Health services in rural areas

In rural or remote Australia, it can be harder to access some health services.

If you and your family live in a rural area, there are different ways that you can get care.

You can read more about rural and remote health.

First aid

If you live far from medical services, it is important to know first aid. This can help save a life. You can do training through:

• Royal Life Saving Australia
• St John Ambulance
• Australian Red Cross

Where can I go for health services in rural areas?

The services near you will depend on where you live.

• Larger regional areas may have a tertiary or base hospital.
• Smaller towns might have a district hospital run by local or visiting doctors.
• Smaller communities may have a multipurpose health service, medical centre or nursing post.

You may need to travel to access some face-to-face health services.

Some health services can be accessed virtually — such as online using a digital device.

What if I need to travel for a health service?

If you live in a rural area, you may need to travel to a larger town or city for some health services.

Support for travel

There are different services available that can support you if you need to travel for care.

Each state and territory has a Patient Assisted Travel Scheme (PATS) to provide financial help for rural Australians. This can help you access specialist health care that requires travelling out of your home area.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service or Careflight can also help transport you to a health service.

Transferring between health services

If you are travelling to get care, you might move between different health centres and different doctors.

When transferring between health services, it is important to communicate with your doctors and healthcare team.

They should support you to:

• be involved in making choices about your care — your support person or carer can also be part of the discussion
• ask as many questions as you need to
• give your doctor as much honest information as possible about your health

Your doctor should provide your new service with all the information they need. This helps the new service give you the best care.

Your My Health Record is a secure online summary of your health information. It can help your health services communicate and understand your medical history.

CHECK YOUR SYMPTOMS — Use the Symptom Checker and find out if you need to seek medical help.

How can I access virtual health services?

You may be able to access health services virtually, such as:

• over the phone
• using a video call (videoconference)
• over the radio
• online

Depending on what care you need, virtual health services may mean you don’t have to travel.

Telehealth

Telehealth is a way to access a health service over a video call or a phone call. It is a secure and private conversation, just like seeing your doctor in person.

If you need to travel to see a doctor, you can ask if they will do a telehealth appointment instead.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service

You can speak to a doctor over the radio or the phone through the Royal Flying Doctor Service. You can use this service for any health concerns, including if you need emergency support. This is available 24/7 for:

• patients in remote areas
• their families
• healthcare workers

After hours medical advice

After-hours health services may be available if you need medical assistance outside your doctor’s normal operating hours. This may depend on where you live.

These services can help you until you can see your usual doctor or visit your nearest health service.

You can call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available to speak with you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

These services are not for emergencies.

What types of care can I access in rural areas?

In Australia, the Rural Health Outreach Fund supports healthcare professionals travel to rural areas. This way, they can provide different types of care to rural Australians. These doctors can include:

• general practitioners
• medical specialists
• allied health providers

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) provides many services in rural areas. This includes fly-in fly-out doctor and nurse clinics, and mobile dental services.

The types of care available to you will depend on where you and your family live. You may still need to travel for a health service.

You can read more about rural health services in different states and territories:

• New South Wales
• Northern Territory
• Queensland
• South Australia
• Tasmania
• Victoria
• Western Australia

FIND A HEALTH SERVICE — The Service Finder can help you find doctors, pharmacies, hospitals and other health services.

Pregnancy and childbirth services

During early pregnancy, your doctor often plays an important role in performing and arranging tests. Later in pregnancy you can see a midwife, an obstetrician or both.

In rural Australia, many doctors have a shared care arrangement. This is where they team up with an obstetrician or one or more midwives to provide your care.

Some doctors in rural areas are qualified in obstetrics and can deliver babies.

Midwives also deliver babies, but they will call a doctor qualified in obstetrics or a specialist obstetrician if there are difficulties during childbirth.

You might have your baby in a hospital or a birthing centre. Some hospitals and midwives offer a home birth service. The plan for where to have your baby may change depending on how your pregnancy progresses.

If you have a higher-risk pregnancy you may need to go to a hospital in a larger town or city to give birth. Your doctor or midwife can guide you on the safest options for you.

If you are an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person, to find childbirth options you can ask your local:

• midwife
• Aboriginal health service
• hospital
• birthing centre
• primary health network

Some services will use Birthing on Country models of care. This supports you to have a culturally appropriate childbirth.

You can read more about maternity services in rural Australia.

Mental health services

Mental health issues are common in both the city and the country. It can sometimes be harder to find help in the bush.

If you need mental health support, the first step is to talk to your doctor. They can work with you to build a mental health treatment plan. They can also refer you to a mental health professional, such as a:

• psychologist
• counsellor
• social worker

The National Rural Health Alliance has a fact sheet on rural mental health services.

If you live in rural or remote Australia, mental health programs and services may be provided by:

• Rural & Remote Mental Health
• the National Centre for Farmer Health
• the Royal Flying Doctor Service

In Australia, there are organisations that provide mental health resources and support by phone or online:

• Beyond Blue — visit the website or call 1300 22 4636 for counselling across Australia.
• headspace — visit the website or call 1800 650 890 for counselling for young people aged 12-25.
• Kids Helpline — visit the website or call 1800 55 1800 for free 24/7 counselling services for young people aged 5-25.

You can read more about farmer health and rural and remote mental health.

Emergency care

If you live in a rural area, the Royal Flying Doctor Service can help transport you to emergency care. This service is available 24 hours a day.

How do I choose a health service in a rural area?

Your healthcare is your choice. This means that it is your decision:

• what services you use
• what doctors you see
• what care you or your family receive

You have the right to receive healthcare that:

• meets your needs
• makes you feel safe and respected
• values your privacy
• gives you honest and clear information
• includes you when making decisions

If you are choosing a health service or treatment, speak to your doctor or other health professional. They can give you information and talk with you about your options. This way, you can choose the best services for you and your family. This is called shared decision making.

You can read about your healthcare rights on the Australian Commission on Quality and Safety in Healthcare website.

An easy read version of these rights is available on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website.

It is important to look at all your options for health services. You may need to consider how far a service is from your home.

You may also think about costs. Medicare provides rebates for health services, including for:

• telehealth specialist consultations
• telehealth consultations for mental health services through the Better Access Program
• Aboriginal Medical Services
• aged care
• your doctor, nurse or Aboriginal health worker to join you during virtual specialist appointments

To receive rebates for telehealth appointments, you and your service must be at least 15km apart.

You can check the cost of health services by using the Australian Government’s Medical Costs Finder. You can read more about financial support for rural families.

Resources and support

For more information about accessing healthcare in rural and remote areas, you can visit the National Rural Health Alliance website. They have fact sheets for a range of services available in rural communities, including support for:

• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
• carers
• culturally and linguistically diverse communities
• defence force and veterans
• diverse sex, genders and sexualities
• farmers

You can find information about telehealth services on the Australian Digital Health Agency website.

For information about health services covered by Medicare, you can visit:

• Services Australia
• The MBS website

The Friendly Faces Helping Hands website has information for rural Australians travelling to health services in New South Wales. You can also use their interactive map to find amenities near some major hospitals in:

• New South Wales
• Queensland
• Victoria
• South Australia

If you are an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person, you can:

• visit the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet website to find a health service near you
• visit the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) website to find a community health service near you
• call 13YARN on 13 92 76 for mental health support
• visit the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website for more information