We are proud to announce the opening of two Medicare Urgent Care Clinics (UCCs) in Western Sydney, bringing the total of urgent care initiatives to six. The two new clinics are located at Rooty Hill Medical and Dental Centre and Wentworthville Medical and Dental Centre. This brings our urgent care service capacity to over 15,000 in Western Sydney which equates to half of the non-life-threatening presentations to Western Sydney emergency departments.
State-funded Urgent Care Service centres have been operating in Western Sydney since 1 July 2022, and have so far treated over 2,000 patients. In the 2023-24 May Budget, the Australian Government announced $358.5 million over five years to establish 58 Medicare UCCs, and Western Sydney is privileged to have opened two UCCs. The Commonwealth’s additional investment into community-based models of urgent care acknowledges that the existing state-funded Urgent Care Services are a success and will strengthen and expand access to urgent care in Western Sydney. By working together to align urgent care funding streams, the State and Commonwealth are ensuring the best outputs for the community.
Ray Messom, CEO of the Western Sydney Primary Health Network, shared, “We’re excited to see further investment into urgent care initiatives in Western Sydney. We have worked closely with Western Sydney Local Health District since 2019 on localising international best practice models of care which have been proven to treat low-acuity conditions within community, ensuring that patients with minor illnesses and injuries are treated quickly. After the success of the state-funded Urgent Care Services in our region under our Western Sydney Care Collective partnership, it’s great to see the addition of Commonwealth-funded Urgent Care Clinics to expand urgent care initiatives in our community. With six Urgent Care Services now embedded in existing general practices and connected to a patient’s usual care GP, we have been able to improve access while maintaining continuity of care.”
All urgent care initiatives are able to treat low-acuity presentations such as minor fractures, dislocations, wound management, mild burns and cuts requiring stitches. With a team of highly-skilled clinicians, patients can expect quality, local care for a range of urgent, but not life-threatening, conditions. This service is free to patients, fully bulk-billed and available via walk-in or appointment. They are also connected to extended-hours pathology and imaging service providers to enable them to provide true holistic care for issues that may present.
As Urgent Care initiatives continue to expand, more patients than ever will be able to have access to community-based, coordinated urgent care in our region.
You can read more about Urgent Care initiatives in our region on our Western Sydney Urgent Care webpage.
Accessing Urgent Care
- Western Sydney Urgent Care Line – The Urgent Care Line, 1800 371 372, is a free phone line staffed by a clinical team that assess a patient’s symptoms and direct them to the right point of care. This includes referral to hospital, community-based services, or an urgent care initiative. The Urgent Care Line is available Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm, except on public holidays
- Urgent Care Clinician Line – This is available to all GPs, paramedics, ED medical staff, and selected virtual support services in the Western Sydney region to provide fast-track access to booking their patients into an urgent care service provider. Once triage and a medical assessment have taken place, the clinician can call the line on 1800 697 617 to book their patient in at a local urgent care facility
Urgent Care Locations
Our four Urgent Care Services in Western Sydney are:
- NAS Advanced Medical Centre in Auburn
- Health Zone Barwell Medical Centre
- Our Medical Marsden Park
- Rouse Hill Family Medical Practice
Our two Medicare Urgent Care Clinics in Western Sydney are:
- Rooty Hill Medical and Dental Centre
- Wentworthville Medical and Dental Centre
Local Members Show Their Support
On Friday 25 August, we were fortunate to be joined at our latest Urgent Care Clinic in Rooty Hill by Ed Husic (Member for Chifley), Edmond Atalla (Member for Mount Druitt) and Stephen Bali (Member for Blacktown). The visit was a great success with each member taking the opportunity to speak with staff and share their thoughts on the benefits of urgent care expansion in our region. You can hear more about their thoughts in our joint media release.
Information is correct as of 31 August 2023.