Peter Gutwein,Premier
The Tasmanian Liberal Government is committed to working with the primary health sector and GPs to ease demand on our public hospitals.
As part of our $3 million GP After Hours Support initiative, the Tasmanian Government has committed to a 12-month pilot, to enable the Newstead Medical clinic to provide an after-hours urgent care alternative to the LGH emergency department for non-life threatening medical issues and injuries including sprains and broken bones.
The trial means people in Launceston will be able to receive urgent treatment at the Newstead clinic outside of regular GP hours, and at no charge for eligible concession cardholders.
The Government and the Newstead Clinic have agreed arrangements to ensure the viability of the out of hours service to be available between 6pm-8pm Monday to Friday and 8am-8pm Saturday and Sunday. This includes full coverage of out of pocket costs for eligible concession card patients who present for after-hours clinical care.
We expect these new urgent care services provided at Newstead Medical to help reduce pressure on the LGH emergency department.
With increasing demand in our health system, and in a COVID environment, it is vital we use every available service to find innovative ways to reduce pressure on our public system.
By treating people in the community where safe and appropriate to do so, we're not only able to reduce pressure on our hospitals, but also provide patients with more comfortable and accessible care closer to home.
We have already seen this working, through our hospital in the home services, community rapid response, and now through this after-hours service at Newstead Medical.
An expressions of interest process will start in the coming weeks, to seek further proposals from primary health services, like GPs and pharmacies, to provide after-hours services for their local communities.
By working more closely with the primary care sector, we are better able to provide Tasmanians with the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
