Free urgent care for more Tasmanians

The Australian Government is delivering on its commitment to strengthen Medicare with a new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic opening in Tasmania.

A tender process will commence soon to identify a suitable provider to operate the Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in the Glenorchy-Derwent Park region.

The clinic will replace one of the Medicare Urgent Care Clinics in Hobart, provide better access to high‑quality care, closer to home, for people who live in Hobart’s North over extended hours, seven days a week.

A limited tender process will be conducted to consolidate the central Medicare Urgent Care Clinic into a single location which will continue to deliver care in the city and surrounding area.

The new clinic in Glenorchy-Derwent Park region will ease pressure on the busy Royal Hobart Hospital, where around 32 per cent of presentations in 2024-25 were for semi-urgent or non-urgent conditions.

A total of 136 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics have opened across Australia, with more than 3 million presentations since the first sites opened in June 2023.

This includes over 176,000 presentations to the eight existing Tasmanian Medicare Urgent Care Clinics.

More than one in four of those visits to Tasmanian Urgent Care Clinics have been on the weekend, and one in three weekday visits have been after 5pm.

Tasmanian Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are giving families timely health care and peace of mind with over one in four visits treating children ages under 15 years old.

The tender process to establish the Glenorchy-Derwent Park region Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will be led by Primary Health Tasmania.

Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:

“The Government is delivering free urgent care to more Tasmanians through Medicare Urgent Care Clinics.

“The Glenorchy-Derwent Park Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will better service the Northern Hobart community with care closer to home.

“The new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic is a key part of the Albanese Government’s commitment to make healthcare more accessible and affordable.”

Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister White:

“Everywhere Labor has opened Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, we’ve seen massive uptake from Tasmanians.

“And with so many young families living in the northern suburbs, I’m sure this new clinic will provide peace of mind for caregivers who will now have a close and free option for urgent health care when they need it.

“Labor’s latest new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic builds on our commitment to better healthcare in the northern suburbs, including more bulk billing doctors, a new Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Clinic, and cheaper medicines.”

Quotes attributable to Senator Carol Brown:

“People in the northern suburbs have made it very clear that this service is badly needed and would make a real difference for families, older Tasmanians and people who struggle to access urgent care.

“Community members have told me this clinic would help take pressure off the Royal Hobart Hospital and ambulance services, while giving people peace of mind knowing they can access free urgent care closer to home.

“With the northern suburbs continuing to grow, locals know improved health services are essential and they strongly support the establishment of a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Glenorchy-Derwent Park.”