Home / Commissioned Activities

Urgent Care Clinics

Active
Duration:

2022 – current

Funding Amount:

$56.2 million

Locations

all

Melbourne Macedon Ranges Yarra Moonee Valley Darebin Maribyrnong Hobsons Bay Wyndham Brimbank Moorabool Melton Hume Merri-bek

Overview

North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN) commissions Urgent Care Clinics (UCCs) on behalf of the Australian and Victorian Governments.

The UCC initiative seeks to reduce demand on hospital emergency departments (ED) and increase access to care. UCCs are GP-led services partnered with hospital emergency departments, providing care for people of all ages with low acuity conditions. UCCs provide a viable alternative for people with conditions that require urgent attention but not an emergency response.

UCCs are free for people of all ages (with or without a Medicare card) and are open 7 days a week for extended hours. They also offer pathology and imaging services (or partner with services close by). Patients may incur costs for imaging, pathology and other services.

Patients can walk into the clinics, schedule an appointment online or be referred by a service provider such as a GP, Ambulance Victoria, the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department, Nurse-on-Call or a local hospital emergency department. After visiting a UCC, patients are referred back to their regular practice for follow-up care if required. A treatment summary is provided back to the patient’s usual GP.

Further details and a list of clinics commissioned by NWMPHN are available here.

  • When to visit a UCC

    If your condition is serious, but not life-threatening*, you can visit a PPCC instead of waiting in an emergency department. They have GPs and nurses who specialise in providing urgent care.

    They can treat conditions including:

    • mild to moderate infections
    • fever
    • pain when urinating
    • suspected minor fractures and sprains
    • back and muscle pain
    • minor cuts, burns, and insect or animal bites
    • heartburn, vomiting, nausea
    • headaches, migraines and brief fainting
    • constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal pain
    • allergies and rashes
    • light bleeding in the first trimester of pregnancy
    • mild to moderate asthma attacks, coughs and other respiratory symptoms.

    *Call Triple Zero (000) or visit your nearest emergency department if you or someone you know is experiencing an immediate life-threatening emergency.

Outcomes

From October 2022 to September 2024, UCCs in the NWMPHN region have received more than 160,000 patient visits.

Patient survey indicates that approximately 50 per cent of these patients would have visited a hospital emergency department if UCCs were not available.

Service providers in the NWMPHN region

*Page last updated 25 September 2024