Plunket helpline will join full health advice service

A free, national health information phoneline will be available by June next year.

It will be called Healthline, and will incorporate PlunketLine, Health Minister Annette King said yesterday.

The 24-hour, seven-day service will cost $10 million a year, and will be staffed by registered nurses able to advise on health concerns ranging from symptom assessment to the location of after-hours medical services.

Ms King said the new service would maintain PlunketLine's valuable role in providing support for parents and information on child health.

Plunket nurses with specialist training in child and family health would deal with all calls seeking parenting advice.

"Healthline is designed to ensure the provision of the right level of care at the right time and at the right place," Ms King said.

"Healthline incorporating PlunketLine provides an easy source of health service information and is particularly useful for disadvantaged groups and those who live in rural areas."

Healthline has been trialled in four areas: Northland, East Coast/Gisborne, Canterbury and West Coast.

It will gradually be expanded into a national service, beginning in the South Island in October.

Wellington and the Wairarapa will be covered by the end of the year, and full national coverage will be achieved by the end of June.

Healthline and PlunketLine nurses will be based initially at a single Wellington call centre.

A second centre will be established in Auckland as the service expands.

Ms King said the pilot programmes had been extremely successful

An independent evaluation of the service had shown a high level of caller satisfaction.

Healthline recorded a 97 per cent or higher satisfaction rate in surveys, and more than 85 per cent of calls were answered within 20 seconds.

Plunket chief executive Paul Baigent said it was an exciting development for PlunketLine.

"The relationship with Healthline secures the future of specialist Well Child health services provided by telephone."

- NZPA