients.
As Tovah sums up: “CBS delivered exactly what I promised my organisation—on time, on budget, and fit for purpose. More than that, they delivered something that’s already making a difference on the ground.”
CBS continues to partner with SA Health, exploring opportunities to enhance the app’s functionality and broaden its reach, supporting clinicians and improving patient outcomes across regional and remote healthcare.
Whether it’s improving patient outcomes, streamlining critical workflows, or enabling your teams with the right technology, Canon Business Services ANZ brings the expertise, agility, and partnership mindset to deliver results—on time, on budget, and built to last.
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