Healthdirect Australia partners with WA Health to pilot GP Urgent Care clinics

In an Australian-first, people with urgent health concerns in the Perth metro area and parts of WA’s South West can now attend a GP clinic equipped to provide urgent care instead of going to the emergency department. Clinic appointments are accessed via a dedicated online booking availability service (Opens in new tab) made possible via the National Health Services Directory (Opens in new tab) (NHSD).

The 18-month GP Urgent Care clinic trial brings together government, GPs and the private sector to facilitate easier access to treatment for urgent health concerns including cuts, some fractures and sports injuries and offer radiology and pathology services.

It is designed to offer patients more choice and ease the pressure on busy hospital emergency departments.

According to WA Health, a cross-sectional study found between 200,000 and 400,000 WA patients with non-life-threatening conditions could have been seen by GPs instead in a hospital.

Karen Borg, CEO of Healthdirect Australia, which manages the health directory, says enabling this type of consumer-focused health initiative will improve choices and access to local health care options.

“Not everyone needs to go to the emergency department. Redistributing demand on the health system so that people receive the right level of care at the right time and place will alleviate key pressure points and provide better value for the health system and the community,” she says.

healthdirect services underpin urgent care clinics

The health service directory and the healthdirect nurse triage helpline, also managed by Healthdirect Australia, are core enablers of the new service.

Those needing urgent care can find information on which GP practices are part of the urgent care service network via a service finder widget on the WA GP Urgent Care webpage (Opens in new tab) hosted on the healthdirect website. The consumer can find an Urgent Care service near them and view available appointments in real time, then click-to-book an appointment with third party booking vendors.

“Being able to see what appointments are available and book straight away is the pivotal piece of the program – people then know immediately whether they can be treated by a GP, rather than rushing off to the emergency department,” says Ms Borg.

People can also call the healthdirect helpline number, 1800 022 222, to be referred to an urgent care clinic based on their disposition, location and the time of day. Nurses can SMS booking options to the caller or transfer the caller to a near-by practice so they can book directly, when they cannot receive an SMS.

A scalable model of care

The healthdirect (Opens in new tab) service and health service directory are perfectly suited to implementing this trial, according to Ms Borg.

“We have worked closely with WA Health and WA Primary Health Alliance as well as third party providers in the private sector to set the program up for success and enable return on investment of national infrastructure for the benefit of the community.

“This pilot provides a scalable model which if successful, Healthdirect Australia can then deliver at scale to support other jurisdictions,” says Ms Borg.

The University of Western Australia will complete a formal evaluation of the GP Urgent Care Network pilot with Curtin University validating the consumer data.

About the Urgent Care Clinics

The GP Urgent Care Clinic Network pilot commences on September 10 and will enhance capacity within general practice to care for patients with urgent but non-life-threatening conditions.

Examples of urgent but non-life-threating medical conditions include:

• Skin and soft tissue infections and symptoms, such as cuts and lacerations, mild burns and rashes, bites and insect stings;
• Musculoskeletal injuries such as minor fractures, sports injuries and minor neck and back pain; and
• Other potentially urgent medical symptoms such as urinary tract infections and wound infections and abdominal pain.

Over 125 GP practices are already participating in the GP Urgent Care Clinic. They provide pathology and radiology services and also have fully equipped treatment rooms to apply sutures, plastering and conduct minor procedures.