Ballarat’s new GP-led Priority Primary Care Centre (PPCC) will be operating in time for the Christmas holiday season to ease pressure on Grampian Health’s Ballarat Base Hospital Emergency Department.
UFS Medical has been awarded the contract to operate the PPCC which will be located at its Windermere Street clinic.
The Ballarat centre is one of 25 PPCCs announced for Victoria as part of an initiative by the Victorian Government to offer care for people with conditions that require urgent attention but not an emergency response. Ballarat was the first location outside metropolitan Melbourne to be chosen for a PPCC.
Western Victoria Primary Health Network (WVPHN) Chief Executive Rowena Clift said the new centre would be open prior to the end of the year, providing additional urgent health care support for the people of Ballarat.
“People suffering conditions such as mild infections, fractures and burns will be able to receive treatment from the Ballarat PPCC instead of having to wait in emergency at the Ballarat Base Hospital,” Ms Clift said.
“WVPHN welcomes the addition of the Ballarat PPCC to primary health support services in western Victoria and is pleased that UFS Medical will be able to open the centre in time for the busy Christmas and summer season,” said Ms Clift.
Chief Executive Officer of UFS Dispensaries Matt Vagg said UFS was thrilled to be expanding its healthcare service with the new centre for healthcare when it’s urgent, but not an emergency.
“We are proud to be entrusted to provide this much needed service for urgent medical care for the Ballarat community, while working in collaboration with other services to help relieve the pressure on our hospitals,” said Mr Vagg.
According to Victorian Agency for Health Information data, there were 54,559 presentations to the Grampians Health’s Ballarat Base Hospital Emergency Department in 2021-22. Of these, 42.4 per cent were triaged as urgent but not an emergency and 26.9 per cent were regarded as semi-urgent or non-urgent.
Grampians Health’s Chief Operating Officer Hospitals Ben Kelly said Grampians Health welcomed the opening of the centre and the opportunity to collaborate with local provider UFS Medical to ease pressure on the region’s public Emergency Department.
“The need for a solution to the extended wait-times patients are facing, and the immense pressure on our staff has been long-standing. The opening of the centre will be a great addition to urgent care in the Ballarat region,” said Mr Kelly.
“Often people come through our doors ‘just in case’ their condition is an emergency, and this new centre will provide them with the peace of mind they need, for a range of aliments,” he said.
Mr Vagg said the Ballarat PPCC would support Grampians Health and would be located in the hospital precinct at the same location as the Windermere Street UFS Medical practice.
“There will be no charge for the service, whether or not the patient has a Medicare card,” he said.
The facility will be staffed by a team of GPs and nurses, and patients will be triaged on arrival to determine their suitability for the service. The PPCC will treat patients with urgent conditions like lacerations or cuts requiring stitches, basic fractures, minor burns, rashes, mild respiratory conditions, ear nose and throat infections, other infections, and gastroenteritis.
Patients requiring non-urgent regular medical care will be redirected to their regular GP for ongoing management.
Patients experiencing emergency or life-threatening conditions should still attend Grampians Health’s Ballarat Base Hospital Emergency Department, on the corner of Drummond and Mair streets. This includes conditions such as severe breathing difficulties leaving the person unable to speak, stroke symptoms, anaphylaxis, significant bleeding, deep or large burns, and major breaks or major fractures.
An announcement on the opening date will be made once UFS Medical finalises its staff and facility requirements.