Healthline is New Zealand’s national telephone triage and health service.
What Healthline provides
Healthline has three main functions.
- Assessment and triage of callers with symptoms.
- General health advice and information for callers without symptoms.
- Information on health services throughout New Zealand.
Healthline’s staff and resources
Healthline is staffed by experienced registered nurses who provide health information and recommend appropriate care for callers with symptoms.
All Healthline nurses have telenursing training and work within the Nursing Council’s Professional Standards for Telenursing Practice.
The nurses use their clinical experience and a sophisticated, internationally approved electronic clinical decision support system to advise the most appropriate level of care for callers.
- They assess symptoms and make a recommendation for the best course of action.
- They advise where to seek further help, if necessary, and a timeframe within which to do so.
Interpreter services are available if required.
The nurses have access to an extensive database of health providers to refer callers to. They can also tell callers where to find their nearest GP after-hours service, hospital emergency department, pharmacy or out-of-hours dental surgery.