An Urgent Care Clinic is being built in Long Jetty, Australia, to provide faster medical care and reduce pressure on emergency departments.

Located at Long Jetty Healthcare Centre, the clinic aims to offer timely and appropriate care to patients with less serious conditions.

New South Wales Minister for Health Ryan Park said: “The Long Jetty Urgent Care Clinic will ensure patients can access the right care, at the right time and in the right place, while also easing pressure on the region’s busy emergency departments.

Almost 39,000 people presented to Central Coast emergency departments in the last quarter of last year.

Just under half of these patients were triage category four and five cases with less serious conditions.

Park said: “Many of these people could have received more timely and better-tailored care within the community setting, and that’s where this Urgent Care Service will make a big difference.”

The clinic will operate seven days a week, including on public holidays, from 8am to 8pm.

Patients can access the clinic by contacting Healthdirect, where a registered nurse will help them determine the severity of their symptoms and connect them to appropriate healthcare services.

The clinic will be staffed by GPs, nurses and allied health clinicians who will provide healthcare services to patients at no cost.

Park added: “This multidisciplinary team will be able to provide the high quality and safe healthcare patients need, which may also include referring them into the Hospital in the Home service or other community services if additional care and support are needed.”

The Long Jetty Urgent Care Clinic is part of the New South Wales Government’s A$124m ($85m) programme to deliver a new Urgent Care System and 25 Urgent Care Services.

The clinic is expected to begin operations by early next year.

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