Responding to storms and preparing for incoming severe weather

Keep the community up to date 

Where possible, update your website, online appointment booking systems, social media, answering service and practice signage with practice with service information and details of what alternative healthcare options are available.

To help the community find available health services via the healthdirect Service Finder, it is important to ensure that the National Health Services Directory (NHSD) is up to date. If your service is impacted – closed, reduced hours, reduced service offerings – please update your clinic listing as soon as possible.

Updates to clinics can be done as many times as needed as the impacts of the cyclone are being felt and managed. Updates to clinic listings are made by healthdirect's in-house team. 

Access instructions for updating your listing. 

For practices that need to close due to severe weather impacts

Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, located in our region at Murrumba Downs – 07 3049 9025, Northside (Kedron) – 07 2100 0777 and Morayfield – 07 5322 4900 will continue to operate as long as there is adequate workforce and electricity supply.  

Minor Injury and Illness Clinics at Satellite Health Centres, located in our region at Kallangur – 07 3285 0000, Caboolture – 07 5433 7555 and Bribie Island – 07 3410 2800 are operating but may have reduced services due to electricity supply.

All Metro North Health hospital Emergency Departments (EDs) are currently open.

GPs and patients can connect online to the Virtual Emergency Care Service (VECS) for clinical support that requires immediate attention but is not life-threatening.

FindCareFast can help direct patients to their closest available care. 

Patient’s who can’t get an appointment with their regular doctor can call 13HEALTH (13 43 25 84) 24hrs 7days a week.

Please reach out to our Practice Support team via practicesupport@brisbanenorthphn.org.au or by phone 07 3490 3495 if you require support or to report any severe damage or closure of service due to severe weather.

Useful contacts

Energex provides live information and updates via its power outage map. If you are experiencing a power outage, please contact Energex on 13 62 62.

Qld Traffic provides information about closed and damages roads via it’s website or by calling 13 19 40.

Unity water can provide information about water outages via their interactive map or by calling 1300 086 489.

Community support services

• Lifeline – 13 11 14
• Beyondblue – 1300 224 636
• Mensline – 1300 789 978
• Kids helpline – 1800 551 800

Cold Chain processes

Metro North Public Health Unit will maintain service over coming days but anticipates reduced capacity. 

Vaccine cold chain breaches often follow power outages in extreme weather events. Vaccine service providers (VSPs) should ensure vaccine management protocols are up-to-date and that all staff are familiar with guidance for storage and handling of vaccines in the event of a power outage.

In the event of a cold chain breach, please isolate affected vaccines in your vaccine fridge, provide clear signage on the fridge indicating a cold chain breach has occurred and email a cold chain breach reporting form to QHIP-ADMIN@health.qld.gov.au.

Preparing your practice and patients for incoming severe weather

We encourage practices, in the first instance, to access the Practice Support Disaster and Pandemic Management toolbox which hosts resources for practices:

• preparing for a disaster
• responding to a disaster
• recovering from disaster
• Heat health management
• RACGP - managing emergencies and disasters in general practice

Tips to be better prepared for an emergency

• Develop, maintain and implement an up-to-date emergency response and business continuity plan.
• Consider plans for severe weather and review your disaster preparedness checklist.
• Contact other practices and services in your local area and agree on how you might be able to offer mutual support during an event.
• Have a plan in place to send communications to patients and employees about service disruptions or changes.
• Implement measures that uphold cold chain standards to preserve the safety of vaccines and medications.

Keep up to date with relevant alerts and warnings

In addition to the Queensland Government disaster management website, Moreton Bay, Brisbane City and Somerset Regional Councils all have free SMS, email and voice alerting systems. They provide severe weather warnings, bushfire warning messages, council-prescribed burn notifications, potential flash flooding incidents and planned dam releases within our region. 

Brisbane North PHN’s Practice Support team remain committed to supporting practices and practitioners during this time. You can contact the team via email at practicesupport@brisbanenorthphn.org.au or phone on 07 3490 3495 (Monday to Friday, 8.00 am to 4.00 pm).