In between a GP appointment and the emergency department: How patients are using Medicare Urgent Care Clinics

When 70-year-old Dutton Park resident, Tony, developed neck pain that couldn't wait for his next GP appointment, he knew he needed medical attention, but not a visit to the emergency department. 

Instead, he visited the South Brisbane Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, where he was able to access timely care close to home. 

‘I felt it wasn't something you'd go to the emergency department for," Tony said. 

‘I tried to call my GP, but I couldn't get an appointment for 3 more days, so I came up here instead. Straight away I was seen, scans were arranged, and before I knew it everything was being sorted out and I was being looked after very well.’ 

‘My Medicare card covered the whole thing, so that was great,’ he said. 

For Sophie, 30-year-old mother of 2 young children who also lives locally, the challenge was finding care for her unwell baby outside her GP's usual opening hours. 

When she needed medical advice and review of her daughter’s condition, the South Brisbane Medicare Urgent Care Clinic provided another option for accessing care quickly. 

‘I brought my daughter in because she was sick and didn’t seem to be breathing properly which was worrying me, but I didn't think she was quite sick enough to go to hospital,’ said Sophie. ‘So I brought her to urgent care.’ 

Upon their arrival, Sophie said the nurse saw them and triaged her daughter quickly before the doctor carried out a thorough assessment. 

‘[The doctor] checked over her lungs, made sure she could breathe properly, and did a full body exam to make sure there wasn't anything else, like a rash, to be concerned about,’ Sophie said. 

‘They helped make my daughter more comfortable with some medication and talked me through what to look out for when we got home, so I knew what signs would mean she needed emergency care if she wasn’t getting better.’ 

Tony’s and Sophie’s patient experiences reflect how Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are helping people across the Brisbane South PHN region access timely treatment for various urgent but non-life-threatening conditions when it can’t wait for regular GP care. 

Since the first local Medicare Urgent Care Clinic opened in 2023, more than 100,000 episodes of care have been delivered across Brisbane South PHN's network of six clinics. Together, the clinics now provide care for over 7,500 patients each month. 

Bulk billed urgent care helping to ease pressure on emergency departments 

Commissioned by Brisbane South PHN through Australian Government funding, Medicare Urgent Care Clinics provide free treatment for urgent but non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries. No appointment is required, and treatment at visits is free, even for patients without a Medicare card. 

The federal Minister for Health and Ageing, the Hon Mark Butler MP, visited the South Brisbane Medicare Urgent Care Clinic on 17 June to meet staff, patients and healthcare professionals and see firsthand how the service is supporting the local community. During the visit, it was noted that the South Brisbane clinic alone has delivered more than 35,000 episodes of care since opening in 2023. 

Medicare Urgent Care Clinics: Supporting timely access to care 

Medicare Urgent Care Clinics treat a range of urgent but non-life-threatening conditions, including minor fractures, sprains, infections, respiratory illness, gastroenteritis, urinary tract infections, cuts requiring stitches and mild burns. 

Open seven days a week with extended hours, the clinics help people access care when their usual practice is unavailable or when treatment is needed sooner than the next available appointment. 

The clinics work alongside a patient's usual GP. Where ongoing care is needed, patients are referred back to their regular practice and a discharge summary is provided to support continuity of care. 

National evaluation findings show that 45 per cent of patients would otherwise have attended an emergency department or called an ambulance if a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic had not been available. 

By providing an additional option for urgent, non-emergency care, Medicare Urgent Care Clinics help patients access timely treatment while supporting the broader healthcare system and ensuring emergency departments remain available for people with life-threatening illnesses and injuries. 

To learn more about Medicare Urgent Care Clinics or find your nearest clinic in the Brisbane South PHN region, visit our webpage.