Threat To Local Gp Line A Worry

Newcastle Herald

Friday August 22, 2008

By KYLIE WILLIAMS Health Reporter

THE Hunter may lose another local medical advice line because of the introduction of a national health call centre network in NSW later this month.

GP Access is concerned its after hours advice line may be cut after healthdirect Australia starts operating in NSW.

The John Hunter Hospital's Kids Kare Line will close later this month and all calls will then be diverted to the national call line.

From next month all calls to Hunter New England Health region acute hospitals to speak to a nurse for health advice will also be diverted to healthdirect Australia.

Healthdirect Australia is already operating in WA, ACT and SA and will soon be rolled out in all states with the exception of Queensland.

GP Access chief executive Dr Mark Foster said NSW Health Minister Reba Meagher does not want an overlap of services once the national call line starts.

Dr Foster said the group was in discussions with healthdirect to establish a working relationship and ensure there was no duplication of services.

GP Access has been asked to submit a report by the end of September to NSW Health on the best way to make the services more efficient.

"One possibility is that our call service will be reduced in some way," he said.

"We are quite concerned about that. We don't think healthdirect can do what we're doing."

Dr Foster said it was important the Hunter had its own advice line because healthdirect nurses would not have the local knowledge to direct patients to the nearest and most appropriate GP or emergency department or know the travel times involved.

The GP Access line can also book appointments and arrange transport and home visits if necessary.

Dr Foster said if patients were forced to ring healthdirect first and then sent to GP Access after hours it would create extra work because the local line would have to ask the same questions.

He said healthdirect was based on a national UK model which is currently changing to local advice lines, similar to GP Access and Kids Kare Line, because it found it needed to be more closely aligned with local services.

GP Access After Hours is available on 1300 130 147.

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© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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