Patients can access urgent care when they need same-day medical attention for a minor illness/infection or injury that can be managed without a trip to the emergency department but cannot wait for a regular appointment with their usual GP.

The Gold Coast Medicare Urgent Care Clinics (UCCs) provides acute episodic care and treatment that does not require a hospital admission. This may include:

The Gold Coast Medicare UCCs won’t be able to see people for major trauma or complex conditions. There is an agreed escalation pathway in place with the Gold Coast University Hospital Emergency Department. There are limited MBS items accessible at the Medicare UCCs and should the presentation not require urgent care, patients will be referred back to their GP for further assessment and management.

Yes, if the issue is an urgent care matter as outlined above you can provide patients with the contact details of the Gold Coast Medicare UCCs. However, patients do not need a referral to attend the Medicare UCCs.

No. There are limited MBS items that patients can access at the Medicare UCCs and the patient’s usual GP is still the first point of contact for non-emergency, routine and preventative health care. The Gold Coast Medicare UCCs won’t be able to see people for things like chronic disease management or preventive health procedures such as cervical screening tests. A patient attending the Medicare UCCs for non-emergency, routine or preventative health care will be referred back to their nominated usual GP.

Yes. Any patient attending the UCCs will have a discharge summary issued. The summary will be:

• Uploaded into My Health Record (unless requested not do so by the patient)
• Electronically provided to the patient’s nominated usual GP/practice within 24 hours.

If electronic transfer is not possible or the patient does not name a usual GP, the patient will be given a hard copy of the discharge summary.

The Medicare UCCs will also advise the patient’s nominated usual GP of any test results.

Yes, the Gold Coast Medicare UCCs will have arrangements in place with diagnostic imaging and laboratory-based pathology services in the same building as the Medicare UCCs.

The Gold Coast Medicare UCCs will provide urgent health care with no out-of-pocket costs for patients. Any diagnostic services, such as radiology and pathology, will also be provided with no out-of-pocket costs for Medicare card holders.

A communications campaign will help people identify the right place to go for care, depending on their condition and the level of care required. Refer to the simple traffic light system (pictured below), which outlines the right place to go for care depending on their condition and the level of care needed.