Who to call for medical advice?
Most parents will know the anxiety of having a child appear very unwell after hours and when your family doctor is closed.
You want medical advice but may not want to drag children out of bed when it is dark and cold.
We all want to know that we are doing what is best, but what is best can seem difficult to assess especially outside normal doctor hours. For expert and friendly health advice, Healthline is free and will advise you if you need to seek immediate medical help or you can leave safely and see your family doctor the next day. This service is not just for children and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Healthline is staffed by very experienced nurses who will give you good, practical advice. They understand the New Zealand health system and will advise you what you need to do, when and where you need to go. Further, they have access to sophisticated computer software in order to guide them through to the correct action for you.
If your query is more around parenting, immunisation, crying, sleeping and the like, you will find Plunket line helpful. As the name suggests they are specialists in child development and behaviour. This service is also free from either a cellphone or a land line .
If you need help in understanding what is being said, the use of the word ‘interpreter’ with the language you wish to converse in will result in you being connected to the speaker of your language.
The service is free, confidential and details can be shared with your family doctor, if you wish.
Healthline 0800 611 116 Plunket line 0800 933 922
Luckily, you can get parenting and child health advice from a specialist nurse which is free and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Plunket line is available
You can call Healthline free from a mobile phone or a landline and you will speak to a registered nurse who can provide you with general health advice, (not just for children).
Phone calls are free from within New Zealand – this includes calls from a mobile phone. Call Healthline if you’re:
Brought to you by Counties Manukau Health