Better Health Channel

What Better Health Channel does

Better Health Channel (betterhealth.vic.gov.au) is a Victorian Government-owned digital health information portal operated by the State of Victoria's Department of Health, headquartered at 50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. The platform delivers quality-assured, clinically reviewed health and medical information across conditions, treatments, healthy living, and Victorian healthcare services, and serves over 2 million unique visitors each month, making it the top-ranked health and medical website in Australia. Its content is produced in collaboration with more than 100 reputable Australian health, medical, and academic organizations, and the service is provided entirely free to users with no commercial advertising or corporate sponsorship accepted.

Underlying the portal is a conventional web-based content management system enhanced with accessibility features (ReadSpeaker text-to-speech), analytics instrumentation (Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity, Facebook Pixel), and 128-bit SSL encryption. Beyond the information site, the channel has evolved into an integrated public-health service hub that connects users to Nurse-on-Call (a 24/7 registered-nurse helpline on 1300 60 60 24), Chemist Care Now (pharmacist-administered treatments without prescription), the Virtual Emergency Department (free 24/7 telehealth via video), the Maternal and Child Health Service, Urgent Care Services, and culturally tailored pathways such as the Health Translations Directory and Aboriginal community health service directory.

The business model is fully government-funded; there is no commercial sales motion, no premium tier, and no advertising revenue. GTM is direct-to-consumer via organic web search, government health service referrals, a content-partner network, and organic social channels (Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram). Customer segments include the general Victorian public as the primary audience, with secondary segments in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, healthcare professionals using the site as a referral/education resource, and Chemist Care Now users seeking prescription-free pharmacist consultations.

Name

Better Health Channel

Legal name

State of Victoria, Australia (Department of Health)

Website

https://betterhealth.vic.gov.au

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Better Health Channel is a Victorian Government-owned digital health information portal operated by the State of Victoria's Department of Health, providing free, quality-assured health content and integrated service navigation to Victorian residents and over 2 million monthly visitors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Information Services

NAICS

Health Care and Social Assistance (62), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Healthcare On‑Demand Platforms (Telehealth, Home Care, Nursing) (BPAMAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Care Navigation, Advocacy & Benefits Guidance Platforms (HLALADAJ), Health, Wellness & Patient Communities (MPACAJAL)

Keywords

• Public health information
• Health information services
• Healthcare service directory
• Telehealth services
• Health education resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Fully funded by the Victorian Government Department of Health. No commercial advertising or corporate sponsorship. All services and content are provided free to users.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Better Health Channel is a Victorian Government health information website providing quality-assured, reliable, and up-to-date health and medical information to the public. It connects users to Victorian healthcare services and integrates complementary service offerings such as the Nurse-on-Call helpline, Chemist Care Now, the Virtual Emergency Department, and the Maternal and Child Health Service. All content and services are provided free of charge with no commercial advertising.

Product overview

Better Health Channel is a single unified product—a Victorian Government health information portal providing quality-assured health and medical information to improve the health and wellbeing of people and communities. The portal integrates multiple complementary service offerings including the Nurse-on-Call telephone helpline (1300 60 60 24), Chemist Care Now (pharmacist-administered treatments without prescriptions), the Virtual Emergency Department (telehealth emergency care via video), and the Maternal and Child Health Service (free developmental check-ups for children from birth to school age). The platform serves over two million unique visitors monthly and is ranked Australia's No. 1 Health and Medical Website. Content is developed in partnership with over 100 Australian health organizations and is fully funded by the Victorian Government with no commercial advertising or corporate sponsorship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Better Health Channel Website A Victorian Government health information website providing quality-assured, reliable, and up-to-date health and medical information on conditions, treatments, healthy living, and healthcare services to improve the health and wellbeing of people in Victoria and Australia.
• Nurse-on-Call Service A free helpline (1300 60 60 24) connecting callers with registered nurses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for expert health advice. Available to everyone in Victoria.
• Chemist Care Now A service allowing Victorians to receive treatments at participating chemists without needing a doctor's prescription. Covers hormonal contraception, urinary tract infections, shingles, impetigo, mild plaque psoriasis, musculoskeletal pain, and travel vaccinations.
• Virtual Emergency Department A free, 24/7 telehealth service connecting users to emergency doctors or nurses via video call for urgent care from home. No referral, Medicare card, or appointment required.
• Maternal and Child Health Service A free health service offering inclusive, community-based support to Victorian families with children from birth to school age, including 10 key developmental check-ups and 24-hour telephone support.
• Urgent Care Services Victoria Healthcare services for conditions requiring treatment today but not an emergency response, available through extended hours Urgent Care Clinics across Victoria.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2 million unique visitors each month
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Jean Hailes for Women's HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContent partner providing expertise in women's health information. Part of the network of reputable Australian health organizations that contribute to the Better Health Channel's quality-assured content.
• ADHD AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContent partner providing expertise in ADHD and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder information. Listed as a key content partner organization.
• Asthma AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContent partner providing expertise in asthma and respiratory health information.
• Beyond BluecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContent partner providing mental health expertise and information. Major Australian mental health organization.
• Diabetes VictoriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContent partner providing diabetes management and health information expertise.
• Cancer Council VictoriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContent partner providing cancer prevention, treatment and support information.
• Peter MacCallum Cancer CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContent partner providing specialist cancer care and research-based health information.
• The Royal Women's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContent partner providing women's health and maternity expertise.
• Victorian Department of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent government department that owns and funds the Better Health Channel. The channel is part of the Victorian Government's Department of Health.
• Healthdirect AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational health information partner providing the Nurse-on-Call service. Healthdirect is available in all Australian states outside Victoria.
• Mental Health Foundation of AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContent partner providing mental health expertise and information resources.
• Royal Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContent partner providing pediatric health expertise and child health information.
• Safer Care VictoriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical management protocols for Chemist Care Now were developed by Safer Care Victoria in consultation with medical and pharmacy experts.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Healthdirect Australia: Australia's national government-funded health information and advice service. Operates an overlapping consumer health portal, 24/7 helpline and symptom checker across all Australian states outside Victoria, making it the most direct functional counterpart.
• MedlinePlus: US government-run consumer health information portal produced by the National Library of Medicine. Offers vetted health information, directories and educational resources to the US public, making it a structurally similar public-sector peer.
• Mayo Clinic Patient Information: Consumer-facing health information service operated by Mayo Clinic, providing clinically reviewed content on diseases, treatments and healthy living. Closely comparable in its emphasis on clinical review and trusted medical authority.
• NHS (NHS.uk): The UK's national public health information portal operated by the NHS. Provides free, quality-assured health information and service directories to the UK public — a near-identical model to Better Health Channel but at national scale.
• Cleveland Clinic Health Library: Hospital-operated consumer health library delivering condition articles, treatment guides and wellness content. Comparable as a credible, medically-reviewed health information destination for the general public.
• Healthline: Leading privately-owned consumer health information website covering conditions, treatments and wellness. Competes directly for the same 'reliable health information' audience and ranks among the top health sites globally.
• WebMD: Long-established consumer health information portal offering condition libraries, symptom checkers and wellness content. Targets the same general-public health information audience as Better Health Channel.

Regional players

• My Health Record (Australian Digital Health Agency): Australian Government's national digital health record system. While focused on personal health records rather than information, it represents the broader national public-sector digital health stack that Better Health Channel sits alongside.

Emerging players

• healthdirect Symptom Checker: AI-style triage tool embedded in Healthdirect Australia. Comparable as a free, government-backed digital triage and navigation layer supplementing general health information — a direct functional competitor to the Better Health Channel's care-navigation role.
• Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (healthdirect): National government-funded service offering maternal and child health information and helpline. Directly comparable to Better Health Channel's Maternal and Child Health Service offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/betterhealthgov
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/betterhealthchannel
• Facebookfacebook.com/BetterHealthChannel
• Instagraminstagram.com/betterhealthgov
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/better-health-massage-therapy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Better Health Channel