Update June 2023: Please note that this clinic has now closed. Visit the Victorian Government website to find your closest GP respiratory clinic. The article below has been retained for posterity only.
Parents should consider taking their unwell children to the GP-led respiratory clinic (GPRC) for kids in North Melbourne instead of the Emergency Department at the nearby Royal Children’s Hospital.
That’s the message from clinic operator cohealth and North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN).
The clinic – at 505 Abbotsford St, North Melbourne – opened in September 2022 and is geared to treating children (and parents or carers, if needed) with respiratory symptoms and illnesses, including COVID-19.
The service is free and no Medicare Card is required.
“We know the RCH emergency room is under great pressure at the moment, and this clinic is a great way to connect kids with respiratory symptoms to doctors and nurses,” said cohealth Chief Executive, Nicole Bartholomeusz.
“By coming here, parents and children will be treated quickly – and we can help reduce the demand at the hospital.”
The clinic is open 5pm – 10pm on weekdays, and 10am – 6pm on weekends, and cohealth says the opening hours are designed to meet the need for after-hours treatment.
Funded by the Victorian Department of Health and NWMPHN, the clinic was established to provide a new tier for treatment for unwell children.
“The GPRC is an excellent alternative for prompt treatment for respiratory diseases and parents can take their children there instead of the Royal Children’s Hospital,” NWMPHN Chief Executive Christopher Carter said.
“The clinic and the hospital are in constant contact with each other, so parents can rest assured that their young ones will receive the best possible treatment.”
