Straight answers, before you call.

No. CareLink is a clinical nursing service. We provide senior nurse-led care such as wound management, IV antibiotics, catheter and tracheostomy care, palliative clinical support, medication support and chronic disease monitoring. We don’t provide showering, cleaning, meals, transport or companionship, and if that’s what you need, we’ll happily point you to providers who do it well.

GPs, hospital discharge planners, specialists and allied health professionals can refer directly through our referral form, by fax or by phone. Families and patients can also contact us themselves; where a doctor’s orders are needed for specific care, we’ll help arrange that with your GP.

Every referral receives prompt clinical review by a senior nurse and is triaged on clinical need. For anything time-critical, referrers can mark the referral urgent and we’ll prioritise the clinical review.

For eligible veterans, community nursing at home is funded by DVA under an assessed care plan, usually starting with a D904 referral from your GP or treating doctor. Eligibility depends on your DVA card and assessed clinical need, and we confirm entitlement with you before any care begins.

Yes. Many families engage CareLink privately for post-surgical recovery, wound care, IV therapy and clinical oversight of a relative. Fees are discussed and agreed in writing before any care begins, so there are no surprises.

We’re based in Cairns and provide care across Cairns and surrounding Far North Queensland. Coverage for your specific location is confirmed when you enquire or refer.

Yes, with your consent, always. Structured updates to the referring doctor are a core part of how we work: progress notes, wound imaging where relevant, and immediate escalation if something changes clinically.

Most of our care is accessed through DVA, private arrangements, hospital programs or insurers. Other funding arrangements, including NDIS, may apply in limited circumstances where the need is clinical; contact us and we’ll talk it through honestly.

CareLink is not an emergency service. In an emergency, always call 000. Visit frequency and availability are agreed as part of your care plan at assessment.

A senior nurse completes a full clinical assessment at home: the discharge plan or referral, wounds, medications, devices and the home setting. You’ll leave that visit knowing exactly what the care plan is, who is coming, and how your GP will be kept in the loop.