Melton residents will receive greater access to Priority Primary Care Centres (PPCC), with a new centre opened today.
One of 29 centres, it helps to relieve pressure on busy emergency departments, reduce wait times and increase affordable, after-hours care options for Victorians.
53 per cent of patients have reported that had a PPCC not been available, they would have otherwise gone to an emergency department for common ailments such as lacerations, fractures, minor burns, tonsillitis, and respiratory tract infections – all conditions that might require urgent attention, but not emergency care.
PPCCs are also proving a reliable referral option for health care providers with approximately 45 per cent of referrals from GPs, hospital emergency departments, pharmacies, the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department, Maternal and Child Health line, Nurse On Call and Ambulance Victoria.
With too many people unable to secure an appointment with their GP and with bulk-billing doctors now few and far between, PPCCs are delivering Victorians more accessible and affordable care close to home.
Health minister Mary-Anne Thomas said it takes pressure off emergency departments.
“More than a quarter of a million Victorians have now been treated at our Priority Primary Care Centres – taking pressure off busy emergency departments and giving people another option for non-emergency care,” she said.
“It remains difficult for many Victorians to access affordable or timely care from a GP – that’s why we have had to step into primary care to ensure people get the treatment and support they need, when they need it.”
Melton MP Steve McGhie is excited to have more healthcare access for locals.
“This new centre will be big for our community – it now means locals can be seen and treated quickly and without the stress that comes with waiting in a busy hospital emergency department,” he said.
The Melton centre will be open 10am to 8pm, seven days a week, with hours increasing further from mid-January.
