The Albanese Government is delivering on its commitment and making it easier for Victorians to get the care they need by opening the Inner Melbourne Medicare Urgent Care Clinic (Medicare UCC).
Carlton Medical and Urgent Care Clinic has been established as the Inner Melbourne Medicare UCC and started seeing patients from 15 December 2023 at 1/221 Drummond Street, Carlton.
The Inner Melbourne Medicare UCC will be open for extended hours, 7 days a week, and offer walk-in care that is fully bulk billed.
This Medicare UCC delivers on the Australian Government's commitment to make it easier for Victorians to get the urgent treatment they need - from highly qualified doctors and nurses - while taking pressure off the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
More than a third of presentations to the Royal Melbourne Hospital are for non-urgent or semi-urgent care - these sorts of patients will now be able to alternatively present to this new Medicare UCC.
The Inner Melbourne clinic will join nine clinics already operational in Victoria - located in Ballarat, Frankston, Geelong, Heidelberg, Narre Warren, Shepparton, Werribee, South Melbourne and Sunbury.
The Australian Government will continue to work closely with the Victorian Government and Primary Health Networks to support Medicare UCCs in Victoria.
Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:
"The Inner Melbourne Medicare UCC will mean people in this community who need urgent but not acute care, can get it quickly even if it's outside standard hours - and all they'll need is their Medicare card.
"This clinic will ease pressure on the Royal Melbourne Hospital, allowing them to concentrate on higher priority emergencies.
"The Albanese Government is committed to strengthening Medicare and making it easier and cheaper to get quality healthcare, by tripling the bulk billing incentive and making medicines cheaper."
Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister Kearney:
"Whether it's a minor burn, cut or infection, this Medicare UCC is going to make a big difference for families in Melbourne's inner-north.
"As a nurse, I would see families spending hours waiting in the ED for minor injuries just because they had nowhere else to go. Not only will this UCC make it easier for Melburnians to get the care they need but it will ease pressure on hospitals.
"This UCC is part of Labor's broader reforms to our health system that ensure Medicare is strengthened for generations to come and Australians can get the high qualify, appropriate healthcare they need."
Quotes attributable to Senator Walsh
"This is one of ten Medicare UCC's across the state, giving more Victorians access to free, quality healthcare closer to home.
"With non-life-threatening emergencies taking up over a third of Royal Melbourne Hospital presentations, this clinic will go a long way to take pressure off their busy ED."
