What is Urgent Care?
Since opening its first Urgent Care centre in 2016, St John has proved a there is a high demand for this new model of medical practice in the community. St John has recently bolstered its Urgent Care centres to five with two new recent centres opening in Cannington (March 2021) and Midland (April 2020).
St John WA’s Urgent Care facilities provide care to patients who have an urgent medical requirement, such as injuries including sprains, minor breaks or wounds. These specialised medical practices cater for people who need immediate treatment, but don’t have a life-threatening medical emergency.
The introduction of the Urgent Care model aims to help relieve pressure on hospitals, taking non-critical cases out of emergency departments while providing patients thorough, timely treatment in well-equipped medical facilities.
“Many injuries do not require a visit to the emergency department,” explains Dr Jamie Stewart, Deputy Medical Director, St John Urgent Care. “The Urgent Care facilities provide a great option for urgent medical treatment and allow patients to avoid the long waits of emergency departments.”
For doctors, An Urgent Care facility offers a unique opportunity to draw on both their consulting skills relating to more acute medical complaints, as well as their practical skills such as laceration repair. “It’s a busy and varied environment, but without the extremes of emergency departments,” Stewart says. “It provides doctors with great balance in a dynamic, team-based environment.”
The clinics offer patients extended opening hours, the experience of high quality, purpose-built treatment rooms, and the convenience of on-site x-ray, casting and pathology facilities.
“Urgent Care doctors work to ensure local GPs remain central to the care of their patients. Whenever a patient attends Urgent Care, their regular GP will be informed of the details, to ensure they are well-positioned to continue to provide the best possible ongoing care.,” explains Stewart.
The centres currently treat walk-in patients for Urgent Care at clinics at Armadale, Cannington, Cockburn, Joondalup and Midland. St John will be recruiting doctors for positions for the Osborne Park and Mandurah centres, scheduled to open in 2022.