Let’s keep the emergency department for emergencies
You don’t need to go to the emergency department if you feel sick at night, on the weekend or a public holiday.
You should only go to the emergency department or call an ambulance in a medical emergency.
Melbourne is lucky to have a wide range of health services that come to you or are open outside business hours, but many people don’t know about them.
In an emergency always call 000
Call the hotline for free medical advice 24/7
NURSE-ON-CALL – 1300 60 60 24
Call the NURSE-ON-CALL 24/7 hotline for free medical advice from a registered nurse from anywhere in Australia.
You can also call the After Hours Helpline on 1800 022 222. This service is has coverage for most areas in Australia and provides free health care advice and information 24 hours a day (calls from landlines are free, mobile charges may apply).
NURSE-ON-CALL is a Victorian Government health initiative, delivered by Medibank Health Solutions.
For more information about NURSE-ON-CALL visit the Victorian Government website.
Find a health service
Use the Find a health service finder to locate services such as general practices, pharmacists, hospitals and emergency departments in your area.
Just enter your postcode and select the kind of service you are looking for. The service finder will even tell you what services are open right now.
Or find national health services anytime, anywhere from your mobile phone. You can use the healthdirect app to: check your symptoms, find a health service, get trusted health information.
The healthdirect app is Australia’s free health app that helps you make informed decisions about your health.
The National Health Services Directory is an Australian Government service provided by HealthDirect.
Home visiting services
Contact your regular GP (doctor) to find out if they are open or have after hours arrangements. Some practices will have a message on their answering machine telling you what to do when the practice is closed.
If your regular doctor is not available, or you don’t have one, you can contact a home visiting doctor service. Check which service your doctor uses when you next visit to make sure important information can be shared between the after hours doctor and your own doctor.
Please note that home visiting services do not cover all areas of Melbourne and regularly change their coverage areas. Consult the home visiting service to find out if it operates in your area.
Australian Locum Medical Service (GP2Home) telephone 132 660
My Home GP telephone 1300 968 737
National Home Doctor Service telephone 137 425
Doctor to You telephone 1300 30 38 34
This website is provided by Eastern Melbourne PHN, North Western Melbourne PHN and South Eastern Melbourne PHN. You can get in touch with us or provide feedback by email to feedback@afterhours.melbourne.