Labor has pledged to fund 50 bulk-billed urgent care clinics across Australia if it wins government - and the first of these clinics will be in Cessnock.
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Opposition leader Anthony Albanese joined Labor's candidate for Hunter, Dan Repacholi outside Cessnock Hospital on Thursday morning to make the announcement, with a large contingent of national media in attendance.
The urgent care clinics are designed to relieve the pressure on hospital emergency departments by treating non-life-threatening conditions such as sprains and broken bones, cuts, wounds, insect bites and minor burns, freeing up hospital staff to attend to serious and life-threatening presentations.
The clinics will covered by Medicare and open from at least 8am to 10pm, seven days a week, as part of a $135 million, four-year trial, with a bidding process from existing GPs and community health centres to establish the clinics.
Mr Repacholi said the announcement was great news for Cessnock.
"I've got two young girls - a six-year-old and an eight-year-old. They play netball here in Cessnock. If they fall over and hurt themselves, or one of their teammates does, or one of their competitors do, they can get into these clinics and get the care they need without waiting five or six hours, seven, eight, nine hours in emergency areas in hospitals," he said.
Mr Albanese said the urgent care centre plan was a practical way to take pressure of emergency departments.
"It's important. It's somewhere in between a visit to your local GP and the acute care that often is required in emergency departments," he said.
"But what we find is that because of the pressures that are on EDs, if one of Dan's daughters does fall over and sprain an ankle playing netball, or has an incident that needs care in a timely manner, they're not waiting in ED, they're not clogging up emergency departments.
"It's clearly needed here in the Hunter because of the pressure that we've heard about this morning from frontline workers about the growing population and the pressure on the health system."
Previously a safe Labor seat, Hunter's margin was reduced to three per cent at the 2019 election, and it has been named as one of the seats to watch on May 21.
Election-time appearances in Cessnock by the leader of either major party have been few and far between in the past.
Mr Albanese told the Advertiser he chose to make Thursday's announcement in Cessnock simply because the clinic is "greatly needed" in the town.
"I want to represent the whole country, and we're delivering things that are based upon need," he said.
Mr Repacholi said he was pleased Labor chose Cessnock for the first of the clinics, after hearing of issues with healthcare and hospital waiting times from many people while doorknocking in the electorate.
"It's good that we're getting people here and getting announcements for our area, and it's something that we'll continue to do so we don't get left behind," he said.
"For nearly everyone I talk to, health care is the biggest issue."
Meanwhile, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has welcomed the focus on community-based health services and says the proposed GP urgent care clinics should build on existing infrastructure and utilise established general practices.
RACGP president, Adjunct Professor Karen Price said she was happy to explore a model that builds on existing clinics and infrastructure.
"While we need to work through the detail of this proposal, a model that seeks to reduce duplication of primary care services and build on existing general practice clinics and infrastructure is something we would be happy to explore," she said.
"No new initiatives should fragment care. We have long been calling for support for after-hours access for acute care in general practice - this should take place in suitably resourced GP-led clinics, we don't need to reinvent the wheel.
"I also want to stress that a pilot must not end there, and if it is successful, it should be rolled out to general practices around the country."
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Krystal Sellars
Krystal Sellars is the Senior Journalist at the Cessnock Advertiser. Born and raised in Cessnock, she started her journalism career at the Advertiser in 2006 after completing a Bachelor of Communication at the University of Newcastle. Contact her on krystal.sellars@cessnockadvertiser.com.au.
Krystal Sellars is the Senior Journalist at the Cessnock Advertiser. Born and raised in Cessnock, she started her journalism career at the Advertiser in 2006 after completing a Bachelor of Communication at the University of Newcastle. Contact her on krystal.sellars@cessnockadvertiser.com.au.
