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Healthline – everything you need to know

Key points about calling Healthline

Sometimes it’s hard to know whether you or someone in your whānau is sick enough to see a doctor.
Or you may have a question about your health that you'd like advice on.
Call Healthline, they can answer any of your health questions. Nothing is too big or too small.
By calling them early, you can stop a small illness from getting worse.
If you'd prefer them to call you, you can visit their website (www.healthy.org.nz), click 'request a call back', enter a few details and a Healthline nurse or paramedic will call you back.

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If you or someone in your whānau is feeling sick, but you’re not sure if you need to see a doctor or what to do for them, call Healthline.

The Healthline team know how to assess what’s happening for you or your tamariki. They can give you advice about what to do and when to see a doctor.

If you can’t access a GP or don’t have one, you can call Healthline for free on 0800 611 116 for trusted health advice, treatment, and information about what to do next.
Healthline nurses, paramedics and advisors are available anytime, day or night.
Doctors (who can help with prescriptions) are available 7am to 11pm.
You can choose to speak with a Māori clinician if you’re calling between 8am and 8pm.
When you call, you can use your mobile to share images and video – to help the team help you.
Interpreters available. The Healthline team can arrange to talk to you in your language. When your call is answered, say you’d like an interpreter and the language you’d like to speak in.
If you need assistance, you can access Healthline using the NZ Relay Service nzrelay.co.nz(external link).

You can call Healthline or… Healthline can call you

Anyone can call Healthline for free health advice, treatment, and information, anytime on 0800 611 116.
If you don’t need help or advice straight away, rather than calling Healthline, you can ask them to call you.
This is also a great option if you’re busy, or if Healthline is.
To do that, go to www.healthy.org.nz(external link), click ‘request a call back’, enter a few details, and a Healthline nurse or paramedic will call you back.

Video: Winter Preparedness Series 2023 - Telehealth

Here's a video about how Healthline works and what they can do to help you when you call them. It may take a few moments to load.

(Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora & Te Aka Whai Ora, NZ, 2023)

You can call Healthline at any time of the day or night, 7 days a week, on 0800 611 116.

If you'd prefer them to call you, you can go to www.healthy.org.nz(external link), click ‘request a call back’, enter a few details, and a Healthline nurse or paramedic will call you back.

Your phone call, including from a mobile phone, is free. The advice Healthline staff gives you is also free and it is confidential (no one else will know what you talk about).

Healthline can answer any of your health questions. Nothing is too big or too small. Small health concerns can cause big worries. It’s no bother – they’re there to help.

If you or your tamariki are even slightly sick, call Healthline. If you call them early, you can stop a small illness from getting worse.

You‘ll speak to a friendly person (nurse, paramedic or advisor) who will ask you questions about what you’re calling about. From your answers, they will recommend the best thing to do. That might be to see a doctor or go to hospital straight away.

If it’s less serious, they can tell you how to take care of yourself – or the person you’re calling about – at home.

They can also tell you where to find your nearest after-hours GP service, hospital emergency department, pharmacy, out-of-hours dental surgery, etc.

When you call you can use your mobile to share images and video – to help the team help you.

The Healthline staff are an experienced team, who have worked in general practices and hospitals and for ambulance services. They include nurses, paramedics, health advisors and other health workers. They use their clinical experience to advise you.

You can choose to talk to a Māori clinician if you're calling between 8am and 8pm.

Healthline staff can arrange to talk with you in your language. When your call is answered, say you'd like an interpreter and the language you’d like to speak in. If you need assistance, you can access Healthline using the NZ Relay Service(external link).

Healthline can also engage with the NZ Relay Services and support you if you are Deaf, hearing impaired, Deafblind or speech impaired.

If it is an emergency and you or someone else needs urgent medical attention right now, phone 111 and ask for an ambulance.

Where to go when you need health care
Healthcare in NZ

Healthline flyer Healthline, NZ, 2019 English(external link), Chinese (simplified(external link)), Korean(external link), te reo Māori(external link), Samoan(external link), Tongan(external link)