| Organization | Australian Capital Territory |
|---|---|
| Unit | ACT GOVERNMENT DIRECTORATES |
| CANBERRA HEALTH SERVICES - CHS | |
| Service Name | After Hours GP Helpline |
| Telephone | 1800 022 222 |
|---|---|
| Business Hours | 6pm to 8am Mondays to Saturdays, and from 12 noon on Saturdays to 8am Mondays, and all day on public holidays. |
| Function | The line is designed to help anyone in need of medical advice, but will be particularly useful to those with young children; carers; the frail and elderly; and those living alone," the Chief Minister said. "The service provides another option to access primary health care advice in the Territory. This service will not replace face-to-face after hours care for those people who need it but it will provide people with the phone number of a new service if they need to contact a GP out of hours. This is expected to reduce pressure on GPs during the after hours period, as well as relieving demand on emergency departments." The new after hours GP helpline service has been added to the existing 24-hour nurse triage service Healthdirect which is currently available in the ACT, and will be staffed by leading healthcare provider Medibank Health Solutions, with a team of around 100 GPs and more than 240 nurses on hand to answer calls. The service is free to callers from landlines within Australia, and begins operating from 1 July 2011. It will be accessible from 6pm to 8am Mondays to Saturdays, and from 12 noon on Saturdays to 8am Mondays, and all day on public holidays. To speak to an out of hours GP please call 1800 022 222. |
| Keywords | Out Of Hours, Doctor, General Practitioner |
