More than four months after it closed down temporarily to free up medical staff during the busy Christmas period, Bulli Hospital's urgent care centre has reopened.
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The Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District said the centre would operate under a new "nurse-led model of care" from Monday May 9, initially opening for 12 hours a day, five days a week - 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday.
"We will re-open via a staged approach as staff availability across the LHD remains a challenge," Ms Mains said, adding that the district hoped to return the centre to a seven day a week service once there were more staff available.
Asked about the staffing challenges on Monday, a spokesperson for Bulli Hospital said the centre had "always been staffed by a combination of nursing and medical teams, which remains the case".
They claimed additional staff were now employed at the centre, including GP visiting medical officers and permanent nurse practitioners, who are trained in emergency care, but would not say how many additional staff were employed.
"These nurse practitioners have advanced skills and experience in the management of minor injury and illness, which is what the Urgent Care Centre is designed for," the spokesperson said.
"This means that, unlike in the past, the Centre can safely remain open to patients even if a doctor is not physically available for consultation."
It is not known when a doctor will or will not be available at the centre.
The spokesperson said between mid-2012 and mid-2021, ISLHD increased its workforce by an additional 1,421 full-time equivalent staff - an increase of 30.5 per cent including 239 more doctors, 586 more nurses and midwives and 161 more allied health staff.
This is equivalent to about 58 additional nurses and midwives to cover the region from Ulladulla to Helensburgh each year for the past 10 years.
The Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District did not share how staff numbers had changed across the district over the past 12 months, but did say the 2021-22 budget for Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District is almost $1.06 billion,
"That's an increase of nearly $32 million, or 3.1 per cent more, on the previous year's budget," they said.
The spokesperson did not say how much of that money would go towards staffing costs.
On their facebook page the district reminded the community of the difference between an urgent care centre and an emergency department.
Urgent care centres treat patients with minor injuries and illnesses including sprains and strains, minor burns or lacerations, cuts and bruises, ear infections, headaches and migraines, nausea, skin conditions, sinus infections and urinary tract infections.
For more serious conditions go straight to Wollongong Hospital Emergency Department or call triple zero (000). These include chest pain, slurred speech or other signs of stroke, difficulty breathing or choking, loss of consciousness, bone protrusion, extreme allergic reactions or uncontrollable bleeding.
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