International Nurses Day on Sunday, May 12, is an opportunity to celebrate the unseen heroes - the Healthline nurses that are helping take care of New Zealanders from behind a phone.

Healthline telehealth nurses work from over 150 home offices across New Zealand.

"Those telehealth nurses do an amazing job, and you don’t see them. There could be a Healthline nurse on your street," says Whakarongorau Chief Operating Officer Brian O’Connell.

"And a Healthline nurse might deal with as many patients a day as a busy GP practice."

Healthline is run by Whakarongorau Aotearoa / New Zealand Telehealth Services.

Last year Whakarongorau Healthline nurses, paramedics, advisors, and doctors supported over 322,000 people, and answered over 432,800 calls. They help around 2,000 people a day.

"Our Healthline nurses take care of Aotearoa every day, and we appreciate them every day, however, International Nurses Day calls for an even bigger celebration," says Brian.

"Our Healthline nurses have great experience in all areas of the health sector and are trained to clinically assess people over the phone - it’s a specialist skill."

Brian says a third of the people who speak to a Healthline nurse have their issue resolved in the call.

"They help people stay at home and that means reducing the number of emergency department visits and ambulance callouts - leaving them for emergencies," says Brian.