Free health advice

Summer holidays are great for catching up with out-of-town friends or family, but they can also be a time when illness or injury strike. And it can be hard to know where to go for help when you’re away from home.

Healthline (0800 611 116) is a free telephone health advice service available at any time of the day or night from anywhere in the country. You can call Healthline from either a landline or a mobile phone to receive free, confidential health advice from registered nurses. It’s funded by the Ministry of Health and provided by Medibank Health Solutions in association with St John.

Healthline can help for anything from a persistent headache to cuts, bruises and bouts of food poisoning.

Depending on the symptoms, you may be encouraged to seek medical treatment or be given advice on how to manage a condition or minor injury. Occasionally the nurse may refer you to the emergency department. Healthline nurses can also direct you to the nearest after-hours GP, dental surgery or pharmacy.

So when you’re packing the suitcases and the car, make sure you take the Healthline number with you – 0800 611 116.