Shirebiz Health Round Table
On October 26 Shirebiz convened a Health Round Tabler at Sutherland Hospital. Health representatives from both public and private health systems discussed issues affecting the delivery of health services to the Shire residents. Issues included the Overcrowding of the Emergency Department of the Hospital, the need to educate the community of the availability of alternate after hours services and the knowledge of Aged Care services locally.
The issue of collaboration between Public and Private health providers was addressed at as subsequent meeting in March 2024.
To improve knowledge of the recently established Medicare Urgent Medical Service in Caringbah, the flyer below was distributed to the Shirebiz email list and larger organisations were asked to inform their staff of this service.
Public Service Announcement: Finding the needed Health Service in the Shire
To find the needed health service in the Shire go to https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/australian-health-services and enter your post code. This website lists the services, their hours of operation and the status of bulk-billing for their service. The recently opened Caringbah Medicare Urgent Health Clinic was established with NSW Government funding and is designed to treat lower-level ailments and injuries and help take the pressure of local emergency departments.
– The service is open 365 days a year from 8am to 8pm, allowing people to access treatment outside usual GP hours. It is staffed by GPs and nurses with rapid access to diagnostic services including radiology and pathology.
— To access the service, patients should call Healthdirect on 1800 022 222. A registered nurse will assess the patient’s condition and guide them to the care they need, including booking an appointment at the service on the patient’s behalf or escalating their care to other services if required.
Medicare card holders and community-based asylum seekers who attend the urgent care service are bulk-billed.