Batemans Bay urgent care clinic: Michael Holland says it will reduce workload, wait times for GPs, hospitals
An urgent care clinic is set to “drastically” cut wait times at an understaffed south coast hospital, with politicians claiming the new facility was a “win win” for both GPs and emergency departments.
The South Coast News
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An urgent care clinic is set to “drastically” cut wait times at an understaffed south coast hospital, with politicians claiming the new facility was a “win win” for both GPs and emergency departments.
Australian provider ForHealth will soon open an urgent care clinic at the Batemans Bay Hospital, with Bega MP and Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Regional Health Dr Michael Holland noting how wait times at the current hospital would drop as a result.
“Currently, 55 per cent of patients presenting to the Batemans Bay Hospital are for non-urgent or life threatening situations,” he said.
“By having this urgent care clinic, wait times will drop for the emergency department, as people presenting with this issues will be seen in a different facility.”
The bulk-billed urgent care clinic – which is set to open its doors to the public in December – will work in conjunction with the hospital, being for patients needing non-life threatening but urgent care.
Dr Holland – who was absent at the announcement due to the recent state budget – said the clinic was “great” for the hospital and local GPs who had been struggling with staffing issues.
“This is a win win for GPs in the Eurobodalla and both the Batemans Bay and Moruya hospitals,” he said.
“You’re going to see it for your local doctors too, because people with issues which they don’t feel is bad enough for the hospital will be able to go to the urgent care clinic instead.”
Despite this however, Dr Holland said the new clinic wasn’t a replacement for GPs.
“Having said that, you won’t be able to go there for a blood pressure test or general check up, but at least this will make it quicker for you to get that done at your local doctors,” he said. Gilmore federal MP Fiona Phillips recently announced the new clinic and said it would ease pressure on the staff at the Batemans Bay Hospital.
“[It will] be much more convenient for our community,” she said. “The centre will also be completely bulk-billed meaning that people needing urgent but non-life-threatening care will save on out-of-pocket costs.”
The move to open the bulk-billed clinic comes after it was revealed both the Batemans Bay and Moruya hospitals would be closing once the $200m Eurobodalla Hospital is constructed and opens.
However, Dr Holland said even when the Batemans Bay Hospital closed, the urgent care clinic would remain available.
“The Batemans Bay Hospital site will reopen to the public as a Health One facility which will have access to things like physiotherapy and other services of that nature,” he said.
While he couldn’t confirm whether the urgent care clinic would remain open in the same building, he said it would remain in Batemans Bay.
“It seems a little premature to say whether it will be in the hospital site or not in the bay, but that is the assumption,” he said.
The Batemans Bay urgent care clinic is set to open in early December and will be open seven days a week, 8am to 6pm.
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