Shellharbour Medicare Urgent Care Clinic is one of the seven clinics in south-eastern NSW, which collectively have treated more than 100,000 patients. Photo: Supplied.
More than 100,000 patients have turned to Medicare Urgent Care Clinics (UCCs) across the Illawarra and South Coast since the first patient was seen in July 2023, as the growing network eases pressure on hospital emergency departments.
With an average 365 patients using the clinics each day — many after hours or on weekends — the service is proving a key option for urgent, non-life-threatening care close to home.
Taking in Shellharbour, Dapto, Wollongong, Batemans Bay, Bega, Queanbeyan and Nowra, the seven south-eastern NSW clinics provide urgent care in a bid to reduce the number of non-emergency presentations to hospital emergency departments.
COORDINARE South Eastern Primary Health Network’s acting CEO Juanita Murphy said it was a collective effort from the Medicare UCC teams, in partnership with general practices, hospital emergency departments and NSW Ambulance Service to support people to access timely treatment in the right setting.
“Reaching more than 117,000 episodes of urgent care by the end of March 2026 is a significant milestone for the Medicare Urgent Care Clinics operating in our region,” Ms Murphy said.
“Based on patient data, nearly half of all patients who attended a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic would have used a hospital emergency department if no clinic was available.
“This milestone demonstrates people are using these services when they need care for urgent, but not life‑threatening illnesses, particularly when that care cannot wait for a regular GP appointment.”
Nearly 30 per cent of visits to Medicare UCCs have taken place on weekends, and 25 per cent of patients have attended after 5 pm on weekdays, highlighting the importance of extended-hours access to care for urgent conditions.
Medicare UCCs are designed to treat urgent but non-life-threatening conditions such as sprains and fractures, minor infections, respiratory illnesses, gastroenteritis, burns, cuts, stings, rashes and urinary tract infections.
The Wollongong Medicare UCC, located at Corrimal, was the first to open, followed by Batemans Bay later in 2023.
The local network expanded further with Dapto and the Queanbeyan clinics opening in mid-2024, followed by Bega, Shellharbour and Nowra in 2026.
For Shellharbour, which opened just two months ago, it’s serving what is one of the fastest-growing parts of the Illawarra, with demand for health services increasing alongside population growth.
According to the latest available data (2023–24), almost 50 per cent of presentations to Shellharbour Hospital were for non-urgent or semi-urgent care.
Member for Whitlam Carol Berry said the Shellharbour clinic was designed to help ease that pressure on the hospital.
“This Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will make a real difference for locals by providing convenient, bulk-billed urgent care right here in the heart of Shellharbour,” Ms Berry said.
Dapto has adopted a new staffing model as part of a broader rollout across south-east NSW, where paramedics are now being embedded in clinics to provide rapid assessment and life-saving expertise in a community setting.
The clinics are part of an existing network of 34 Medicare UCCs across NSW, and the Federal Government has committed to expanding the network so that four in five Australians live within a 20-minute drive of a clinic.
Most clinics are open 8 am to 10 pm, while the Batemans Bay clinic operates 6 am to midnight, the Shellharbour clinic operates 8 am to 8 pm and the Bega clinic operates 8 am to 6 pm.
Locate your nearest Medicare Urgent Care Clinic.
