Gosnells is now the proud home to a much-needed free Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, offering walk-in care seven days a week entirely bulk billed at Unit 1, 2227 Albany Highway, Gosnells.
It is the largest of its kind in Western Australia.
It is hoped the facility, which is designed to serve people living in Perth’s south-eastern suburbs, will ease pressure on the Armadale-Kelmscott Hospital, relieving some of the over-crowding and ambulance ramping concerns at the emergency department.
In 2023-24, more than 40 per cent of presentations to Armadale-Kelmscott Hospital were for semi-urgent or non-urgent conditions.
These cases can now be handled at the urgent care clinic, which is operated by highly qualified doctors and nurses.
Speaking at the launch, Federal Member for Burt Matt Keogh said the urgent care clinic’s new opening hours were extended so it wouldn’t matter if it was after hours or on the weekend, local residents can get the care they needed close to home.
“I know for families like mine knowing this health service is available is invaluable,” he said.
The Gosnells location was deemed the most appropriate available to best cater for the urgent health care needs of the community in the south-east corridor, located on a major bus route and some 300 metres from the Gosnells train station.
The clinic works closely with Armadale-Kelmscott Hospital to monitor emergency department wait times to expedite services as required.
The clinic is equipped to treat a range of urgent, but not life threatening, conditions and injuries, such as cuts, a viral infection, rash or sprained ankle.
Across Australia, there have been over 1.1 million visits to urgent care clinics, with the eight urgent clinics in WA seeing more than 130,000 of these presentations. Nearly a third were visits from individuals aged under 15 years old. Almost 20 per cent of weekday visits have taken place at 5pm or later.
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said the urgent care clinics have been a game changer.
“The clinics are ensuring West Australians have better access to doctors and nurses when and where they need it, entirely bulk billed,” he said.
City of Gosnells Mayor Terresa Lynes said it was fantastic to see the new clinic open its doors in Gosnells.
“This is welcome news not only to residents within the City of Gosnells, but also to people living in the south-east corridor,” she said.
“The City is pleased that our local community can now access a facility that provides urgent bulk-billed medical care.”
New data released on Tuesday February 11 by the Department of Health and Aged Care revealed that in 2024 bulk billing increased 1.6% in the federal electorate of Burt on the previous year, resulting in a 79% bulk billing rate – the highest of all federal electorates in Western Australia.
