The Andrews Labor Government’s Priority Primary Care Centres (PPCCs) are directly taking pressure off our busy emergency departments – with more than 100,000 Victorians getting the urgent care they need since they launched late last year.
Acting Minister for Health Gabrielle Williams today visited the Sunbury PPPC – the 27th and final Victorian Government centre now open and operating across the state.
Delivered in partnership with the Albanese Labor Government, the Sunbury PPCC is now operating 7 days a week – including after hours and on public holidays to give busy families an alternative to emergency departments.
Accepting walk-ins and bookings, PPCCs are staffed by a highly qualified team of GPs and nurses who can treat a range of conditions that require urgent attention but not a hospital-led response, like mild cuts, burns and infections.
Data from the PPCCs show that lacerations and infections such as respiratory illness, tonsilitis and urinary tract infections are the most common presentations – conditions that do not necessarily require emergency care.
More than half of patients that attend a PPCC report they would have attended an emergency department if the service was not available – showing the Labor Government’s more than $90 million investment is directly relieving pressure on busy nurses and doctors, saving our hospital resources for the sickest Victorians.
Close to half of the patients attending a PPCC have done so after hours, helping thousands of Victorians avoid waiting for a GP appointment the next day or visiting an emergency department.
There are 9 PPCCs operating in regional Victoria, with more than 25,000 people having received care at a regional centre since the first launched in Ballarat in November 2022.
PPCCs are free to all Victorians, with or without a Medicare card – with most clinics accepting both walk-ins and pre-booked appointments.
As stated by Acting Minister for Minister for Health Gabrielle Williams
“With 100,000 Victorians getting care at a Priority Primary Care Centre – we’re diverting thousands of Victorians from an emergency department, taking pressure off our nurses and doctors.”
“We’ve stepped in and delivered 27 Priority Primary Care Centres because too many Victorians can’t get in to see their GP when they need to.”
As stated by Member for Sunbury Josh Bull
“The new Sunbury PPCC will provide a fast and free alternative for our community helping locals avoid waiting at an emergency department or for an appointment with a GP.”
