Urgent Care Clinic Pilot

12 September 2019

GP Urgent Care Clinic pilot operating in Beldon and Edgewater
11 September 2019

• McGowan Government announces more than 125 locations for GP Urgent Care Clinic pilot
• GP Urgent Care Clinics near Joondalup residents to include St John Medical in Edgewater, and Belridge Medical Group in Beldon
• GP Urgent Care Clinic Network pilot to take pressure off busy hospital emergency departments

Member for Joondalup, Emily Hamilton MLA, is pleased with the McGowan Government’s announcement of more than 125 GP Urgent Care Clinic locations, including two in the Joondalup electorate.

From today, local residents requiring urgent care for non-life threatening injuries, will be able to book an appointment at GP urgent care clinics, including those located at St John Medical in Edgewater, and Belridge Medical Group in Beldon.

With this announcement, the McGowan Government has delivered on an election commitment to develop a network of GP Urgent Care Clinics.

The 18-month pilot will be supported by a major campaign to raise awareness of the GP Urgent Care Clinic Network for treating non-life threatening but urgent medical conditions. The campaign’s key message is: 'Not all urgencies are emergencies'.

Under the pilot, the GP Urgent Care Network will offer appointments from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week. These hours support figures that show the majority of attendees to hospital Emergency Departments for non-life threatening medical conditions occur during the day.

On the first day of the pilot, an urgent care patient has already been attended to at the Belridge practice.

Types of illness and injury that can be treated at urgent care clinics include:
• gastrointestinal illnesses
• musculoskeletal and orthopaedic injuries
• eye, ear, nose and throat conditions
• stings, rashes and wound infections
• abrasions and minor lacerations

To book a GP urgent care clinic appointment, or to find out more, visit www.gpurgentcare.com.au or call Healthdirect on 1800 022 222.

Comments attributed to Emily Hamilton:

“As a mum I know how important it is to have access to quality health services when you need them. Children and their injuries or illnesses happen at any time of the day or night.

“I’m pleased to see that there are two additional Urgent Care Clinics operating in the Joondalup electorate that will be available for people to attend with non-life-threatening conditions.

“We have a good hospital in the Joondalup Health Campus, but it has the second busiest emergency department in Australia with over 100,000 presentations annually.

“I encourage all residents, when faced with a non-life threatening medical need, to search GP Urgent Care to book an appointment. It will not only alleviate the pressure on our emergency department, but may also ensure patients receive the care they need closer to home.”

Media contact: Emily Hamilton 9300 3990

Photo caption: Member for Joondalup, Emily Hamilton, with Minster for Health, Roger Cook at the Belridge