Nationwide Healthline Service
By June next year, all of NZ will have access to a free nationwide health information phone line that incorporates the exisiting PlunketLine service. Healthline, a 24-hour service, will be progressively rolled out around the country, and will be staffed by registered nurses able to advise on a range of health concerns - from assessing symptoms to locating after-hours medical services or late-night chemists. The existing Healthline and PlunketLine phone numbers will continue to operate.
Healthline will maintain PlunketLine's role in providing support for parents, as well as information on child health issues. Plunket nurses with specialist training in child and family health will deal with all calls needing parenting advice or Plunket (Well Child) services.
Healthline services have been operating in four pilot areas (Northland, East Coast/Gisborne, Canterbury and the West Coast). These will be expanded to provide a national service, beginning in the South Island in October, with Wellington and the Wairarapa on board by the end of this year.
Healthline and PlunketLine nurses will be based initially at a single Wellington call centre, with a second call centre in Auckland established as the service expands. They will use a computer program and specialised triage software to advise callers on the most appropriate course of action for their problem. That might include symptom assessment, counselling, home treatment advice, referral, disease management, crisis intervention or basic health information. The triage software incorporates a set of guidelines that specify the order and type of recommendations offered, based on the information provided by the caller.
Once a call is answered, Healthline staff will talk a caller through their symptoms, discount those that do not apply and using a process of elimination, assess how serious the symptoms are, the appropriate place to seek help, and a timeframe for action. The advice dispensed may range from something as simple as "an ice-pack and a lie-down", through to "see your GP within 24 hours" or "we are ordering an ambulance for you right now."
PlunketLine will gradually be incorporated into Healthline. Initially, PlunketLine nurses will relocate to the Healthline call centre and the two phone lines will run concurrently. Over time, the service will be integrated with the ability to triage or provide Well Child advice as appropriate for each call. PlunketLine will be fully integrated into Healthline by June 2005.
The PlunketLine number is 0800 933 922, and the Healthline number is 0800 611 116 (note: Healthline currently operates just in the four pilot areas - see above). You can get more information about these services on the Ministry of Health website at www.moh.govt.nz |
Contact for Enquiries
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Pastoral House
25 The Terrace
PO Box 2526, Wellington
Tel: 0800 00 83 33
Fax: +64 4 894 0720
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