The Australian Government is delivering on its commitment and making it easier for people living on the South Coast of NSW to get the health care they need by extending operating hours at the Batemans Bay Medicare Urgent Care Clinic.
The Batemans Bay Medicare Urgent Care Clinic is now open 18 hours a day, seven days a week, from 6 am to midnight offering high quality, fully bulk billed, walk-in health care.
This funding will boost the capacity of the clinic to see more patients for urgent minor illnesses and injuries, filling an important gap in services across extended hours and over the weekend.
Since opening in December 2023, the Batemans Bay clinic has seen more than 20,100 presentations, taking pressure off the Batemans Bay Hospital.
Between 2022-23 and 2023-24, the Batemans Bay Hospital saw a 11 per cent decline in semi-urgent and non-urgent presentations.
This clinic is one of 22 already operating in NSW with a further 14 to open across the state.
There have been more than 412,800 presentations to Medicare Urgent Care Clinics in New South Wales to date. More than a third of visits have taken place on the weekend and almost 22 per cent of visits have taken place at 5pm or later.
The Batemans Bay clinic is commissioned by the South Eastern New South Wales Primary Health Network.
Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:
"Medicare Urgent Care Clinics have helped thousands of people in Batemans Bay who might otherwise face long delays in emergency departments or avoid seeking care altogether.
"Open seven days a week, extended hours, our Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are giving the urgent health care they need, when they need it.
"By extending the hours of the Batemans Bay clinic, the community will have even more access to free, walk-in urgent health care."
Quotes attributable to Fiona Phillips MP, Member for Gilmore:
"This is great news for the people of Batemans Bay with the Medicare Urgent Care Clinic now open 18 hours a day.
"Expanding the operating hours of the Batemans Bay Medicare Urgent Care Clinic was an election commitment I made and that people wanted - and I'm so thrilled to be delivering it.
"The timing is excellent, with the busy summer holiday period almost upon us and, of course, the clinic will be used by visitors to the region as well as locals.
"I'm proud to be part of an Albanese Labor Government that has listened to my South Coast community and is ensuring that locals can get the urgent care they need."
