Bespoke health services
Healthdirect Australia manages a range of bespoke health services which have been designed to meet jurisdictional needs for specific population groups and health concerns, or to bridge gaps in health service provision.
The flexible, scalable infrastructure we have in place to operate our national services allows us to establish small-scale, bespoke health services quickly and cost-effectively within and across jurisdictions.
After Hours Primary Care Linkages Service (National)
The After Hours Primary Care Linkages Service connects callers to the healthdirect helpline with relevant face-to-face after-hours services in participating Primary Health Networks (PHNs).
In the after-hours period, callers to the healthdirect helpline who would benefit from speaking with a GP can be offered a phone or video call back.
Alternatively, where appropriate, the After Hours Primary Care Linkages service allows callers to be directly connected with PHN-commissioned face-to-face after-hours services, delivered by local doctors or nurses.
The key objective of the After Hours Primary Care Linkages Service is to facilitate access to appropriate local after-hours services, as an alternative to a hospital emergency department.
Integration with local after-hours services is considered appropriate in settings where local or specialised knowledge is advantageous, such as aged care, rural and remote healthcare and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healthcare.
We work in partnership with PHNs to coordinate service integration with their local after-hours services. The service model prioritises equity of access, a seamless experience for callers, clinical integrity across services and safe clinical handovers between services.
nPEP helpline (WA, SA)
Healthdirect Australia manages the non-occupational post-exposure prophylaxis (nPEP) helpline for people who may have been exposed to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in South Australia (1800 022 226) and Western Australia (1300 767 161).
The nPEP helpline ensures that people who may benefit from post-exposure prophylaxis treatment are provided with rapid support and referral, since successful post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) treatment is time sensitive. The nPEP helpline forms part of the national response to HIV.
The nPEP helpline operates via the healthdirect helpline — callers speak with a registered nurse who asks a series of questions to determine eligibility for PEP treatment and can make appropriate referrals to services.
Parent Helpline (SA)
The Parent Helpline (1300 364 100) supports parents, carers and teachers of children aged up to 12 years. Callers speak with registered nurses, social workers or community health workers who can help them manage stress, behavioural issues, relationships and other family concerns.
The Parent Helpline is available 24 hours a day. Healthdirect Australia delivers the service in the after-hours period (9:15pm – 7:15am) via the healthdirect helpline, connecting callers with the nurses. This model of care provides a safety net for callers through the night, ensuring they can always speak with a qualified health professional about issues that concern them.
Outpatient Direct (WA)
Outpatient Direct is a telephone service (1300 855 275) that assists some public hospitals in managing outpatient appointments for certain specialists and clinics.
Outpatient Direct is designed to reduce the administrative load of specialist clinics. It is an inbound and outbound call service model that assists with cancelling or rescheduling patient appointments and updating patient contact details. The service operates from 7:30am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday.
Child Health and Parenting Service Line (TAS)
The Child Health and Parenting Service Line (1300 808 178) is a telephone information service, available 24 hours a day, which assists parents and carers who are experiencing stressful parenting issues and have concerns.
Healthdirect Australia supports this service through seamless caller transfer when necessary. Callers to the service who have health-related queries are directly transferred to the healthdirect helpline to speak with a registered nurse and, where appropriate, can be directly transferred back to the Child Health and Parenting Service Line.
NSW Mental Health Line
The NSW Mental Health Line (1800 011 511) is a 24-hour helpline available to callers of all ages. The service supports people in NSW who are experiencing mental health issues, or concerned about another person with mental health issues, with access to a mental health professional for immediate support and referral to the appropriate service.
Healthdirect Australia supports this service through seamless caller transfer when necessary. Callers to the NSW Mental Health Line seeking general health information, advice or referral to a health service are transferred to healthdirect to speak with a registered nurse for health information, advice and triage as needed.