Healthdirect

Healthdirect Australia

Type	Public company, Non Profit
Industry	Health care
Founded	2006
Headquarters	Australia
Area served	Australia
Key people	Colin Seery, CEO, Patricia McKenzie, Chair
Products	healthdirect, healthdirect Symptom Checker, after hours GP helpline, Pregnancy, Birth and Baby, mindhealthconnect, My Aged Care, National Health Services Directory, Carer Gateway
Owner	Established by the Council of Australian Governments
Website	www.healthdirect.gov.au

Healthdirect Australia^[1] was established, and is jointly funded, by the Australian Commonwealth Government and the governments of the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia.

Healthdirect Australia is a public company limited by shares, and is responsible for delivering services by contracting with service providers and managing ongoing operations.^[2]

Healthdirect Australia helps Australians manage their health by providing access to health and related services, information, advice and triage, 24 hours a day, seven days a week via telephone and online resources. Healthdirect Australia’s services support Australians to take the most appropriate steps for their health issue, including self-care, seeing a GP or presenting at an emergency department, and help them to find the closest local service that is open when they need it.

History

In February 2006, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) signed a Heads of Agreement to establish the National Health Call Centre Network (NHCCN).^[3] The NHCCN commenced delivering services in July 2007, with its core service operating under a single national name, healthdirect Australia, and national phone number - 1800 022 222.

In December 2012, the NHCCN changed its trading name to Healthdirect Australia, reflecting the organisation’s evolution from procuring and managing telephone triage services to offering multiple services with integrated telephone and online channels. This was followed in November 2015 by change of the registered name of the entity from National Health Call Centre Network Limited to Healthdirect Australia Limited.

Services

healthdirect

The healthdirect helpline^[4] and website give Australians access to the trusted health information they need, when they need it most, online or by telephone.

The healthdirect helpline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Callers are connected with a registered nurse who then triages the call and provides information about the most appropriate course of action. Courses of action can include advice on self-care (how to manage the condition at home), advising a caller to see their GP, or directing the caller to the most appropriate local health service. If the call is an emergency, the caller is transferred to Triple Zero (000). All triage nurses hold unconditional registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Registration Authority.

Known as healthinsite until February 2014,^[5] the healthdirect website complements the call centre service by providing online health information. The website is a source of aggregated, clinically sound, quality health information covering hundreds of conditions and symptoms, and providing trusted health information and advice.

All information on the website goes through a quality assurance review process and comes from a range of trusted health partners including major Australian health organisations.

healthdirect Symptom Checker

healthdirect Symptom Checker^[6] was launched in July 2014 (see reference) and is a guided, online self-triage tool allowing visitors to initiate their health enquiry online.

healthdirect Symptom Checker is the culmination of years of clinical and operational work, and was developed in partnership with the United Kingdom’s NHS Direct. Healthdirect Australia’s Clinical Governance team, working together with a national panel of medical and allied health experts, localised the advice offered by the healthdirect Symptom Checker to ensure it aligns with Australian Department of Health and National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines.

The healthdirect Symptom Checker tool assists users manage non-acute medical conditions and locate appropriate medical assistance. It takes users through a short self-guided triage process, asking clear and simple questions about their symptoms. Once complete, they then receive advice on the most appropriate action to take, whether it is to go to the emergency department or visit a GP, or manage their care at home. They are also advised exactly how to describe their condition if they see a health professional.

after hours GP helpline

The after hours GP helpline^[7] extends the clinical guidance offered by the healthdirect helpline, and supports existing face to face after hours medical services. In the after hours period, the healthdirect helpline nurse is able to transfer appropriate calls based on the caller’s location and symptoms at the time through to a telephone-based GP.

The GP will further assess the caller’s condition, and if necessary refer them to the most appropriate after hours face to face service in their local area. The GPs use the National Health Services Directory to identify local services that are open in the after hours period. If the call is an emergency, the caller is transferred to Triple Zero (000).

All GPs hold unconditional registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Registration Authority. GPs also have unconditional registration with the Medical Board of Australia.

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby

The Pregnancy, Birth and Baby^[8] service provides support, 24 hours a day, for expectant or new parents and their families who need advice about pregnancy, childbirth or parenting. The service includes a telephone helpline and a website.

The Pregnancy Birth and Baby telephone helpline was launched in 2010^[9] to provide reassurance and trusted advice on any of the emotional or physical concerns that may emerge for expectant or new parents, including maternal wellbeing and breastfeeding as well as the baby’s development, sleeping and eating habits. Callers can also be transferred to qualified counsellors for further advice and support via the telephone. In 2014 Pregnancy, Birth and Baby became one of the world’s first health services to offer a secure, high quality video call option, 7am – midnight, 7 days a week. The Pregnancy, Birth and Baby website was launched in February 2013^[10] to complement the helpline service.

In March 2015 an online survey^[11] by Healthdirect Australia’s national Pregnancy, Birth and Baby helpline asked 1,011 expecting and new parents about their experiences. It found that 53 per cent of respondents said they couldn’t admit their issues to anyone, even those closest to them, while 58 per cent were reluctant to seek support because they feared being judged or to be seen as not coping.^[12]

mindhealthconnect

Launched in July 2012 as part of the Australian Government’s e-Mental Health Strategy, the mindhealthconnect^[13] website provides access to trusted online resources for those seeking information about their own, or someone else’s, mental health.^[14]

The website has a specific focus on depression, anxiety and stress but also covers over 80 mental health topics with a large focus on wellbeing and mental health literacy. mindhealthconnect links to trusted content from leading mental health organisations including the Black Dog Institute and Beyondblue. Content includes a range of online programs, fact sheets, audio, video and online support groups provided by trusted content partners. The website provides a Guided Search Tool that assists people in finding the relevant mental health resources specific for their needs.

My Aged Care

Launched in July 2013, the My Aged Care Gateway^[15] combines a telephone service, available Monday to Saturday, and a website that both help consumers navigate and understand Australia’s aged care system. Healthdirect Australia operates the My Aged Care Gateway on behalf of the Australian Commonwealth Government’s Department of Social Services.

My Aged Care is a key component of the Commonwealth Government’s aged care reform program. In May 2014, all accommodation pricing for nursing homes across Australia was published on the My Aged Care website – the first time this information had been so comprehensively available in one place. In June 2014, a new fee estimator tool was launched^[16] on the My Aged Care website by the Assistant Minister for Social Services, Senator Mitch Fifield. This estimator allows members of the public to calculate the approximate fee when looking for an aged care home or home care package.

National Health Services Directory

The National Health Services Directory (NHSD)^[17] is a national directory of health and human services information providing easy access to reliable and consistent information about health services. The data within the NHSD is used to support a growing number of initiatives in the areas of health, human services and eHealth, for consumers and providers.

The directory includes service details about GPs, hospitals, emergency departments, pharmacies, allied health providers and specialist services, including location and opening hours. The NHSD is available online and as a smartphone app, and in 2014 a widget was developed allowing partner organisations to embed the directory into their own websites.^[18] The directory includes over 116,000 services and over 300,000 records, with more than 300 categories of services.

Carer Gateway

Carer Gateway is a national service funded by the Australian Government.^[19] Carer Gateway includes a website and phone service for carers to access information and support, such as:

• information on the types of care and stages of caring;
• advice on how to look after yourself while caring for someone;
• managing day to day care;
• legal and financial support considerations;
• what to do in an emergency or crisis situation.

Palliative Care After Hours Helpline (NSW)

Funded by the NSW Government, the Palliative Care After Hours Helpline is a free service providing palliative care advice and support. The Helpline is for New South Wales patients who are receiving palliative care, their carers and families and health professional during after hour periods. The Helpline is available on weekdays in the evening and overnight (from 5pm to 9am), all weekend and on public holidays Call on 1800 548 225 to access the Palliative Care After Hours Helpline.^[20]

Calls and Web Traffic^[21]

• Every 30 seconds healthdirect takes a call
• In September 2014, the healthdirect 24-hour nurse triage helpline received its 5 millionth call.^[22]
• The after hours GP helpline reached the 500,000th call in April 2014
• The National Health Services Directory Widget is used on over 85 Australian websites
• The National Health Services Directory stores details of over 150,000 services and 50,000 practitioners
• An average of over 7 million transactions take place each month on the National Health Services Directory
• There were 8 million visits to all healthdirect Australia's websites in 2014-2015
• Almost 3 million visits were made to the healthdirect website in 2014-2015
• There were over 1 million visits to the Pregnancy, Birth and Baby website in 2014-2015
• Over 1 million people visited the My Aged Care website in 2014-2015
• Over 1,000 new pages of content created across all healthdirect Australia websites this year
• Over 25,000 links to trusted resources from their information partners
• 1,000 people use the healthdirect Symptom Checker every day

References

External links

• Healthdirect Symptom Checker
• Healthdirect After Hours GP Helpline
• Healthdirect Google+ page
• Pregnancy, Birth and Baby
• Pregnancy, Birth and Baby Video Call
• mindhealthconnect
• mindhealthconnect Guided Search
• My Aged Care
• My Aged Care Service Finder
• National Health Services Directory
• Carer Gateway
• Palliative Care After Hours Helpline NSW