The Albanese Government is delivering for people living north of Brisbane and in the Fraser Coast region, with two Medicare Urgent Care Clinics (Medicare UCC) set to open in Morayfield and Hervey Bay.

The existing Morayfield Minor Accident and Illness Centre has transitioned to the Commonwealth Medicare UCC Program and a new clinic has been opened in Hervey Bay, allowing locals in both areas to have even greater access to care over extended hours, seven days a week, with no appointment required.

Importantly, the clinics will be completely bulk billed, meaning more people can access high-quality care quickly, at no cost – all they’ll need is their Medicare card.

Morayfield and Hervey Bay were chosen in consultation with the Queensland Government to help meet the needs of local communities and ease pressure on the Caboolture and Hervey Bay Hospitals.

Both clinics will help reduce the number of people attending emergency departments for urgent, but non-life threatening, conditions, such as sprains, infections, or cuts. 

In 2022-23, more than 40 per cent of presentations to Hervey Bay Hospital, and more than 22 per cent of presentations at the Caboolture Hospital were for semi-urgent and non-urgent care.

The Morayfield and Hervey Bay clinics are among the 29 additional clinics to be established through a $227 million national expansion announced as part of the 2024-25 Budget, adding to the 58 clinics already operating.

In just over 12 months, the network of Medicare Urgent Care Clinics has achieved an historic milestone with more than 500,000 free visits across the country, with more than 83,000 of these visits happening in Queensland.

Queenslanders have embraced Medicare UCCs, with 1 in 4 of all visits taking place on a weekend, and 1 in 4 occurring after 5pm on a weekday.

The Hervey Bay clinic will be commissioned by the Central Queensland, Wide Bay, Sunshine Coast Primary Health Network (PHN). An Expression of Interest process will be undertaken to determine the exact location for the clinic in the coming weeks.

The Morayfield clinic is commissioned by the Brisbane North PHN and is located on Dickson Road at the previous Morayfield Accident and Illness Clinic.

Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:

“Half a million visits prove what an impact our Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are having right around the country.

“Almost than 1 in 3 of all visits to Medicare UCCs in Queensland are from people under 15, giving parents peace of mind that when their kid needs urgent care they’ll be seen.

“These clinics will ease pressure on the emergency departments at the Caboolture and Hervey Bay Hospitals, and free up staff to provide care to people with more serious conditions.”

Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister Chisholm:

“These new Medicare Urgent Care Clinics will make a real difference for people living in Morayfield and Hervey Bay, as well as the wider communities that surround both locations.  

“Instead of waiting for a non-life-threatening issue at an emergency department, Queenslanders can now receive treatment at these walk-in clinics, with no out of pocket costs.

“As our state’s outer suburbs and regions continue to grow, that means more demand on local hospitals. We’re committed to delivering the health services that Queensland needs to improve waiting times and protect lives.

“This is another example of the Albanese Government delivering for Queensland’s rapidly growing areas.”