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The Department of Health (Tasmania) provides different healthcare and support in Tasmania.
How we help you
In-patient
Treatment in a hospital where you stay one or more nights.
Outpatient
Treatment in a hospital where you do not stay overnight.
Community health
Services for your local community. For example, disability, mental health, multicultural health.
Child community health
Community healthcare services for children aged 0-5.
Residential aged care
Accommodation, healthcare and services if you are older and cannot live by yourself in your home.
Types of healthcare we provide
We support you in many situations.
Acute care
Short-term treatment to help you with a severe injury, illness or after surgery.
Sub-acute care
Treatment to help you after an illness or injury that is not severe.
Emergency care
Treatment where a delay may cause death or a permanent health issue.
Non-admitted care
Treatment in a hospital where you do not have to stay in a ward.
Primary healthcare
The first person you see for a health problem or check-up. For example, a GP, nurse, dentist or pharmacy.
Palliative care
Special care for you and your family if you have a life-limiting or terminal illness.
Oral health
Special care by a dental professional to look after your mouth, teeth and gums.
Cancer screening
Testing for cancer if you have no symptoms. This means you don’t have any signs of being sick.
Mental health
Help if you feel sad, angry, anxious or depressed. These feelings affect how you feel, think and act.
Alcohol and drug services
Special care and help if you drink alcohol or take drugs and want to stop.
Our hospitals
We run four major hospitals in Tasmania.
- Royal Hobart Hospital
- Launceston General Hospital
- North West Regional Hospital, Burnie
- Mersey Community Hospital, Latrobe
We also run rural hospitals in country towns that can help provide:
- emergency care
- community health services
- residential aged care.
Other community health services
We provide a range of healthcare services in each local community.
Allied health
Healthcare provided by people who are not doctors or nurses. Examples include physiotherapy, dental health, social work and help with speech.
Nursing
People who take care of you if you are sick, injured, have a disability or dying.
Home care
Services to help you stay living in your home.
Palliative care
Special care for you and your family if you have a life-limiting or terminal illness.
Dementia services
Special care to help you if you have an illness that affects your brain or memory.
Specialised case management services
Ongoing care to help you manage an illness that is long-term or may return.
Aids and appliances
Special equipment to help you manage a disability, injury or illness. For example, heart monitor, hearing aid.
Health promotion programs
Information to help you look after your health. For example, quit smoking, lose weight.
Public health services
We work to improve and protect the health and wellbeing of all Tasmanians. This includes:
- Making sure you don't get sick from things outside. For example, making sure drinking water is clean
- Finding ways to preventing and reduce chronic diseases and injuries. Chronic means ongoing.
- Preparing for health emergencies that affect everyone. For example, coronavirus (COVID-19).
- Promote good health practices. For example, handwashing.
- Making sure every Tasmanian can access good healthcare.
How to contact us
- Mail: GPO Box 125, Hobart TAS 7001
- Phone: 1800 671 738
Statewide Mental Health Service
- We work to improve the health of Tasmanians with ‘complex needs’.
- Complex needs are issues that make your life hard. For example, money problems or ill health.
- The Mental Health, Alcohol and Drug Directorate works out how to best deliver services to support you.
- The Chief Civil Psychiatrist and Chief Forensic Psychiatrist lead this department.
Mental health services
- We can help you and your family if you have a severe mental illness.
- Mental ill health affects your mood and behaviour.
- We can help you as an in-patient in the hospital.
- We also deliver community services to help you.
View mental health services information
Alcohol and drug services
- We can help you and your family if you have issues with alcohol, smoking and drugs.
- We provide information to educate you about alcohol, smoking and drugs.
- We offer community support services across Tasmania.
View Alcohol and Drug services
Forensic health services
- Cognitive impairment means you have trouble remembering things or paying attention.
- We will review your case and provide healthcare treatment for you.
- We can help you if you are in the community or in jail.
- We can also help if your child is in the Ashley Youth Detention Centre.
Ambulance services
Ambulance Tasmania provides emergency medical care. We also provide urgent and non-urgent medical transport by road and by air services.
- Our service is free service to you if you live in Tasmania or one of its islands.
- Insurance may pay for the ambulance cost if you have a car accident or hurt yourself at work.
- If you are a veteran, the Department of Veterans Affairs pays for your ambulance transport.
- We have 53 ambulance stations across Tasmania.
- Our staff include paramedics who provide critical care, ambulance officers and students in training.
- We work with hospitals and all health providers.
- We also work with Tasmania Police, State Emergency Services (SES) and Tasmania Fire Service.
How to call for an ambulance
- Call 000 in a medical emergency only.
- For non-urgent medical help, please call 1800 008 008.
- For non-urgent medical transport, please call 1300 513 997 (work hours) or 1800 008 008 (after hours).
Visit Ambulance Tasmania information
Oral health services
Oral Health Services Tasmania provides dental and denture services.
- We help Tasmanian adults if they hold a current pensioner concession card or healthcare card.
- We help children up to age 18 who are citizens, live here permanently or are seeking asylum.
- We don’t provide dental health services for children who are not eligible for Medicare benefits.
- We don’t provide dental health services for international students living in Tasmania
- We may help in an emergency if you are in a remote area and there’s no private dentist.
