Everyday families are supported by their local GP; Doctors that manage all of those day to day and sometimes life changing health events.  Without them we are all just a little stuck. Clinics are open longer to assist however even GPs need a break. Up until a few years ago if someone got sick after hours it was a case of go it alone or visit the emergency department.

Thankfully now we have an alternative with dedicated after-hour medical services available to cover GP clinics when they are closed – in the evening during the week, Saturday afternoons and night as well as all day Sunday and public holidays.

The team at Dial A Home Doctor actively encourage all patients to see their own GP on a regular basis as there is no substitute for someone that knows you, knows your situation and history.

However there may be times where your GP just isn’t available, such as public holidays,  or when a child comes home from school unwell – you’ve just walked in the door from work and your GP is closed.

Or its Saturday evening, your elderly mum or dad has a cough that is worse and you are worried that they shouldn’t wait until Monday.

At times like this, having the ability to call on a free bulk billed home doctor service can be invaluable.

The Dial A Home Doctor team will visit you at home, provide necessary scripts and in many cases provide you with enough medication until the pharmacy opens. This way someone that is ill can stay safe and comfortable in their own home.

Dial A Home Doctor offers remarkable medical care when you need it most. If someone at home is sick after hours or on the weekend, just dial a home doctor on 139999.

Dial A Home Doctor is a free bulk billed after-hours Doctor service – We Come To You.

*Home Doctor Guaranteed within 90mins. If you book online Mon-Fri by 4:30pm, Sat & Sun by 10:30am. We reserve the right to take more time in case of giving priority to more serious conditioned patients as we always attempt to prioritise young children and the elderly.

The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition

Did you know that July was JULeYe month? A month dedicated to raising the awareness of eye health – did you see it? (LOL note the pun!)

Vision loss like many health concerns only becomes an issue when you begin to experience it. Losing a key sense can be debilitating and can affect day to day life in an enormous way. From being able to read a book to driving a vehicle. Sight is often the overlooked sense in terms of regular health checks.

Good eye health starts with regular testing from a young age as eye disease is not just an affliction of the elderly.

Here are 5 tips for children’s eye health that as parents we can all encourage including carrots!

Be Eye Aware: Early detection and treatment is the best defence against eye disease. Symptoms to watch out for include rubbing of eyes, poor hand-eye co-ordination, lack of concentration and complaining of headaches, blurred or double vision;

Green is Great! Provide your child with a balanced, nutritious diet rich in fruit and vegetables. Dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach and yellow vegetables such as pumpkin and carrot will help to keep your child’s eyes healthy; yes carrots do help you see in the dark!

Hats Help: Make sure that your child always wears a broad­‐brimmed hat when playing outside as this will reduce the amount of UV reaching your child’s eyes by up to half;

Specs Appeal: When in the sun, make sure your child wears sunglasses with UV to protect their eyes from damaging UV rays; Slip Slop Slap and WRAP on some sunnies is a great way to encourage our children to focus (yes another pun!)

Balls Galore: Encourage appropriate eye protection when your child is playing sports. Fast action sports such as tennis, hockey and cricket can provide some serious eye damage if the hand eye coordination is slightly off and there isn’t any protection!

Dial A Home Doctor offers remarkable medical care when you need it most. If someone at home is sick after hours or on the weekend, just dial a home doctor on 139999.

Dial A Home Doctor is a free bulk billed after-hours Doctor service – We Come To You.

*Home Doctor Guaranteed within 90mins. If you book online Mon-Fri by 4:30pm, Sat & Sun by 10:30am. We reserve the right to take more time in case of giving priority to more serious conditioned patients as we always attempt to prioritise young children and the elderly.

The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition

Now we all know about Grandmas recipe for fixing this ailment or that. The memories of castor oil as the panacea for all ills! And there is something to be said for some of the more sensible remedies. But then were the completely outrageous ideas that come under the category of “DO NOT DO THIS AT HOME!”

Urine cures acne!

Early American settlers had some pretty strange notions when it came to eradicating acne. One involved the application of urine to the outbreaks. Another called for using the water that collected in old tree stumps to bathe pimpled skin. Needless to say, neither has been studied nor is it worth trying.

Dirty socks cure sore throats!

Used widely until the 20th century, this remedy called for wrapping your own dirty socks around your throat. Our guess? Since sore throats are so contagious, and in the olden days a signal of potentially lethal diseases, the dirty socks were used to keep loved ones as far away as possible from the patient.

Chocolate-garlic cures memory loss!

An old, traditional memory-booster calls for dipping garlic cloves in chocolate and eating one to three of them a day. In theory, we think this makes tons of sense — the garlic and the chocolate are loaded to the gills with the kind of antioxidants that protect brain cells. But seriously, in practice? No thanks —chocolate-covered cranberries are so much tastier!

Rattlesnakes cures rheumatism!

An old cure for “rheumatism” was to kill a rattlesnake before it had a chance to strike (always a clever idea), skin it, dry it, and then put the remains in a jug of corn whiskey. Then, drink the whiskey. No surprise: There’s no science to support this (and it’s a little too dangerous to recommend).  And the fact we don’t have rattlesnakes here in Australia means this one is just a little limited!

*Home Doctor Guaranteed within 90mins. If you book online Mon-Fri by 4:30pm, Sat & Sun by 10:30am. We reserve the right to take more time in case of giving priority to more serious conditioned patients as we always attempt to prioritise young children and the elderly.  

The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition

It seems like a bygone era, but it wasn’t so long ago that doctors would visit the sick at home and house calls were considered the norm.

The GP home visit is making a comeback though, as the Government Health Department urges people to keep the emergency department (ED) for emergencies. It is estimated that nearly 40 per cent of all ED presentations are deemed inappropriate or non-urgent, potentially GP-type visits that could have been managed in the community.

GPs that offer home visits after hours are on the rise in Queensland and the service is free under Medicare as it is a bulk billed service.

Mum-of-two and Dial A Home Doctor National Marketing Manager Donna Kirk said often people were just looking for reassurance that nothing more serious was wrong.

“Most people aren’t doctors, we don’t know what’s wrong with us,” she said. “We think we have the flu, but sometimes we’re just not sure.

“We’re looking for reassurance. And when the GP is closed, we think the only other place to get that reassurance is the ED. But there is another option – you can dial a home doctor on 139999 and have a doctor come to you.”

One group of people who can really benefit from after-hours GP home visits are the elderly in our community.

According to the Australian Centre for Health Research (ACHR), an increasing number of older patients (over 70 years) were attending the ED, many over four times per year.

Some elderly people tend to be more cautious and reluctant to put people out, preferring to be stoic, get through the night and wait until ‘normal hours’ to visit the doctor.

The problem is, as they become frailer, waiting 24 hours can actually cause more harm than you think. Having the flu will cause a more significant impact in an elderly person if they don’t see the doctor straight away.

Ms Kirk said apart from many people not realising the after-hours GP service existed, there was a common perception that calling a doctor to visit you at home was bound to be an expensive exercise.

“People think it’s going to be expensive,” she said. “But we are a bulk-billed service through Medicare. We are completely free.”

“Don’t be scared to ring! This is what we are here for.”

Dial A Home Doctor offers remarkable medical care when you need it most. If someone at home is sick after hours or on the weekend, just dial a home doctor on 139999.

Dial A Home Doctor is a free bulk billed after-hours Doctor service – We Come To You.

*Home Doctor Guaranteed within 90mins. If you book online Mon-Fri by 4:30pm, Sat & Sun by 10:30am. We reserve the right to take more time in case of giving priority to more serious conditioned patients as we always attempt to prioritise young children and the elderly.

The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition