Frequently asked questions

NURSE-ON-CALL is a telephone service that provides immediate, expert health advice from a registered nurse, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The service, staffed by registered nurses, is accessible from any landline and mobile telephones in Victoria for the cost of a local call (calls from mobile phones may be charged at a higher rate).

NURSE-ON-CALL is committed to answering all calls as quickly as possible and aims to answer 80 per cent of all calls within 20 seconds. If it’s an emergency, you should call 000.

No. A pre-recorded message advises callers of their privacy rights when contacting NURSE-ON-CALL, but then calls are directly answered by a registered nurse.

You can obtain NURSE-ON-CALL promotional items on this site or by emailing us.

Brochures in a range of languages are available at the bottom of this page. Simply click the document in your preferred language to download.

Fridge magnets can be ordered by emailing your request to this address.

If you are calling about another person, you must have the consent of that person (unless the person is a minor). The person must also be with you and awake/conscious at the time of your call in order for the nurse to be able to provide triage and specific care advice. Otherwise, the nurse will only be able to give general information and direction.

The nurse will firstly ask you some questions to ensure that you or the person that you are calling about is safe and that an emergency response is not required. The nurse will then gather some basic personal details that will assist them in providing you with the right health advice and the right care. Just like when you see a health care professional, the information is collected in order to create your health record. This file will be used in the future to help the nurse understand your medical history as you keep using the NURSE-ON-CALL service.

The Victorian Government is funding NURSE-ON-CALL to ensure every Victorian has access to professional health advice anytime of the day or night. It is an additional service that complements Victoria’s public hospitals and emergency services.

NURSE-ON-CALL is provided by Medibank Health Solutions, an organisation with extensive experience providing this type of service.

Ambulance Victoria manages the NURSE-ON-CALL contract with Medibank Health Solutions on behalf of the Victorian Government.

These services continue to operate in conjunction with NURSE-ON-CALL. If callers choose to seek advice from NURSE-ON-CALL, the service will refer to these other health services as necessary.

NURSE-ON-CALL provides access to interpreting services for callers not confident with English.

The National Relay Service is available to assist callers who are hearing or speech impaired. TTY users should ring 133 677. Internet relay users visit the National Relay Service website.

Yes. NURSE-ON-CALL operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year, including public holidays.

All calls are answered by registered nurses who have at least two years’ experience working in hospitals. In addition to clinical training, all NURSE-ON-CALL staff are fully trained to provide expert health advice, information or triage over the telephone. Nurses also undergo ongoing training and supervision to maintain high quality clinical and communication skills.

Yes, you can be confident that the advice given is safe. NURSE-ON-CALL staff are supported by state-of-the-art clinical advice that is constantly reviewed and updated to ensure information is accurate and clinically sound. The information is reviewed regularly by highly-trained medical advisors from Victoria.

No. NURSE-ON-CALL is not set up to make appointments or write referrals. The nurse may suggest you see a GP or visit an emergency department, depending on your symptoms. The nurse does not provide a diagnosis but will be able to provide you details of your closest hospital or GP clinic.

The nurse will refer to the National Health Services Directory to search and provide you with local health services that can help you with your particular needs.

Yes, all information you provide remains confidential and records are fully secure. The NURSE-ON-CALL service is governed by the laws of the State, including the Privacy Data and Protection Act 2014 (Vic) and the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic). See our privacy policy.

Yes. The nurse will ask you for some basic personal details, but you may remain anonymous if you wish. All information provided remains confidential and records are fully secure. See our privacy policy.

For information on employment opportunities with the NURSE-ON-CALL service please contact the Medibank Careers team at Careers@medibank.com.au.

You can also find more information on current opportunities by visiting the Medibank Careers page by clicking here.

Click here to find out more on key requirements for our clinical roles. You can also watch videos that highlight what these roles entail and read interesting articles on our clinical staff and some of the amazing work they do in the telehealth space every day.

Usually the most common reason is because you may not have appropriate app installed. We recommend using Internet Explorer to dial NURSE-ON-CALL.

Instructions for dialing using Internet Explorer:

1) If you are prompted with following window “Do you want to allow this website to open an app on your computer” Click Allow to proceed.

2) Click ‘Look for an app in the store’ followed by OK in the next window pop up.

3) Select your app of choice. E.g. Skype. Click launch or install preferred app to proceed with call.