After Hours Support
After Hours Primary Health Care (AHPHC) is defined as accessible and effective care for people whose health condition is urgent and cannot wait for treatment until regular services are available. Hunter, New England and Central Coast residents have a range of options for after hours care.
24/7 Support
Health care advice is available 24/7 over the phone
Healthdirect provides trusted health information and advice online and over the phone (1800 022 222), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Urgent Care
Urgent care is medical attention required within 2-12 hours for an illness or injury that is not life-threatening.
Medicare Urgent Care Clinics (UCCs)
Medicare UCCs provide acute episodic care in a GP setting on a walk-in basis. UCCs are for illness and injury that can be managed without a visit to a hospital emergency department but can’t wait for a regular GP appointment. GPs remain the first point of contact for routine and preventative health care.
Medicare UCCs are bulk billed, open extended business hours, and patients don’t need an appointment or referral. Medicare UCCs help reduce pressure on hospitals and emergency departments, allowing them to focus on higher urgency and life-threatening conditions.
Fifty-eight Medicare UCCs are in operation across Australia, including four in the HNECC PHN catchment.
Urgent Care Services (UCS)
A UCS provides short-term, one-off care for urgent medical needs that are not life-threatening but should not be left untreated. UCSs are provided either in-person or virtually by phone or video call.
Access is by phoning healthdirect on 1800 022 222 where callers speak with a registered nurse who asks questions about their condition and then guides them to the care they need in the right place for their situation and location.
UCSs are generally open from 8am to 8pm daily. Some virtual services are available 24 hours.
After Hours Care
After Hours services on the Central Coast
Coast and Country Primary Care currently provides Bridges After Hours at Erina and Kanwal.
After Hours services in the Hunter Region
Hunter Primary Care currently provides the GP Access After Hours services in the Maitland, Newcastle and Lake Macquarie region by utilizing a telephone-based triage.
Newcastle After Hours Medical Service provides a mobile deputising service in the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie areas. The service also includes a clinic located at Broadmeadow which provides after hours care for the community with no appointments necessary.
After Hours services in the New England Region
HealthWISE New England Northwest currently coordinates the Small Towns After Hours (STAH) program which provides a telephone link between a registered nurse in a rural and remote hospital and a GP VMO from a district size town for triage.
Need to find a GP or pharmacy that is open after hours?
The National Health Services Directory allows consumers to easily search for the closest doctor, pharmacy or other health services that are open now, including after hours. This service is provided by Healthdirect.