24-Hour Doctor Services in Australia - Explained

Illness and injury are not things that follow a 9-to-5 schedule. A child's fever can peak at midnight, a painful sprain can occur on a Sunday afternoon, and a cough that worries you can be the reason for your sleepless nights even after your local GP clinic has already closed. At such times, one can easily feel lonely and unsure where to seek medical help.

After-hours doctor services are the solution to this problem in Australia, where they also serve as a network for patients to be seen when their usual doctors are unavailable. These services, also called 24-hour doctor services, allow you to contact medical professionals who can provide the help and expertise you need, offering you the comfort of being taken care of in your home or on a screen at any time.

This guide clarifies your doubts about these services - what they are, how they operate, and when you should contact them - so you can decide when to use them. Our team provides round-the-clock medical support during critical periods when other clinics are closed.

The phrase "24-hour doctor" might confuse you a bit. It does not imply that one doctor is available 24 hours a day, nonstop. Instead, it denotes a care system that provides a doctor with access during the "after-hours" period. This is the time when your GP clinic would usually be closed.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) notes that it has set standards for after-hours and medical deputising services to ensure quality and safety. This emphasises that accredited after-hours providers meet national guidelines.

After-hours periods in Australia are officially:

• Weeknights: From 6 pm until 8 am the next morning.
• Weekends: From 12 pm (noon) on Saturday to 8 am Monday.
• Public Holidays: 24 hours a day.

These services guarantee that a doctor will be available to you in case of urgent health issues at any time and, therefore, serve as a daily safety net for you and your family.

Organisation of 24-Hour Doctor Services

Generally, these services are designed to be quite friendly and reassuring, especially when you are stressed and unwell. Usually, the entire procedure involves only a few simple steps.

Request for After-Hours Visit

The very first step is to make a request, which can often be done online or by phone. While taking the first step in the procedure, you will be asked to provide some vital information:

• Details about the patient, such as their full name, address, and date of birth.
• A valid Medicare card for bulk billing.
• A few words describing the symptoms.

The information given at this point plays a significant role in helping the team understand the emergency and decide on the best solution.

Doctor Allocation and Visit Process

If you have arranged a home visit, you will receive an SMS with the estimated arrival time. Just as in a clinic, a doctor on rounds will have all the necessary tools for a thorough check-up. They can make a diagnosis, give advice, and, in general, carry initial packs of the most common medications they can use to start direct treatment right away. If a prescription is necessary, they can issue an eScript, which will be sent to your mobile phone.

Communication with Your Regular GP

Seeing a different doctor often affects continuity of care. Nevertheless, after-hours services are designed to be your regular GP's supportive and cooperative partners. When you give your consent, a detailed report of the consultation, including the diagnosis, treatment, and medications prescribed, is forwarded to your GP on the following working day. Thus, not only does this record your medical history, but it also keeps the doctor primarily responsible for your healthcare at the forefront.

These services are intended for individuals with urgent health issues that require immediate attention but are not life-threatening.

Our 24-hour model specifically includes full-day coverage on Saturdays and Sundays. On the other hand, knowing when to call the emergency department is crucial.

If you think the person's life is in danger due to the situation, you are to call the Triple Zero (000) emergency call immediately. The occurrences accompanied by chest pain, shortness of breath, sudden weakness or numbness, bleeding that cannot be stopped, or fainting are those when you should make that call.

Immediate Medical Advice Anytime

Health concerns don't come during office hours, and having a doctor is comforting when you are in doubt. Regardless of the time, whether it is very late at night or a public holiday, you can receive the proper medical advice, and at the same time, you don't have to wait until the next morning to make your own diagnosis.

Comfort of Care at Home

If you are unwell, you do not want to visit a doctor and sit in their waiting room. Doctors who come home and telehealth services provide comfort and convenience so that sick people can rest and recuperate at home. For patients accessing medical care at 3 AM, our overnight teams are on standby.

Support for the Elderly and Families

These provisions are especially advantageous to families with young children and older Australians. For parents, it is a relief from wrapping up a sick child and going through a long and tiring trip to the clinic in the middle of the night. On the other hand, older people with mobility problems overcome the difficulties associated with the journey to the care facility. They are assured of the safety and comfort of accessing care.

13CURE's services are referred to as Medical Deputising Services. They provide valuable support to local GP clinics by assuming their after-hours care responsibilities. Such a patient-centric approach keeps the care the patient receives continuous, coordinated, and linked to their regular doctor, thereby maintaining the quality standards of general practice. The initial step for requesting after-hours care is to use our booking system. Patients can book an after-hours visit online or by phone through our system.

Healthdirect's 24/7 nurse hotline (1800-022-222) can provide free health advice anytime, demonstrating that timely advice is always available when you need help deciding on care.

Most 24-hour services offer two main types of consultations, allowing patients to choose the one that best suits their condition.

Telehealth Consultations

Your doctor is accessible via telehealth for video or phone appointments. If you have a situation that doesn't require a physical examination, this is a handy way to get help. In such cases, a physician can evaluate your symptoms, give you the necessary guidance, and, if needed, issue eScripts or medical certificates, without you having to leave your home.

Home Doctor Visits

A home visit is the appropriate course of action when a physical examination is required, such as when a doctor must listen to the patient's chest or check a child's ear. The doctor will come and see you, conduct a thorough consultation, and provide the most appropriate treatment in person.

The Australian Government says after-hours care provides access to primary healthcare outside regular GP hours, reinforcing that our 24-hour services fit within the national after-hours care framework.

Among the numerous benefits of 24-hour doctor services is bulk billing for Medicare card patients. In other words, there is no additional cost for the doctor's consultation. Though not every service is bulk billed, it is always wise to check for any charges when booking.