Kids 5 – 18

As a more experienced parent or carer, you’re probably familiar with taking kids to the hospital. But new issues can happen as kids get older, especially in the teenage years. Making a plan now can help you cope better with any health situations that happen and make the best possible choice for treatment.

Making a plan

Here are some things to think about when making a plan to deal with a health situation.

  • What is your regular doctor’s advice for health care when they are closed
  • Do you have a regular GP who you know and trust? Go to Find a local GP on this website to locate a GP near you
  • Do you know of any after hours GPs that service your area? You can use the online Health Service Finder to find an after hours doctor.
  • Do you have the 13 HEALTH number (13 43 25 84) easy to find? E.g. on your fridge or saved in your phone.
  • Do you know where your Medicare card is? Is it expired?
  • Does your child have an existing health condition? If so, it’s a good idea to keep some notes: What is the condition? What date did any episodes occur? What times did any episodes occur?
  • Have you spoken with your GP about any new issues? Are there any new or different health symptoms? Have symptoms changed?
  • Is your child taking any medicine? If so, can you take any current medicine or its packaging to the hospital with you? If you can’t take the medicine/packaging with you, be sure to keep a record or take a photo of the medicine package.
  • Do you know where your nearest emergency department is located? Do you know how to get there? Do you need to practice getting there?
  • Do you have the phone number of someone to look after your other kids?
  • Do you need an interpreter?