Add your healthcare services
Healthcare services describe the specific services provided at a particular location. You can create a separate healthcare service for each type of service (such as General Practice service, Podiatry service, Paediatric service) that is provided. Practitioners can be attached to a healthcare service.
Summary of steps to add your healthcare services:
- Log in to PCA Portal
- Open your Participating Organisation
- The Participating Organisation screen is displayed
- If you have never added a healthcare service to your organisation before a helper wizard will automatically display. After you have added a healthcare service, you can manually initiate the helper wizard by clicking on the Setup helper link located at the top of any organisation, location and healthcare service view screen.
- In the helper wizard, select the Add healthcare services option
- Select a location
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In the Service Details section, click in the Service Type field and type to search for the service type. Note: The Name of Healthcare Service will be automatically populated.
- The 'Is this healthcare service active' checkbox is automatically ticked. De-select the checkbox if this healthcare service is not currently active. Note: marking a healthcare service as inactive will also mark any practitioners attached to the healthcare service as inactive.
- In the corresponding fields, search for and add: Healthcare service provision conditions, languages and eligibilities
- In the Are appointments required for this service field, select: Yes, No, or Unknown
- In the Coverage Area section, select whether the service is provided: Australia wide, select by individual state, or suburb or postcode search (not required for Physical address unless restricted coverage)
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In the Contact section, enter the contact details for the healthcare service or copy contact information from location. Note: These details are used by the public and other healthcare providers to contact the service - do not include any personal or non-business phone numbers.
- In the Postal Address section, enter the postal address for the healthcare service
- In the Service Availability section, you can: add normal operating hours, add special operating hours, copy service availability information from another Healthcare service (only available if another Healthcare Service has been previously added), or select the checkbox of “I don't wish to publish availability information for this service”.
- In the Referral Details section, you can add referral information for consumer and practitioner audience. Note: You may also select the checkbox for “Include referral information for practitioner audience only” if this information is for practitioners only and not consumers.
- Once complete, click on the Add Healthcare Service button
- On the Healthcare Services tab for a healthcare location, you will now see the list of Healthcare Services that you have added
Detailed steps:
Step 1
- Log in to the PCA Portal and open your Participating Organisation (PO) you wish to update
If you have never added a healthcare service to your organisation before a helper wizard will automatically display. After you have added a healthcare service, you can manually initiate the helper wizard by clicking on the Setup helper link located under your organisation name.

Step 2
- In the helper wizard, select the Add Healthcare services option.
Step 3
- In the Select a location pop-up, select a location to add a healthcare service to

Step 4
On the Add a Healthcare Service screen, in the Service Details section:
1. Click in the Service Type field and type to search for the service type.
Note: The Name of Healthcare Service will be automatically populated which can be edited.
2. Select the checkbox to confirm if this healthcare service is active or not.
Note: If displayed, search for and select a specific service type in the Search for children of service type field is optional.

In the corresponding fields, search for and add:
1. Languages spoken at the healthcare service.
2. Healthcare service provision conditions.
3. Healthcare service eligibilities.
4. Are appointments required for this service, select from dropdown menu.

5. Select/deselect the This service is also delivered virtually, such as by phone or online checkbox.

In the Contact section:
6. Enter the contact details for the healthcare service or copy contact information from the location. Select/deselect if phone and/or email is not available or you do not wish to disclose to your business partners.
Note: Do not include any personal details such as phone numbers or email. Please note that you need to include https:// before any website URL.

In the Postal Address section:
7. Enter the postal address for the healthcare service

8. Service Availability section: If you intend to publish service availability details, select the I wish to publish availability information for this service checkbox.

9. If you don’t intend to publish service availability details, select the I don’t wish to publish availability information for this service checkbox.
10. If you wish to copy service availability details from another healthcare service, select the Copy service availability information from another healthcare service button to populate the details.
Note: only available if another Healthcare Service has been previously added.
11. In the This service’s normal operating hours section, you can manually add in the service’s normal operating days/hours.

To add normal operating hours for the healthcare service, select the Add normal operating hours button. The Add normal operating hours pop-up is displayed.

- In Day of the week: Select one or more days of the week that have the same start and end times
- In Opening hours: either enter a Start Time and End Time for selected days OR select Open 24 hours option
- If you wish to add another Start Time and End Time for the same selected days, select the Add multiple timeslots button. Use this option when your healthcare service is closed part of the day for the selected days.
Note: you can multiple normal operating hour records. For example, where your operating hours on Saturday and Sunday are different to hours on Monday to Friday.
12. In the Add public holidays section, you can manually add in the service’s national and state public holiday operating hours (e.g. closed) where they are different from the healthcare services normal operating days/hours.

- To add public holiday operating times for the healthcare service, select the Add public holidays button. The Set public holidays pop-up is displayed. National public holidays are listed by default.
- Select one or more State/territory options for which you wish to see public holidays.

- For each listed public holiday that corresponds to a normal operating hours record you have created (e.g. Monday, Saturday), and your healthcare service is:
- Open as usual on that public holiday, select the Do not publish option.
- Closed on that public holiday, leave the Closed option as selected.
- Open for reduced hours than the corresponding normal operating day, select the Opening hours option. A Specify operating hours for the healthcare service on above selected holiday section is displayed.

- For These hours option, enter a Start Time and End Time for selected public holiday. Alternatively, select the Open 24 hours option.
- If you wish to add another Start Time and End Time for the same public holiday, select the Add another timeslot button. Use this option when your healthcare service is closed a part of the selected public holiday.
13. In the Add special operating hours section, you can manually add in the service’s special operating hours where they are different to normal operating days/hours (e.g. closed or operating at reduced hours for renovations or staff holidays other than public holidays).

To add special operating times for the healthcare service, select the Add special operating hours button. The Add special operating hours pop-up is displayed.

- In Applies to: Provide a day OR a date range that the special operating hours applies to.
- In Opening hours: either enter a Start Time and End Time for provided day/days OR select the Open 24 hours OR select Closed option
- If you wish to add another Start Time and End Time for the same provided day/days, select the Add another timeslot button. Use this option when your healthcare service is closed part of the day for the provided day/days.
- In Reason: Enter the reason for the special hours (e.g. Renovations).
Note: you can multiple special operating hour records.
14. In the Referral Details section, you can add referral methods offered at this service

Note: You can also add referral information for consumer and practitioner audience. You may also select the checkbox for “Include referral information for practitioner audience only” if this information is for practitioners only and not consumers.
15. In the Publish to National Health Services Directory (NHSD) section:
- If you wish to publish your healthcare service details to the National Health Service Directory, in the section for:
- National Health Service Directory (NHSD) for consumers:
- Read and accept the Information Use Statement; and then
- Select the I have read and accept the Information Use Statement checkbox.
- National Health Service Directory (NHSD) for Healthcare Software and Providers:
- Read and accept the Information Use Statement; and then selecting/deselecting the checkbox
- Select the I have read and accept the Information Use Statement checkbox.
Note: Un-select the Automatically publish future practitioners checkbox if you don’t want to automatically publish details for future practitioners linked to this healthcare service.
2. If you DON’T wish to publish your healthcare service details to the National Health Service Directory, in the section for:
- National Health Service Directory (NHSD) for consumers:
- Un-select the National Health Services Directory (NHSD) for Consumer checkbox.
- National Health Service Directory (NHSD) for Healthcare Software and Providers:
- Un-select the National Health Services Directory (NHSD) for for Healthcare Software and Providers checkbox.

16. Once complete, click on the Add Healthcare Service button.
Continue to next step: Link practitioners to a healthcare service