Central Coast Medicare Urgent Care Clinic providers confirmed

Providence Medical Umina and Coastal Lakes Medical Practice Lake Haven are confirmed as the providers of the soon-to-be opened Medicare Urgent Care Clinics (UCCs) on the Central Coast.

Medicare UCCs will operate extended business hours, accept walk-in patients, and provide bulk-billed services resulting in no out-of-pocket cost to the patient when they have an urgent, but not life threatening, need for care.

Providence Medical Umina and Coastal Lakes Medical Practice Lake Haven were identified as the preferred providers through a comprehensive tender process run by Hunter New England and Central Coast (HNECC) Primary Health Network.

HNECC Primary Health Network Chief Executive Officer Richard Nankervis said both Peninsula Medicare UCC and Lake Haven Medicare UCC will begin treating patients in November this year.

“The PHN is pleased to partner with these established practices to provide the community additional alternative primary health care services that will help ease the pressure on the Emergency Departments at Gosford and Wyong Hospitals.”

“By establishing Medicare UCCs co-located with existing Medical Centres and nearby to pathology, radiography and pharmacy services, these clinics will deliver much needed care for people with urgent but not life-threatening medical conditions.”

“Both Providence Medical and Coastal Lake’s teams of GPs, practice nurses, management and support staff provide professional and caring environments delivering high quality, best practice urgent care medicine in a modern setting to families and individuals.”

“The PHN welcomes the commitment made by both providers to ensure the people of the Central Coast have access to urgent care services when they need them.”

Peninsula Medicare UCC will be located on West St, Umina Beach, and Lake Haven Medicare UCC will operate from Lake Haven Shopping Centre.

The clinics are part of the Australian Government’s commitment to establish 58 Medicare UCCs across Australia, including 14 in New South Wales.

In addition to Peninsula and Lake Haven, the HNECC Primary Health Network will be commissioning an additional two Medicare UCCs by the end of 2023 in Cessnock and Tamworth.

Scope of Treatments at Medicare Urgent Care Clinics

UCCs are intended to provide short term, episodic care for urgent conditions that are not immediately life-threatening for people of all ages.

A UCC will be equipped to treat problems including:

• Minor illnesses (including respiratory illness, gastrointestinal illness, urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted infections)
• Minor injuries including closed fractures, simple lacerations, simple eye injuries and minor burns

UCCs will be equipped to provide the following procedures:

• Wound management including gluing, suturing and dressings (including for minor burns)
• Incision and drainage of abscesses
• Basic fracture management including application of back slabs and plasters
• Intravenous cannula insertion to allow for IV antibiotics and IV rehydration fluids
• Urinary catheter management and changes for males and females
• Removal of foreign bodies from the ear and nose

UCCs are not intended to treat potentially life-threatening problems (such as cardiac chest pain, severe shortness of breath or altered conscious state) or manage labour and birth. However, UCCs will have capacity to identify and manage these problems should people present with them including capacity to stabilise conditions whilst awaiting transfer to hospital, including providing resuscitation where required.

General Practice continues as the provider of ongoing management of chronic disease, routine medical examinations, vaccinations and childhood immunisation, and mental health care plans.