GP After Hours Support Initiative boosting access to healthcare

Jeremy Rockliff,Minister for Health

The Tasmanian Liberal Government’s GP After Hours Support Initiative is enabling more Tasmanians to get the right care at the right time with another seven GPs and eight pharmacies extending their operating hours.

More than $2 million has now been awarded through the scheme to strengthen community-based services and will see GPs and pharmacies deliver more urgent care during evenings and weekends, delivering on our Government’s commitment.

The successful grant recipients from Round 1 and Round 2 are located across the State, including Burnie, Launceston, Hobart, Sorell, Deloraine, King Island, and the Tasman.

The funding means that patients can access treatment for injuries and illnesses that need to be seen that day without attending the emergency department (ED). This includes non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses such as musculoskeletal and orthopaedic injuries, gastrointestinal illnesses, abrasions, lacerations, stings, bites, rashes, and wound infections.

By treating people in the community where safe and appropriate to do so, we’re not only able to reduce pressure on our hospitals, but also provide patients with more comfortable and accessible care closer to home.

The Sorell Family Practice was successful in both rounds of funding, which will allow the Practice to fund an additional after-hours practice nurse, open an additional treatment room and purchase valuable additional equipment.

The practice already sees patients from 6pm to 9pm Monday through Friday, however, after successfully receiving a grant, will now be able to see more patients from their local community who may otherwise have needed to travel to Hobart.

The grants will allow providers to run after-hours services for 12 months, with more funding to be released in the next financial year.

While the Federal Government is predominantly responsible for funding GPs and primary care, the Tasmanian Government has been making a number of investments into community-based care to assist in reducing hospitalisation and deliver better care for Tasmanians.

Empowering our primary care providers to deliver more care to their local communities is a key part of our long-term plan to build a sustainable and integrated health system.

We have already seen this working, through our Hospital in the Home services, Community Rapid Response Service, and now through our GP After-Hours Support Initiative.

Importantly, this initiative is supporting more Tasmanians to get the right care, in the right place, at the right time – while also reducing pressure on our Emergency Departments.

Further rounds of this initiative will be made available for health providers to seek support to offer additional services to their local communities.

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