The Albanese Government is delivering better access to urgent health care for residents in Adelaide's northeast with the opening of a new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic (Medicare UCC) at the McIntyre Medical Centre.
The Para Hills Medicare UCC is now open for patients over extended hours and seven days a week. No appointment is needed, and services are completely bulk billed.
The Para Hills Medicare UCC is equipped to treat a range of conditions and injuries that are urgent, but not life-threatening, including cuts, viral infections, rashes and sprains.
The location of the new clinic was decided in consultation between the Australian and South Australian Governments, and Adelaide Primary Health Network, and is positioned to reduce pressure on Lyell McEwin Hospital and Modbury Hospital.
In 2022-23, around 30 per cent of presentations to the emergency departments at these hospitals were for semi-urgent or non-urgent conditions which can be treated at the Medicare UCC.
This is the 76th Medicare Urgent Care Clinic the Albanese Government has opened.
Since the first clinics opened in June 2023, they have seen more than 762,000 presentations nationwide.
The Para Hills clinics brings to six the number of Medicare Urgent Care Clinics operating in South Australia. The other five clinics have had over 50,000 patient presentations.
Around half of all patients to South Australian Medicare UCCs say they would have otherwise attended an emergency department if it wasn't for the urgent care clinics.
One in four of these were patients aged under 15 years old, more than one in four were on weekends.
The Para Hills Medicare UCC is commissioned by Adelaide Primary Health Network.
Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:
"We know that Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are delivering the healthcare people need in the community when and where they need it.
"Over 50,000 visits to the existing Medicare Urgent Care Clinics shows how popular they are across the state.
"The Para Hills Medicare Urgent Care Clinic is open seven days a week, extended hours and all patients need is their Medicare card not their credit card.
Quotes attributable to Minister Mullighan:
"It's great to now have six Medicare Urgent Care Clinics operating in South Australia, giving patients another convenient avenue for healthcare closer to home.
"The Para Hills Medicare UCC is going to make a big difference to patients across the northeastern suburbs of Adelaide.
"They can simply walk into this clinic for any non-life threatening injury like a broken bone or cut, with no out of pocket cost, instead of having to wait at an emergency department. This is better for patients and helps take pressure off our busy EDs."
Quotes attributable to Tony Zappia MP, Member for Makin:
"The opening of the new clinic means thousands of people in the northeast can now get high quality medical care close to home, without spending time in the Modbury or Lyell McEwin emergency department."
