Health and Care Services - Funding Support
A community guide to government health services and support for residents of Pacific Palms and Smiths Lake.
About This Guide
These are some of the health services available to regional Australians that people may not know about. We have focused on government and government-funded services, and have also included a couple of widely used private booking and prescription services that residents find helpful. We suggest you also research online, as each service below offers more than we can list here.
Always call 000 in an emergency.
Services 1. IPTAAS – Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (NSW Government)
Website: https://www.iptaas.health.nsw.gov.au/
Phone: 1800 478 227
The Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS) provides financial assistance towards travel and accommodation costs when you need to travel more than 100 km one way, or 200 km within a week, for specialised medical treatment that is not available locally.
Pacific Palms residents generally qualify, given our distance from Newcastle, Port Macquarie and beyond. Both patients and the drivers of patients can apply. A routine follow-up visit with a specialist in Port Macquarie or Newcastle typically reimburses around $108 per trip. Once you are registered online, claiming subsequent visits is straightforward, and reimbursements are usually paid directly into your bank account within the fortnight.
Where possible, staying overnight after a late-afternoon treatment or surgery is wise. The roads here are winding, and wallabies and deer crossing at night — combined with potholes that are hard to see in the dark — make night driving genuinely hazardous.
Note: The IPTAAS online portal was upgraded on 12 June 2026 and is now easier to use. All accounts now require a Digital ID or multi-factor authentication (MFA) to log in.
A map showing travel distances from Pacific Palms to Newcastle and Port Macquarie, illustrating why residents qualify for IPTAAS funding.
Travel subsidies:
- 40c per kilometre for private car travel
- Full reimbursement for public transport (less GST)
- Full reimbursement for approved air travel (economy cost, less GST)
- Taxi and other ride-share services, at variable rates:
Accommodation subsidies:
- $40 per person per night when staying with family or friends (Airbnb is also paid at this rate).
- $75 per night in not-for-profit or commercial accommodation for the first seven nights, and $120 per night from day eight onwards.
2. Healthdirect – free 24/7 health advice and telehealth (NSW Health)
Phone: 1800 022 222
Website: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/
NSW Health page: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/callhealthdirect
Call Healthdirect on 1800 022 222 for free, instant health advice anytime, anywhere. If you are unwell or injured, this is a good first step to accessing healthcare anywhere across NSW. You will speak to a registered nurse who will help you get the care you need. Save the Healthdirect number to your mobile so you can call from anywhere in Australia. Residents in rural and remote areas often have to travel long distances to see a healthcare provider; telehealth improves access to timely care, and reduces the spread of illness by keeping people out of waiting rooms.
Extra support:
- Translating and Interpreting Service (language support): 131 450
- National Relay Service (hearing or speech support): 1800 555 677
3. InstantScripts – online GP and eScripts (private service)
Website: https://www.instantscripts.com.au/gp-online
Request a phone call from a GP, discuss your concerns, and for many minor conditions they will text you an eScript, which you take to your nearest pharmacy to have filled on the spot from your phone. This is a useful service, especially on weekends. InstantScripts doctors maintain the same duty of care and clinical standards as your regular GP, and will only prescribe medication, issue repeats or provide medical documents where it is safe and clinically appropriate. You can choose a male or female doctor and send photos if needed. The usual call-back time is 30–60 minutes.
It can help with medical advice and guidance, prescriptions and repeats, specialist referrals, mental health support and medical certificates. Prices for each service are listed in the top right menu.
4. HotDoc – appointment booking platform (private service)
HotDoc is a booking portal for registered GP/medical, allied health, dental, specialist and optometry services. Enter your suburb and local services appear with available dates and times to choose from. It is a good way to check whether a doctor is available for an urgent or last-minute consult in your area. You do not pay for HotDoc itself — only for your appointment with the provider.
5. Forster Tuncurry Medical Centre – weekend walk-in GP
The Forster Tuncurry Medical Centre in South Street, Forster, is open for walk-in appointments on Saturdays 9 am to 1 pm and Sundays 9 am to 12 noon. This is handy when you suddenly need to see a GP but it is not urgent enough for the Emergency Department at Manning Base Hospital. Weekend rates apply. We hope this helps you access medical care and support in a timely manner.
About This Page
Maintained by: Health Subcommittee, Pacific Palms Community Association (PPCA).
Current as at: June 2026. Phone numbers, subsidy rates and opening hours change — please confirm details via the official links above before relying on them.
Related Pages
To be updated from time to time.