Search
New Medicare Urgent Care Clinic opens in Goodna
December 02, 2024
Following a thorough tender and assessment process, Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN has announced the selection of the service provider to deliver the new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic (UCC) in the Redbank region. The provider will be Goodna Family Medical Centre located in the Goodna Marketplace, 2 Smiths Road, Goodna. The Goodna Medicare UCC opens today, 2 December 2024.
The Goodna Medicare UCC is the third Urgent Care Clinic to open in the region, with other clinics operational at Riverlink in North Ipswich and in Toowoomba, and will provide free, urgent treatment for conditions that aren’t life threatening.
Patients will be bulk-billed and able to walk in to use the service at the Goodna Medicare UCC during extended hours, 7 days a week, including on public holidays. Any diagnostic services, such as radiology and pathology, will also be provided with no out of pocket fees to the patient. Medicare UCCs accept walk-ins or patients can be referred by a GP, hospital emergency department, 13 HEALTH or Queensland Ambulance Service.
As with the other clinics across the region, the Goodna Medicare UCC will treat urgent injuries and illnesses such as minor infections, fractures and sports injuries, urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted infections, minor cuts and burns abrasions, insect bites, rashes, respiratory conditions like fevers and coughs, and gastro conditions, like diarrhoea and vomiting.
Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN CEO Lucille Chalmers said that Medicare UCCs are about increasing access to immediate medical services in our community and avoiding unnecessary trips to the hospital.
“In selecting Goodna Family Medical Centre as the service provider for the Medicare UCC, we considered things like accessibility of the location, availability of GP services and proximity to the hospital,” said Ms Chalmers.
“The Goodna Medicare UCC is well located for patients coming from Redbank, Collingwood Park, Bellbird Park, and Gailes and has easy access to public transport, including trains and buses.
“The Centre is well established with a strong understanding of and experience in providing for the health needs in our area, particularly for priority populations including the local multicultural and refugee communities.”
“The Medicare Urgent Care Clinic at Goodna will also complement Ipswich Medicare UCC and Ripley Satellite Hospital in delivering services closer to home and taking pressure off our ED and GP services.”
Dr Sudeer Mahadeo, Principal General Practitioner at Goodna Family Practice, said he and his team are very excited about opening the new Medicare Clinic for the local community.
“Without access to a Medicare UCC, people in our region were having to travel west to Ipswich or Ripley, or even down to the Princess Alexandra hospital in Brisbane for those urgent but not life threatening presentations,” Dr Mahadeo said.
“Being able to access urgent care closer to home will make a significant difference to the overall health of our community.
“We intend to extend our current practice philosophy of providing culturally safe care into the Medicare UCC and we look forward to developing and maintaining strong connections with the team at the Ipswich Hospital ED as well as our fellow GP practices across the region.”
Speaker of the House and Federal Member for Oxley, Hon Milton Dick, said he was delighted to see a new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Goodna, Redbank, Gailes and surrounding suburbs in his electorate of Oxley.
“Opening this new centre is a tremendous benefit for my local community, allowing people get urgent care, closer to home.”
“The Goodna Family Practice Centre at the Goodna Marketplace was chosen to provide the additional services and will be open for business every day of the week.”
Shayne Neumann, Federal Member for Blair, described Ipswich as the fastest growing city in Queensland, which makes it vital that infrastructure and health providers keep pace.
“The new Medicare UCC will also be a valued service for families and individuals from the Redbank Plains and Springfield areas, who would prefer not to travel and wait for care in the Ipswich Hospital emergency department.” Mr Neumann said.
The entrance faces Smiths Road, to the right of Subway. More information is available at FindtheRightCare.com.au/UrgentCare or health.gov.au/MedicareUCC.
The Medicare UCC program is supported by funding from Darling Downs & West Moreton Primary Health Network through the Australian Government’s PHN Program.
Translations
