Parra News March 14 2023

LOCAL NEWS
Westmead scores clinic
New urgent care clinic at Westmead to help ease pressure on “overworked” staff
ELLIE BUSBY
The Federal Government has
announced a new urgent care centre
will be located in Westmead to help
relieve the pressure on emergency departments.
As part of Prime Minister Anthony
Albanese’s Federal Election promise, 14 out
of 50 new urgent care centres are set to make
NSW its new home, including one at Westmead
Hospital.
Open for extended hours seven days a
week, the Medicare urgent care clinics will
provide bulk billed treatment for urgent but
non-life-threatening emergencies.
Designed to help patients get timely,
high-quality healthcare, the urgent care
clinics will look to ease the rising pressure on
NSW hospitals.
The announcement comes after the Bureau
of Health Information (BHI) released its latest
Healthcare Quarterly report, revealing that
emergency departments experienced “near
record demand” from October to December
2022.
At Westmead Hospital only 37 per cent
of patients received treatment on time, a
decrease of 12.5 per cent compared to the
same quarter in the previous year, with
semi-urgent or non-urgent presentations
making up 32 per cent of all presentations at
Westmead will get a new urgent care clinic to help ease some of the pressure on Westmead
Hospital’s emergency department. Photo: Melissa Stevens.
the emergency department.
The report also revealed 29 per cent of
patients who arrived at Westmead Hospital’s
emergency department waited over 30
minutes to be transferred into care of emergency
department staff.
Federal Member for Parramatta, Dr Andrew
Charlton said an urgent care clinic in Westmead
will help take some of the pressure off
overworked and overstretched emergency
department staff.
“This clinic will help relieve some of the
immense pressure in the emergency department
at one of Australia’s biggest hospitals,
Westmead Hospital,” he said.
“With an Urgent Care Clinic in Westmead,
we will see some of the pressure ease and wait
times decrease while helping make sure those
who need non-serious urgent treatment get it
better and sooner.”
Medicare urgent care clinics will also be
established in other key areas, including
Penrith, Blacktown and Campbelltown.
An Expression of Interest (EOI) will be run by
Andrew Charlton said an urgent care
clinic in Westmead will help “overworked”
emergency department staff.
Photo: Melissa Stevens.
the relevant NSW Primary Health Networks
from March 2 to help inform the location of
these urgent care clinics, with submissions
set to close on April 12.
Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark
Butler said Medicare urgent care clinics
are just one way the Federal Government is
“ensuring Australians get the medical care
they need when they need it”.
He added that the Federal Government is
committed to having the urgent care clinics
across Australia operating this year.
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Tuesday, March 14, 2023 « parra news 5