A Guiding Hand for Families in NICU and Special Care Nurseries - Digital - Book - Page 112
Community Support Services and Resources
Patient transport assistance
schemes
If you have travelled a significant
distance to reach the hospital that is
treating your baby, you may qualify
for a subsidy for fuel costs, airfares or
accommodation.
Each state has its own patient travel
assistance scheme and its own
qualifying criteria. Talk to you social
worker or care team to find out what
travel and accommodation subsidies
you are entitled to in your state.
Financial support
You may not have thought about
accessing financial support while
in hospital but the costs of having
a premature baby can mount up
quickly and there are a number of
entitlements you and your family
may qualify for.
• Centrelink
132 307
centrelink.gov.au
• Services Australia
1300 169 468
MyGov 132 307 (Mon-Fri, 8am –
10pm, Sat - Sun, 10am – 5pm)
Contact Centrelink or visit their
website for more information.
Prescriptions and medications
Private prescriptions may be claimed
through private health insurance.
• PBS Safety Net
1800 020 613
pbs.gov.au
Medical tax rebates
• Tax rebates
13 28 61 (Mon - Fri, 8am-6pm,)
• Tax Packs and Tax Pack
Supplements
13 28 65
ato.gov.au
Useful resources
• Health engine
healthengine.com.au
An Australia-wide search
engine helping patients locate
GPs, paediatricians and other
specialists. (The paediatricians
are listed separately, below the
specialists for adults.
• Better Health Channel’s Conditions
& Treatment Search
betterhealth.vic.gov.au
Search by health condition
categories, body parts or systems.
A-Z of conditions and tests and
treatments.
• Bliss
bliss.org.uk
Bliss is the UK charity working to
provide the best possible care and
support for all premature and sick
babies and their families. They
produce a range of informative fact
sheets.
• Kids Health Info Fact Sheets
rch.org.au/kidsinfo
Kids Health Info (KHI) is the
Royal Children’s Hospital website
providing medical information
in plain language specifically for
parents.
Life’s Little Treasures Foundation | Supporting Families of Premature & Sick Babies
109
