Many patients are not aware of the after hours healthcare services available to them which leads to unnecessary attendance at Emergency Departments. Studies have shown that:
- 1 in 4 patients who visit the emergency department agree that a general practitioner may have been able to manage their condition.
- 1 in 6 patients potentially put themselves at risk by waiting until services are open.
- Only 1 in 5 knows about home visit services.
General practitioners can improve their patients’ healthcare by providing information to patients about how to access services after hours
The HealthPathways team has added a new localised pathway – After Hours Healthcare to the website. The pathway details access to Urgent Care Centres; Pharmacy Guild of Australia – Emergency After Hours Services; Mental Health Services; and Phone and Virtual Care Services.
The Phone and Virtual Care Services offer nationwide services such as Healthdirect and My Emergency Doctor along with local virtual care services :
North Coast Connect is a free 24 hours a day, 7 days a week service offering health advice from nurses and connecting patients to local health and virtual care services. The nurses will assess the patient symptoms and connect them to the relevant service required, for example a GP appointment or a consultation with a pharmacist, they can book a time directly with a local general practice or pharmacy or if appropriate, transfer the patient to a 24/7 GP telehealth service.
Mid North Coast Virtual Care provides a pathway for patients who are unable to access their GP or primary care provider for the referred areas of concern. It offers a collaborative, community-based multidisciplinary service, maximising virtual care to provide early assessment and intervention to patients. The service is free and is available 7 days a week from 8.00am to 4.30pm.
For a list of all localised pathways see:
Mid and North Coast Localised Pathways
Username: manchealth
Password: conn3ct3d