Rural and remote Queensland

Queensland is a large state with many places to live. Lots of the state is considered 'rural or remote', which means outside the major cities. More than half of the people who live in Queensland live in rural or remote areas.

In rural and remote Queensland finding health services may be harder than in the city. Rural and remote towns often have fewer services than major cities. It's key to know what health services are in your area in case you need medical help.

What types of health services are available?

Use the healthdirect Service Finder to find your nearest health services. It covers:

• doctors
• dentists
• opticians
• hospitals
• pharmacies

Hospitals

In rural and remote Queensland, there is a mix of rural and community hospitals. You can also get help in healthcare centres that have remote area nurses.

Remote area nurses work in rural and remote communities and help with things like injuries, medicines and mental health.

Specialist outreach services

Travelling services are also an option in some places.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service offers primary health care services to many rural and remote areas. This includes oral health (such as dental work), mental health and medical chests.

Mental health and wellbeing

If you live or work in a rural or remote area, you may be under more stress. This stress may be due to a lack of suitable jobs, or other financial reasons.

There is support available to help manage:

• stress
• other mental health conditions
• your relationships

There are also a wide range of online tools available, such as wellbeing apps that you can download.

Find out about other organisations that have mental health helplines.

Learn more about drugs and alcohol.

Dental care

Living in a rural or remote area often means you cannot easily get dental care.

Services such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service offer dental care to people in remote areas of Queensland.

Emergency assistance

Most large public hospitals have a 24-hour emergency department.

The Queensland state ambulance also offers air ambulance services. They partner with groups like Royal Flying Doctor Service and CareFlight.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service can help with emergencies.

CareFlight also helps with emergency patient transport in areas of Queensland that are difficult to reach.

FIND A HEALTH SERVICE — The Service Finder can help you find doctors, pharmacies, hospitals and other health services.

Online and telephone services and support

You can call healthdirect for free 24-hour health advice for non-urgent care. Call 1800 022 222 to speak with a registered nurse.

Virtual care or telehealth

Queensland Telehealth lets you speak to specialists and major hospitals through audio and video calls. This means you might not have to travel to see your doctor.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service also connects people to health specialists through telephone and radio.

You can get Medicare rebates for telehealth appointments.

My Health Record

My Health Record is a digital summary of your health information. This means your health providers can access the information they need to take care of your health.

This record can be helpful if you live in a rural or remote area, as you may have multiple health providers in different places. You can also look at your My Health Record.

You can do this online learning module to help you understand your My Health Record.

Health services and support across your life-course in Queensland

There are many online and telephone support services that you can use at different times in your life.

Healthcare for babies and toddlers

If you are pregnant, or a parent of a young child call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby to speak to a maternal child health nurse on 1800 882 436 or video call. Available 7am to midnight (AET), 7 days a week.

Read about maternity services in rural Queensland.

Healthcare for children

Kids Helpline offers telephone and online counselling for people aged 5 to 25 years. Call 1800 55 1800 to speak with a counsellor.

Healthcare for teenagers

Headspace offers mental health support for people aged 12 to 25 years. Visit their website or call them on 1800 650 890.

Kids Helpline offers telephone and online counselling for people aged 5 to 25 years. Call 1800 55 1800 to speak with them.

ReachOut.com is a youth mental health service. Visit their website for online help.

Learn more about sexual health.

Healthcare for older people

You can find out about aged care services in your area on the My Aged Care website. Or you can call them on 1800 200 422.

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples' health

There are many health services for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples available in Queensland.

Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) are the peak body for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Services in Queensland.

Find an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO) near you.

Farming communities

In Queensland, many people work in farming and mining. These kinds of jobs can be physically and mentally hard.

The National Centre for Farmer Health has information on health and wellbeing.

Staying healthy

It's important to take care of both your mental and physical health. Learn more about how to stay healthy.

Travelling to health services

The Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme can help with the costs of:

• private vehicle transport
• public transport
• accommodation

Queensland Ambulance Service has emergency and non-emergency transport options.

You can also use Royal Flying Doctor Service for travel to some appointments.

If you are travelling with a sick child, organisations such as Ronald McDonald House can also help with housing.

If you need to travel long distances, try to plan ahead.

Resources and support

Find out more about rural and remote health.

You can also call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available to speak with you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.