MORE HELP FOR FAMILIES IN LALOR, LESS PRESSURE ON HOSPITALS

Under Labor, families in Lalor will get the bulk billed urgent medical care they need, without having to wait hours at over-burdened hospital emergency departments.  

An Albanese Labor Government will fund Medicare Urgent Care Clinics to be based at GP surgeries and Community Health Centres in at least 50 locations across Australia, including in Lalor. 

Only Joanne Ryan and Labor have a plan to expand GP emergency care access in Lalor by delivering a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Werribee. 

Lalor families are already struggling to access emergency care and are under pressure from rising out of pocket costs to see a GP which only contributes to the strain on household budgets. Under the Liberals, out of pocket costs to see a GP in Lalor have gone up by 52%.

Medicare Urgent Care Clinics will take the pressure off hospital emergency departments by providing an alternative option for families needing urgent care from a doctor or nurse. They will treat sprains and broken bones, cuts, wounds, insect bites, minor ear and eye problems and minor burns. 

Care will be bulk billed, meaning families won’t be out-of-pocket for having a loved one attended to, just like if they’d gone to a public hospital. 

They’ll be open seven days a week from at least 8am to 10pm – the time when the majority of non-life-threatening injuries occur. 

Medicare Urgent Care Clinics will relieve pressure on hospitals, and free up dedicated nurses and doctors at hospital emergency departments so they can focus on providing care for serious and life-threating presentations. 

Each clinic will differ in size and structure, and the Urgent Care Clinic in Lalor will be tailored to meet the needs of the local community.

Medicare Urgent Care Clinics will be located across Australia – in every state and territory. 

Labor will invest over $135 million across four years to establish a trial of 50 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics.