Wollongong MP Paul Scully is urging GPs across Wollongong, especially those in the southern suburbs, to put up their hand to be part of the state's new urgent care centre program.
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With emergency department waiting times and a lack of GP appointments still a major problem across the Illawarra, Mr Scully called on the government to take note as it considers where to fund 25 new urgent care services.
Last week, the government opened expressions of interest for the urgent care sites, after promising in August to fund 25 new services.
The services are a joint commitment of the NSW and Victorian governments and will be designed to help ease pressure on emergency departments by giving people faster care for urgent but non-critical conditions and free up critical resources for patients with more serious needs.
Patients will not be charged, and patients without a Medicare card will also have access free of charge.
Announcing the EOI was open from Friday, the government said urgent care services were expected to be enhanced in Western Sydney, citing existing services in Wentworthville, Rouse Hill, Marsden Park and Castle Hill.
The remaining sites will be allocated across NSW.
"Site selection will be based on areas of need and the willingness and ability of GP to provide the service," a NSW Health spokesman said.
Mr Scully said local doctors should put their hands up for the funding, noting that GPs in Bellambi, Warrawong, Dapto, Wollongong and Corrimal had ceased bulk billing in recent months.
"I'd encourage every GP clinic, particularly in the southern suburbs of Wollongong where we saw during COVID that health services need a boost, to look at the expressions of interest process and seriously consider getting an application in if it makes sense for them," he said.
"I'd also point out that on any reasonable measure of need, the Illawarra and particularly Wollongong's southern suburbs, would stack up as requiring additional GP services.
"We've had clinics cease bulk billing, we've got around 100 people every night in Wollongong Hospital needing aged care beds and we've got an emergency department which has among the longest waiting times in the state."
Mr Scully said he was concerned that the chosen sites may be more likely to be located electorates that the government needed to win at the March 2023 election.
"Any measure of need should have us high on the list, so I hope in this vague process for the NSW Government that Dom Perrottet's political needs don't trump Wollongong patient needs when allocating clinics."
"We're five months out from what is likely to be a very tight election, where health will be one of the key battlegrounds, putting that sort of temptation in front of the government could mean political motivations could outweigh patient need."
"Urgent care" has been a focus for both the state and federal governments this year, with the Labor Commonwealth government committing to 13 Medicare urgent care clinics in NSW during the election.
Illawarra MPs Stephen Jones and Alison Byrnes said said one of these would be in Wollongong.
In last month's budget, the Albanese government confirmed it would provide $235 million over four years to start the roll-out of clinics across Australia, including $100 million over two years from 2022-23 to co-develop and pilot innovative models with states and territories to improve care pathways and inform program roll-out.
The NSW Health spokesman said the state was working closely with the federal government to ensure the urgent care clinic sites compliment each other.
He also said Bulli's Urgent Care Centre, located at the hospital, is classed as an existing service and sits outside both these arrangements.
This centre has faced significant staffing challenges this year, struggling to open for four months when the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District could not find a doctor to run it.
In May, it reopened under a new "nurse led model of care" where patients to be seen and assessed by specialist nurses.