You should always call 111 and ask for an ambulance if you have any of these symptoms:
- chest pain or tightness (you may also feel pain or tightness in the arm, jaw, neck or tummy)
- difficulty breathing
- choking
- sudden weakness or difficulty talking (this may be a stroke)
- severe pain
- severe bleeding or bleeding that will not stop
- severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis)
- severe burn
- suicidal thoughts, wanting to self-harm, or in a mental crisis.
About Digital Care
Through Digital Care you can book an appointment with a registered health professional for care than can be given through an online consultation. That includes assessment, diagnosis, treatment and health advice for you or your whānau.
Online consultations can support non life-threatening health issues when you cannot see your usual family doctor or healthcare provider. They can provide care and help for things like:
- allergies and allergy medications
- coughs, cold and flu
- tummy bugs
- emergency contraception
- prescriptions, including for treating urinary tract infections
- needing a medical certificate
- ongoing lab tests and referrals.
If you can get an appointment with your usual family doctor or healthcare provider, you should always see them first for your health care needs.
There are some non life-threatening health issues that an online consultation is not suitable for. Your online healthcare professional will direct you to suitable in-person care in those cases.
Some conditions need hands-on assessment to diagnose properly. For example:
- abdominal pain (where palpitation is needed to check for tenderness or swelling)
- joint swelling or suspected injury that needs physical manipulation or testing
- unexplained lumps or skin changes where texture, mobility or depth matter
- neurological symptoms like weakness, numbness or coordination issues that need in-person reflex and strength testing.
Tests or procedures that cannot be done online include:
- ear infections where a doctor needs to look inside the ear
- throat or chest exams that require listening with a stethoscope
- cervical samples or physical screenings
- wound care or dressing changes.
Book a Digital Care appointment
Choose your preferred online healthcare provider to book now. Healthcare providers that have services available overnight are indicated below.
Fees are lower for pēpi, tamariki, rangatahi and people who have a Community Services Card.
You will need access to the internet through a laptop or smartphone for your online consultation.
How much Digital Care costs
You will need a debit card or credit card to pay for the service online.
You may be charged additional fees for an in-person care consultation following your online consultation.
There may increased fees for overnight consultations.
Fees across all providers
| Patient | Fee |
| Under 14 and have a Community Service Card | No fee |
| Under 14 and do not have a Community Service Care | $55 |
| Young person (14 to 18) with a Community Service Card | Up to $25 |
| Young person (14 to 18) and do not have a Community Service Card | $55 |
| Adult with a Community Service Card | $25 |
Fees for adults who do not have a Community Service Card
| Provider | Fee |
| Care HQ | TBC |
| Green Cross | TBC |
| Bettr Online | TBC |
| Emergency Consult | TBC |
| MedOnline | TBC |
| Pocket Lab | TBC |
| Practice Plus | TBC |
| Tend | TBC |
Support to use Digital Care
If you have a disability, let your chosen online healthcare provider know when you contact them. They can find the right support for you. That includes text and chat options for people that are Deaf or hard of hearing.
There are language interpretation services available through each of the online providers if you want a consultation in a different language to English.
If you are an older person, and find it hard to use technology like online video, you can find guidance and support on the Office for Seniors website.
Digital literacy training for seniors — Office for Seniors (external link)
Other guidance to help everyone with digital technology can be found in our troubleshooting section.
Attending your online appointment
For online appointments it is good to have:
- a quiet place for privacy
- a list of questions or issues you want to discuss with your clinician
- something to write things down
- your medication list
- a support person if you want one — they can join from wherever they are.
At the start of your appointment you:
- may be asked to confirm your identity
- may be asked to confirm you are happy to go ahead with an online appointment
- should introduce any support people you have with you.
Troubleshooting video appointments
If the video disconnects, try to reconnect by selecting 'Rejoin' in the meeting, or the 'Join the meeting' link in your appointment confirmation.
If you cannot reconnect your clinician will call you on the phone to continue the appointment.
Check your speakers or headset:
- volume is turned up enough
- are plugged in and turned on
- are selected as your audio output.
Check the microphone you are using is:
- plugged in and turned on if using an external microphone
- not muted in your device settings
- selected as the microphone in the video call app
- not being used by other software, such as other video call apps.
Quit all other apps if others still cannot hear you. You may need to restart your computer.
Check the camera you are using is:
- plugged in and turned on if using an external camera
- turned on in your device settings
- selected as the camera in the video call app
- not being used by other software, such as other video call apps.
Quit all other apps if others still cannot see you. You may need to restart your computer.
Make sure your modem and router are working properly.
Use a wired connection for best results.
If you use Wi-Fi:
- move closer to your router if you can
- have a direct line of sight between your device and router.
Check if others are using the network, such as video streaming, other video calls, or downloading files. Ask them to pause while you are on your video call.
More information about Digital Care
Non-urgent health issues online consultations are not suitable for
There are some non life-threatening health issues that an online consultation is not suitable for. Your online healthcare professional will direct you to suitable in-person care in those cases.
Some conditions need hands-on assessment to diagnose properly. For example:
- abdominal pain (where palpitation is needed to check for tenderness or swelling)
- joint swelling or suspected injury that needs physical manipulation or testing
- unexplained lumps or skin changes where texture, mobility or depth matter
- neurological symptoms like weakness, numbness or coordination issues that need in-person reflex and strength testing.
Tests or procedures that cannot be done online include:
- ear infections where a doctor needs to look inside the ear
- throat or chest exams that require listening with a stethoscope
- cervical samples or physical screenings
- wound care or dressing changes.
Diagnostic uncertainty
If symptoms are vague or could indicate several conditions, a doctor may prefer to see you in person to avoid missing something important. For babies or very young children under 2 years of age, even minor symptoms can escalate quickly or be hard to interpret virtually. In-person exams may be preferred.
Seeing your usual healthcare provider
It is still important to enrol with a general practice and use them for your primary healthcare needs. They will make sure there is continuity and long-term understanding of your care needs and are the right people to manage any long-term health conditions you may have.
Other over-the-phone support
Any New Zealander can use Health NZ Care365, but if you live rurally you should use Ka Ora in the first instance.
Ka Ora is an after-hours health service providing phone and video consultations for people living in or visiting rural communities.
You do not need to be enrolled with a healthcare provider to use the service. It is free to speak to a nurse. All appointments are free for tamariki under 14 years old.
Ka Ora is available:
- 5pm to 8:30am during weekdays
- 24 hours during weekends and on public holidays.
Healthline is another important care service that provides free over-the-phone advice 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Through this service you can speak to experienced nurses and paramedics for health advice and information about what to do next.