❓ Mr. Healy questions the Minister for Health on the operation and role of the newly launched GP urgent care clinics in alleviating pressure on hospital emergency departments. The Minister responds positively, highlighting the program's early success and collaborative nature.
AnsweredQoN 770Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
URGENT CARE CLINICS
770. Mr T.J. HEALY to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to take pressure off our hospital emergency
departments through its GP urgent care clinics that were launched last week.
(1) Can the minister update the
house on how these urgent care clinics are operating?
(2) Can the minister outline the
role they are playing in delivering a health system that puts patients first?
770. Mr T.J. HEALY to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to take pressure off our hospital emergency
departments through its GP urgent care clinics that were launched last week.
(1) Can the minister update the
house on how these urgent care clinics are operating?
(2) Can the minister outline the
role they are playing in delivering a health system that puts patients first?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for the question. I had the pleasure of joining the Premier
last week in announcing the pilot of our GP urgent care clinic network. This is
a network of GPs throughout metropolitan and regional areas, and the Bunbury
region, who will provide a number of appointments each day for patients who
need urgent care but do not need a fully-fledged emergency department. Over 125
GPs across these areas have nominated to be part of the urgent care clinic GP
network. It is a great outcome. This is a partnership between the Department of
Health, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the WA Primary
Health Alliance and my good friends at the Western Australian branch of the
Australian Medical Association. This is a fantastic outcome.
I had the great pleasure the very
next day of joining the member for Joondalup at the Belridge GP clinic. We got
there at nine o'clock and they said they had just had their first
patient from an urgent care clinic referral.
This was a gentleman who had a laceration to his hand and could not get into
his GP, so rather than fronting up to his emergency department, he got
on to the urgent care clinic network, got his appointment quickly and was on
his way.
We have had a 49 per cent increase
in emergency department attendances over the last 10 years. We have to find a better way. The Labor government is
doing just that. We can always do more, but our urgent care clinics are
an important part of making sure that we take pressure off our EDs, provide
better care for patients and work together in the health system, not in silos,
to provide a good outcome for WA patients. I am very proud that we have got
this far. Patients can now access the urgent care clinic network. We will look
at this pilot program over the next 18 months and see what refinements need to
be put in place, but from the feedback we have already received from GPs, it is
being embraced and should be a great success.
thank the member for the question. I had the pleasure of joining the Premier
last week in announcing the pilot of our GP urgent care clinic network. This is
a network of GPs throughout metropolitan and regional areas, and the Bunbury
region, who will provide a number of appointments each day for patients who
need urgent care but do not need a fully-fledged emergency department. Over 125
GPs across these areas have nominated to be part of the urgent care clinic GP
network. It is a great outcome. This is a partnership between the Department of
Health, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the WA Primary
Health Alliance and my good friends at the Western Australian branch of the
Australian Medical Association. This is a fantastic outcome.
I had the great pleasure the very
next day of joining the member for Joondalup at the Belridge GP clinic. We got
there at nine o'clock and they said they had just had their first
patient from an urgent care clinic referral.
This was a gentleman who had a laceration to his hand and could not get into
his GP, so rather than fronting up to his emergency department, he got
on to the urgent care clinic network, got his appointment quickly and was on
his way.
We have had a 49 per cent increase
in emergency department attendances over the last 10 years. We have to find a better way. The Labor government is
doing just that. We can always do more, but our urgent care clinics are
an important part of making sure that we take pressure off our EDs, provide
better care for patients and work together in the health system, not in silos,
to provide a good outcome for WA patients. I am very proud that we have got
this far. Patients can now access the urgent care clinic network. We will look
at this pilot program over the next 18 months and see what refinements need to
be put in place, but from the feedback we have already received from GPs, it is
being embraced and should be a great success.
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