The Albanese Government is delivering access to urgent care for residents in Sorell with the Sorell Medicare Urgent Care Clinic now open to the community.
Located at 12 Cole Street, the Sorell Medicare Urgent Care Clinic is open extended hours, seven days a week, with no appointment required patients can walk in and all services are bulk billed.
The clinic is staffed by highly trained doctors and nurses who can treat a range of urgent but non-life-threatening conditions and injuries, including cuts, viral infections, or a sprained ankle.
By providing an alternative to the emergency department, the Sorell Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will help ease pressure on the busy Royal Hobart Hospital, where around 32 per cent of presentations in 2024-25 were for semi-urgent or non-urgent conditions.
The Sorell clinic joins an existing network of five Medicare Urgent Care Clinics operating in Launceston, Devonport, Hobart, and Bridgewater. Two additional clinics in Burnie and Kingston will commence operation in the coming months.
This expansion is part of the Albanese Government's commitment to deliver more Medicare Urgent Care Clinics across the country with four out of five Australians to live within a 20 minute drive from their local clinic.
Labor's Medicare Urgent Care Clinics have already seen more than 2.2 million presentations since the first sites opened in June 2023, including over 130,000 presentations to Tasmanian Medicare Urgent Care Clinics.
The data shows Tasmanians are relying on these clinics when they need them most with more than a quarter of all visits happening on weekends and over a third of weekday visits occurring after 5pm.
The majority of patients are families with children, with around one in four visits made by young people under 15.
The Sorell Medicare Urgent Care Clinic is commissioned by the Tasmanian Primary Health Network.
Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:
"The Sorell Medicare Urgent Care Clinic is a game changer for families in the region.
"The clinic will ease pressure on the emergency department at the Royal Hobart Hospital and free up staff to provide care to people with more serious conditions.
"The Sorell Medicare Urgent Care Clinic is a key part of the Albanese Government's commitment to the region to make healthcare more accessible and affordable, that is now delivered."
Quotes attributable to the Hon Rebecca White, Member for Sorell:
"Access to timely and free urgent health care matters, especially for growing regions like the South East. This clinic means locals in our community can get the care they need without the stress of a visit to the emergency department.
"I'm proud to be delivering the Sorell Medicare Urgent Care Clinic ahead of schedule to our community just in time for Christmas. It will give families peace of mind with walk-in appointments, bulk billing and extended hours 7 days a week, so they know help is there when it is needed.
"The Albanese Government is delivering practical, accessible and affordable healthcare for everyone. This is what Labor's Medicare was designed to do."
