Healthy North Coast is partnering with NSW Health to seek expressions of interest from general practices that are willing and able to provide urgent care services to the community.
NSW Health sees eligible urgent care services as being inclusive of: Urgent care triage lines, urgent care clinics, rapid response hospital teams, services delivered in a patient’s home and virtual care.
Currently, more than one in three presentations to hospital emergency departments are for lower-urgency care. Some of these presentations may be able to be managed more appropriately by general practitioners and other primary health care professionals.
This trend is even greater in rural and remote communities, and for specific population cohorts including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and younger people.
The increase in emergency department presentations, coupled with the pandemic’s impact on the workforce and reduced access to primary and specialty care, has resulted in significant challenges for the NSW health system.
Consequently, the Australian Government has committed to delivering 50 urgent care clinics, 13 of which will be in NSW. Additionally, the NSW Premier the Hon. Dominic Perrottet MP has announced 25 urgent care services to be delivered across the State.
These new clinics and services will ease pressures on emergency departments and improve access to urgent care options for the community.
General practitioners with the capacity and capability to provide suitable urgent care services are invited to complete an expression of interest. EOI submissions have now closed and are being reviewed by NSW Health.
Healthy North Coast will work with the Northern NSW and Mid North Coast LHDs to review proposed models and make recommendations to NSW Health that will best meet the needs of our region.
For more information on NSW urgent care services visit our website.