An update on telehealth services unavailable from 3pm today Friday 15 September during 24-hour strike of national telehealth service clinicians and advisors

There will be disruption to the Government funded national telehealth services during the 24-hour strike by NZNO and PSA members working for Whakarongorau Aotearoa // New Zealand Telehealth Services. The strike runs from 3.00pm today Friday 15 September to 3.00pm Saturday 16 September.

Given the current expected availability of clinicians and advisors, the list of unavailable services has been updated.

The following services will be unavailable:

• 1737 Need to talk?
• 1737 Peer Support
• Depression Helpline
• Family violence services - the Shine Domestic Abuse Helpline, the Family Violence Information Line, the Family Violence Services Directory Helpline
• The RecoveRing service
• Earlier Mental Health Response service with Police
• Gambling Helpline
• Alcohol Drug Helpline
• The national sexual harm helpline Safe to talk
• The Elder Abuse Response Service

Available staffing has been prioritised for services that support people in immediate danger.

There will be significant delays in staff who are working, being able to respond to calls. During the strike, all non-phone channels (that’s text, webchat, and email) and call-back options will be unavailable.

When people contact the services during this time, there will be messaging about expected delays or about the service being unavailable, and options to access alternative health support and information.

The teams will - as they always do - focus on doing one safe call at a time.

The services expected to be available (at time of writing) are:

• Healthline
• Doctor services - doctor consults, Clinical Advice Line, doctor support for ambulance paramedics pilot (noting these services will be unaffected by the strike action and delays are not expected)
• COVID Healthline
• Vaccination Healthline
• Quitline
• National Poisons Centre and Immunisation Advisory Centre services
• Emergency Triage service with ambulance
• Mental Health After Hours and Crisis Triage Service
• National Bowel Screening and National Cervical Screening coordination centres
• Seasonal pressures diversion pathways from rural, Māori and Pacific providers
• Puāwaitanga counselling service
• Whītiki Tauā mentoring service

Whakarongorau Aotearoa // New Zealand Telehealth Services runs the Government-funded free to the public, 24x7, national telehealth services across seven digital channels. Those 35+ services are supported by 12 clinical teams. Around 600 staff work from contact centres in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch and from their homes across Aotearoa. We also partner with Iwi and Māori-owned organisations in Kaikohe, Heretaunga, and Rotorua.

In the year to 30 June 2023 Whakarongorau responded to over 2.2 million contacts, connecting with nearly 1.6 million individual people; 95% of calls were answered within 10 minutes (up 3% from last year).

The services are co-funded by Te Whatu Ora / Health New Zealand (in partnership with Te Aka Whai Ora / The Māori Health Authority), the Ministry of Social Development, the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), and the Department of Corrections. Whakarongorau Aotearoa is owned by ProCare and Pegasus Health.