Five new GP-led Priority Primary Care Centres with an investment of $14.3 million will be established in the coming months to give Victorians the care they need while easing pressure on the busy emergency departments (EDs).
Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas today announced that the five Priority Primary Care Centres will be established close to five hospitals—giving Victorians an alternative to visiting an ED.
The Labor Government is investing $14.3 million to establish and run the five new centres, which will provide care for people with conditions that require urgent attention but not an emergency response, an official press release said.
The Centres will be established close to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Northern Hospital Epping, Sunshine Hospital, Monash Medical Centre Clayton, and Grampians Health Ballarat—sites selected following careful consideration of population, community needs and ED demand.
Working with the primary health networks and partner hospitals, these five new centres will open over coming months, and operate seven days a week and 16 hours a day. The Centres will be able to handle conditions such as mild infections, fractures and burns, and offer pathology and imaging services.
Accepting walk-ups, referrals and pre-booked appointments, the clinics will ensure vital ED resources are freed up for patients with more critical needs, taking pressure off EDs as we continue to face record levels of demand for care, the release said.
Victorian EDs are the busiest they have ever been, with presentations hitting a record 486,701 in the most recent quarter—an increase of 5.1 per cent from the previous quarter.
The new centres will help improve treatment times and reduce waiting times in EDs, while providing an alternative care pathway for non-emergency patients.
Despite record demand, our hardworking doctors and nurses are still delivering timely world-class care—with more than 99.9 per cent of Category 1 triaged patients being treated within recommended time frames.
This announcement follows a range of initiatives to deliver more care outside the hospital system, including the expansion of the Virtual ED and Better at Home program, as well as 28 state-funded GP respiratory clinics.
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