The first Medicare Urgent Care Clinic provider in WA has been selected following the Expression of Interest process.
The Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Mark Butler, made the announcement on 16 May 2023, that Rudloc Road Medical & Dental in Morley were successful in their application and will start seeing patients from late June 2023.
The clinic will be among the first Medicare UCCs to be launched in Australia and will operate on extended hours, 7 days a week, with urgent care fully bulk billed. Patients will be able to see a doctor or nurse, as well as access imaging and pathology services at the one location.
WA Health Minister, Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson, explained that the clinic will ease pressure on the Royal Perth Hospital, allowing them to concentrate on higher priority emergencies.
“GP urgent care clinics have an important role to play in providing and alternative to emergency departments and we welcome the Albanese Government’s swift delivery of the first Medicare UCC for WA,” she said.
“Patients who do not need to attend an emergency department but who urgently need to see a doctor will be able to get fully bulk-billed care closer to home in Morley.”
“The Medicare UCC at Rudloc Road Medical & Dental Morley is going to make a real difference to patients across Perth,” Minister Butler said.
“When you have a deep cut, or when your child breaks their arm, the Perth Medicare UCC will be there to avoid patients having to spend hours in a hospital waiting room.
“This is just the first UCC provider location to be named in WA. There will be seven Medicare UCCs in WA.”
Minister Butler said that the Commonwealth will continue to work closely with the Western Australian Government and WA Primary Health Alliance to establish a further 6 clinics in WA – including Rockingham, Joondalup, Murdoch, Midland, Bunbury, and Broome – which will open in 2023.
Rudloc Road Medical & Dental is a member of the ForHealth group, which operates more than 70 large-scale, multidisciplinary medical centres around Australia, with over 1,000 doctors, 200 allied health practitioners, 500 nurses and 180 dentists.