Ochre Health welcomes federal Labor pledge to open 50 new Medicare Urgent Care Clinics

The Ochre Health Group welcomes the announcement by the federal Labor Government that it will open 50 new bulk-billing Medicare Urgent Care Clinics (UCCs) by mid-2026 at a cost of around $644 million if it secures a second term. Initially launched in Australia to reduce pressure on hospital emergency departments, UCCs offer treatment for minor injuries (like cuts, basic fractures, burns, suturing and bandaging, and foreign objects in ears, nose or throat) and for minor illnesses (like bronchitis, rashes, gastro, first trimester pregnancy bleeding or ear, nose, throat and eye infections).

Ochre Health currently runs a Medicare UCC in Hobart in partnership with the Department of Health. The facility, which opened in 2023, is co-located, but separate from, the company’s Ochre Medical Centre Hobart general practice at 242 Liverpool Street, and it services 250 patients per week. The company also runs a private UCC which is co-located, but again separate from, its medical centre at Sippy Down on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. That facility provides care to 150 patients per week.

Dr Hamish Meldrum, Co-Founder and Director of Ochre Health, says, “The Government’s commitment to expanding the network of UCCs is good for communities. UCCs can bridge the gap in care between GP clinics, which are set up for consultations, and a busy public hospital Emergency Department, which is set up to handle high acuity emergencies. In between these two models, there are a range of “accident and medical”-type presentations for which UCCs are an appropriate service delivery model.”

“We have seen the success, expansion and maturity of the UCC model of care in New Zealand and the USA, and we welcome that it is now adopted into Australia.”

“With the prospect of expanding the Australian UCC network, it is important to note that, while care is delivered by GPs, not all GPs have the right skillset to work in a UCC. For the plan to be effective, we would like to see easier access to training and upskilling support for GPs, as well as better overall workforce planning of both the UCC network and for general practice across Australia.”

“Finally, noting the announcement includes a list of target locations for UCCs around Australia, we believe there is room to consider a sustainable, market-led funding of urgent care by setting Medicare rebates to an appropriate level for items such as managing fractures, applying plaster casts, suturing wounds and so on. The current funding model is one of relatively short to medium term operational subsidies which may not be optimal for the long term future of urgent care.”