There are many services and supports to help with managing chronic conditions. There might be services that you can access for free or with low cost such as help lines, bulk billed or through the public health system.
Crisis support
If you feel you are in crisis, please contact:
Lifeline
Lifeline provides all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with free, anonymous, confidential 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services by phone.
- Call 13 11 14
Crisis Assessment and Treatment Team (CATT)
The ACT Crisis Assessment and Treatment Team (CATT) provides a 24-hour, seven day a week service used for assessment and treatment of mentally ill people in crisis situations.
- Call the CATT Mental Health Triage Service on 1800 629 354(24 hour service) or (02) 6205 1065.
Kids Helpline
Kids Helpline provides 24 hour counselling help via email, webchat and phone for anyone under 25 years old.
- Call 1800 551 800
Suicide Call Back Service
Suicide Call Back Service provides 24/7 free phone, video and online counselling for anyone affected by suicide.
- Call 1300 659 467
MensLine
MensLine provides 24/7 support for Australian men by telephone and online support.
- Call 1300 78 99 78
QLife
QLife is referral support service between 3pm-midnight via phone or online chat for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and/or intersex.
- Call 1800 184 527
Emergencies and after hours
Call Triple zero in an emergency.
Canberra Hospital
Cnr of Belconnen Way Haydon Drive Bruce ACT
- Call (02) 6201 6111
Calvary Public Hospital Bruce
Yamba Dr, Garran ACT
- Call (02) 5124 0000
Find out about waiting times here:
https://www.health.act.gov.au/emergency-department-waiting-times
CALMS – Northside Surgery
After hours General Practitioner practice for non-emergency care. CALMS is a private billing surgery. There is a reduced fee for pensioners and health care card holders. Situated at Calvary Hospital, Mary Potter Circuit, Bruce.
- Call 1300 422 567
Bookings
Weekdays: 6.00pm – 8.30am
Weekends and Public Holidays: 24 hours
Clinic
Weekdays: 8.00pm – approximately 11.00pm
Weekends and Public Holidays: 10.00am – approximately 11.00pm
CALMS – Southside Surgery
After hours General Practitioner practice for non-emergency care. CALMS is a private billing surgery. There is a reduced fee for pensioners and health care card holders. Situated at Canberra Hospital, Yamba Drive, Garran.
- Call 1300 422 567
Bookings
Weekdays: 6.00pm – 8.30am
Weekends and Public Holidays: 24 hours
Clinic
Weekdays: 8.00pm – approximately 11.00pm
Weekends and Public Holidays: 10.00am – approximately 11.00pm
CALMS – Tuggeranong
After hours General Practitioner practice for non-emergency care. CALMS is a private billing surgery. There is a reduced fee for pensioners and health care card holders. It is situated at Tuggeranong Community Health Centre, Corner Anketell and Pitman Streets, Tuggeranong.
- Call 1300 422 567
Bookings
Weekdays: 6.00pm – 8.30am
Weekends and Public Holidays: 24 hours
Clinic
Weekdays: 8.00pm – approximately 11.00pm
Weekends and Public Holidays: 2.30pm – 5.30pm
Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
Provides assessment and treatment 7 days a week during business hours. Referrals are received from General Practitioners, School Counsellors or other concerned health professionals.
- To make a referral, please phone CAMHS on (02) 6205 1971or Fax (02) 6205 2627.
- For after hours, please contact CATT on free call 1800 629 354.
Phone lines
Below are free helplines for nurse and GP support.
Healthdirect
Healthdirect nurses will talk to you about your symptoms. After hours, they may offer you a call back or a video call from a GP who can provide advice.
- Call 1800 022 222
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/after-hours-gp-helpline
National home doctor
For urgent medical care on a weeknight or weekend, call 13SICK (that’s 13 7425) and request a bulk billed, after hours doctor home visit. Our Doctors are on the road from 6pm weeknights, 12 noon Saturday, all day Sunday and public holidays.
- Call 13sick (13 7425)
Walk-in-Centres
Walk-in-Centres can be helpful for a number of reasons. They are a free service, with numerous locations across Canberra and you don’t need an appointment to attend. They are open from 7.30am till 10pm everyday including public holidays. All Walk-in Centres are led by a team of highly skilled advanced practice nurses and nurse practitioners with extensive experience in treating people with minor injuries and illnesses. There are no doctors at the clinics.
https://health.act.gov.au/hospitals-and-health-centres/walk-centres
https://health.act.gov.au/hospitals-and-health-centres/walk-centres/our-services
General practitioners
General Practitioners (GPs)
There are many GPs in Canberra. You can look for one that suits your needs. See our guide about choosing a GP here. It may be wise to look for a GP that specializes in your condition, for example a patient who has diabetes should be seeing a GP who is comfortable prescribing insulin.
Capital health network
Capital Health Network is the ACT’s primary health network They address community needs by collaborating with consumers, GPs, clinicians and sector stakeholders to improve health outcomes. They are uniquely in our ability to support general practice and design services that fill gaps and deliver lasting improvements.
Chronic conditions management
There are a few different ways to manage your chronic condition with the help of your GP.
Care plans
To manage your chronic illness it is possible to be put onto a general practitioner management plan (GPMP) or a team care arrangement (TCA). Both can be beneficial, and make you eligible for bulk billed or gap payment services from allied health or other services.
You may be able to see them bulk billed, if your GP provides you with a care plan, see information below:
http://www9.health.gov.au/mbs/fullDisplay.cfm?type=item&qt=ItemID&q=10954
https://www.patients.org.au/care-plans/
Care coordination – Chronic care program
There is a chronic care program provided by ACT Health for specific conditions. Here is the eligibility criteria:
Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services
Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services is an Aboriginal community controlled health and community service, operated by the Aboriginal community.
https://www.winnunga.org.au/services/clinical-services/chronic-health-care/
Specialists in Pain Management
Below is a list of pain clinics in Canberra. Both private and public services.
ACT Pain Centre
ACT Pain Centre is a multidisciplinary Pain management centre providing comprehensive care for patients with complex acute, chronic and Cancer pain. They aim to reduce wait times to treat pain and provide affordable services.
http://www.actpaincentre.com.au/
JUMP
JUMP provides information and advice about the most effective strategies to help manage chronic pain.
Capital Pain and Rehab Clinic
The Capital Pain and Rehab Clinic is a multidisciplinary rehabilitation practice providing specialist physician treatment, allied health services and counselling services to assist patients with rehabilitation and management for acute and chronic pain.
https://capitalrehab.com.au/conditions/
Dr David Mcgrath
Dr David McGrath is a Specialist in Musculoskeletal, Occupational and Pain Medicine with a clinical practice in Canberra Australia. He offers the following services to people in the ACT and surrounding regions.
http://www.drdavidmcgrath.com.au/index.php
Heel pain Canberra
Heel pain Canberra treats debilitating heel pain and have a wide range of clients from active children and sedentary adults to elite athletes and the elderly.
Allied health
Allied health are health professionals that are specialists in their chosen field, which means that they are more knowledgeable than your GP in some areas. They provide care to compliment the GP and work with you to get a desired outcome. You can see most allied health professionals without getting a referral from your GP. If you do get a referral then your GP can send a relevant documentation such as blood tests and medical history with your referral letter.
Costs of visiting an allied health professional vary. Some can be accessed through a team care arrangement (discussed above) which means you may only have to pay the gap fee. Others may be able to be accessed through the public health care system, but there may be a wait time. If you have private health cover than you may get part of the cost of seeing them back.
http://findahealthservice.act.gov.au/c/fahs?a=sp&pid=1316133581&servicecategory=3
https://ahpa.com.au/allied-health-professions/
https://www.winnunga.org.au/services/clinical-services/allied-health-services/
Dietitians
Dietitians can help with finding the right diet for your condition. Some conditions can be improved by dietary intervention, for example coeliac disease, diabetes, kidney conditions, IBS, and malnutrition. It may be beneficial to consult a dietitian especially if you have been told by your doctor to stick to a special diet.
https://dietitiansaustralia.org.au/
https://ahpa.com.au/allied-health-professions/dietetics/
Exercise Physiologists
Exercise physiologists have skills to help with doing exercise that is specific for your condition. They aim to prevent or manage chronic disease or injury with exercise, and assist in restoring optimal physical function, health or wellness.
https://www.essa.org.au/find-aep/
https://ahpa.com.au/allied-health-professions/exercise-physiology/
Physiotherapists
Physiotherapists have particular training to help treat illness and injuries specific to the muscular system. There skill set is diverse and they can treat and manage conditions such as cystic fibrosis, cerebral palsy, and ankylosing spondylosis. They also help to improve strength to reduce risk of further injuries.
https://ahpa.com.au/allied-health-professions/physiotherapy/
Speech pathology
Speech pathologists work with clients to improve issues with mouth and throat. Like the name suggests they may work with clients to improve speech but they also help to improve swallowing solids and fluids and learning how to deal with different textures. They work with those that have been impacted by stroke, cancer, cerebral palsy, learning difficulties, autism, brain injuries and dementia.
https://ahpa.com.au/allied-health-professions/speech-pathology/
Occupational therapy
Occupational therapy is a field of allied health that works with clients experiencing disability to identify and implement methods to achieve and enable them to carry out their activities of daily living. This may include changing and making adjustments to the surrounding environment.
https://ahpa.com.au/allied-health-professions/occupational-therapy/
Complimentary Alternative Medicine and other allied health
There are many different complimentary medicines that may work for you. There are
chiropractors, osteopaths and massage therapists that manipulate and treat bones and muscles to improve physical health. Acupuncture uses pressure points to impact health and naturopaths, herbalists, Chinese medical therapists use a mixture of alternative therapies, nutrition and herbs to treat and improve health. But remember that alternative medicines are still considered interventions so health professionals, including GPs, in your team need to know about any of these because some natural remedies may interact with medications, and treatments.
Mental health
Mental health services may consist of psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors, grief counsellors. Services are in the public and private system. There may be some more suitable than others in dealing with your specific condition or circumstance.
See the list of ACT mental health services here
- Adult mental health services
- Child and adolescent mental health services
- Rehabilitation & specialty mental health services
- Mental health services at Calvary Hospital
Download the ACT Mental Health, Justice Health and Alcohol & Drug Services – About us flyer.
Find a psychologist
https://www.psychology.org.au/Find-a-Psychologist
There are some community organisations that have counselling services that might suit your needs.
Perinatal Wellbeing Centre
Perinatal Wellbeing Centre provides support to families in the ACT specifically around the perinatal period where families are most vulnerable to the stress and mental health issues of caring for a newborn.
https://www.perinatalwellbeingcentre.org.au/how-we-help-you
Meridian (formally AIDS Action Council)
Meridian is an organization that works with individuals, communities and partner organisations to: virtually eliminate new HIV transmissions by 2020; provide support for individuals and families living with and impacted by HIV; and build a strong and safe community that is free of discrimination, marginalisation and stigma. Meridian support the counselling service, Westlund, for LGBTIQ communities.
Diabetes NSW & ACT
Diabetes NSW & ACT provide support to people who are living with diabetes, and they have a psychologist on call.
https://diabetesnsw.com.au/helpful-resources/psychologist-on-call-service/
Headspace
Headspace is a mental health service that provide mental health professionals for teens and young adults 12- 25 years of age.
https://headspace.org.au/about-us/who-we-are/
Winnunga Nimmityjha
Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services is an Aboriginal community controlled health and community service, operated by the Aboriginal community. They offer mental health services and support.
https://www.winnunga.org.au/services/clinical-services/mental-health/