About healthdirect Australia
healthdirect Australia is the collective trading name for the National Health Call Centre Network Limited (NHCCN Ltd) and those of its contractors who provide nationwide access 24 hours a day, seven days a week to healthcare triage, health advice and health information.
The services available through healthdirect are wholly or jointly funded by federal, state and territory governments and include:
- the healthdirect Australia telephone triage, health advice and information line.
- the Pregnancy, Birth & Baby Helpline.
- HealthInsite, the online health information service.
More about healthdirect Australia Services
- What is healthdirect Australia?
- What healthdirect Australia services are not!
- Who answers when I call healthdirect Australia?
- Who can use the service?
- How can I access healthdirect Australia?
- When should I use healthdirect Australia?
- What information will I be asked to provide and why?
- How is my privacy protected if I call healthdirect Australia?
- Why can't my call just be dealt with at the Hospital – they've always helped before?
- Who is behind healthdirect Australia?
- Who is the healthdirect Australia service provider?
- Why have a health call centre network?
What is healthdirect Australia?
healthdirect Australia is a free* 24-hour telephone health triage, information and advice service for residents of the ACT, NSW, the NT, Tasmania, SA and WA. healthdirect also incorporates HealthInsite which, for more than a decade has been one of the most popular Australian websites for people seeking reliable information about health and wellbeing online. HealthInsite is accessible nationally. healthdirect is scheduled to be a fully national service by 2011 and it's expected that when fully operational it will handle up to two million calls a year.
*Calls from landlines are free. Mobile charges may apply.
What healthdirect Australia services are not!
healthdirect Australia is NOT a replacement for your doctor or the 000 emergency service. In a health emergency, you should ALWAYS call an ambulance on 000.
Who answers when I call the healthdirect Australia telephone service?
Your call will be answered by a Registered Nurse who will use sophisticated computerised decision support systems to provide safe and consistent assessment and advice.
Who can use the service?
At this stage, anyone in the ACT, NSW, the NT, Tasmania, SA, and WA who needs health advice or information can call healthdirect Australia at any time of the day or night to speak to a Registered Nurse. HealthInsite is accessible online nationally.
How can I access healthdirect Australia?
No matter where you are in the ACT, NSW, the NT, SA, Tasmania, or WA, you can access healthdirect Australia through a single number – 1800 022 222. Callers with a speech or hearing impairment are able to use healthdirect through the National Relay Service on 1800 555 677. If you need an interpreter, call TIS National on 131 450.
When should I use healthdirect Australia?
healthdirect has been established to provide you with convenient, non-urgent health advice and information when, for example:
- someone suddenly gets sick and you're not sure what to do
- you want information on a specific health condition
- you need to know where to find after-hours health-related services
You do not have to be sick to use the service and you can call on behalf of relatives or friends. You can also seek information online through HealthInsite.
What information will be asked to provide and why??
Firstly, the nurse will ask specific questions to ensure that you are safe, as well as checking if you are in need of emergency services such as an ambulance.
All contact with health providers start with basic personal details to assist in providing the right health advice and to create your confidential medical file. The nurse will ask for your name, address, date of birth and phone numbers.
Your personal contact details are very important in case an emergency response is requried at any stage during the call.
The details recorded in your confidential medical file help the nurses with giving you advice when you make your next call to healthdirect Australia
How is my privacy protected if I call healthdirect Australia?
You can always choose to deal with healthdirect Australia anonymously, in which case your details are not subject to privacy laws because you cannot be identified as connected to the information. If you do provide information about yourself, healthdirect has systems and procedures in place to protect your personal information from misuse and loss, and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. healthdirect only permits its authorised personnel and contractors to access your information. All calls to healthdirect are recorded and retained for 25 years as is usual with health information. Click here to view the healthdirect Australia Privacy Policy.
Why can't my call just be dealt with at the Hospital – they've always helped before?
The healthdirect Australia service provides faster access to health information and advice to meet your specific need. healthdirect will free up hospital staff to concentrate on patients who have presented to the Emergency Room or are an inpatient. The Registered Nurses at healthdirect have access to sophisticated computerised decision support systems which help them address your health concerns in a safe and consistent way, and provide appropriate advice based on the latest clinical evidence.
Who is behind healthdirect Australia?
healthdirect Australia is the collective trading name for the National Health Call Centre Network Limited (NHCCN Ltd) and those of its contractors who provide nationwide access 24 hours a day, seven days a week to healthcare triage, health advice and information. healthdirect is financed by federal, state and territory governments.
Who is the healthdirect Australia service provider?
Medibank health solutions provides the healthdirect Australia service. Medibank Health Solutions brings together some of the country`s leading corporate health providers - Health Services Australia ( formerly trading as Health for Industry, Work Solutions ), the Travel Doctor-TMVC), ahm (formerly trading as Total Health), the former McKesson Asia-Pacific and Mckesson New Zealand, and Fitness2Live.
Why have a health call centre network?
- to improve links between the public and health care services so people can get advice on attending the most appropriate health services (for example, going to a GP rather than to the hospital emergency department).
- to provide easier access to health information and advice without increasing the pressures on other health services.
- to provide more consistent evidence-based reliable health care advice using a computerised decision support system and proven clinical protocols.
- community health will improve in the long-term because of better access to health promotion, prevention and early intervention.
- the effect of GP shortages will be reduced—especially after-hours—as callers will be able to get good health advice, particularly on minor ailments, at any time.
- health information and advice is easier to get for disadvantaged groups, such as Aboriginal people, people in rural and remote Australia, people with disabilities and elderly people.
- health information and advice for people with a speech or hearing impairment and people with language difficulties can be obtained by using the Telephone Interpreter Service and the National Relay Service.
- the local response to health emergencies is improved. This could be disease outbreaks, drug recalls, natural disasters, or terrorist incidents (for example, callers could get up-to-date information on the symptoms and treatment of Ross River Virus).