New After Hours GP Helpline
From 1 July 2011, the Australian Government is establishing a
new after hours GP helpline.
The helpline will enable people who require
after hours medical advice, who cannot access their usual GP and
are not sure what they should do, to speak to a GP over the
telephone. It will provide a comprehensive service designed to
reduce unnecessary after hours presentations at hospital emergency
departments, while not replacing face-to-face consultations between
GPs and their patients.
It is a free service and is expected to
benefit people living in areas with limited or no access to after
hours care.
The service will be available through
Healthdirect Australia, extending the current 24-hour nurse triage
service on 1800 022 222.
Features of the helpline include the ability
for a record of the consultation with the telephone GP to be sent
to the patient’s usual GP (with the patient’s permission), a
comprehensive service directory to provide callers with the
location of the most appropriate after hours services in their
community, and the ability for the helpline nurses and GPs to call
back patients if their condition needs to be monitored.
The helpline will operate from 6pm to 8am,
Monday to Saturday, and from 12 noon Saturday to 8am Monday,
and 24 hours on national and State/Territory public
holidays.
The helpline will be available in most states
and territories from 1 July 2011.
For more information
visit the helpline website.