July 2005

GPs on site at Northern Hospital

The Northern Hospital is one of Australia’s first public hospitals to have an after-hours GP clinic set up next to the emergency department.

Officially opening the clinic, Health Minister Bronwyn Pike said its ability to treat non-urgent patients would help ease the pressure on the emergency department and help the ED treat better those patients most in need.

It is being run by the hospital in association with the Northern Division of General Practice and local GPs are contracted at a set rate to staff it.

At the opening Ms Pike also announced more than $830,000 in Government funding for new equipment.

‘This Government is turning around our health system by providing new and innovative services and replacing ageing equipment so patients get the support and treatment they need,’ Ms Pike said.

The opening follows the announcement in this year’s State Budget that the Government would spend $24.5 million on a redevelopment that will add 64 inpatient beds to the hospital, as well as extensions to the emergency department, outpatient clinics and paediatrics areas.

Ms Pike said the GP clinic was a great example of co-operation between the State and Federal governments on health.

Funding is provided by the Commonwealth through Medicare and by the State with $250,000 a year.

One GP is on duty each weeknight from seven o’clock to midnight.

The Saturday roster has one GP on duty from 2 to 10p.m. and there are two doctors rostered on each Sunday from 10a.m. to 10p.m.

‘Victoria developed a model for GP clinics co-located with hospital EDs and we are pleased that the Commonwealth agreed to help fund the Northern Hospital’s clinic,’ Ms Pike said.

‘The Northern Hospital is in a high-growth area and it is important that people whose health needs are better met by GPs should be able to take advantage of this clinic.

‘The number of people attending Northern’s emergency department jumped from 48,253 in 2002/03 to 58,983 last year—a growth double that of any other ED at a metropolitan hospital.

‘Most of the increase is in non-urgent patients, in large part due to a shortage of GPs in the area.

‘The opening of this clinic will help meet the needs of these patients, particularly when they have health complaints and needs after-hours.’

Ms Pike said a new angiography service would also be a major benefit to local patients who, until now, have had to travel to other hospitals if they needed diagnostic procedures and treatments such as coronary and vascular angiograms.

Northern Hospital and Broadmeadows Health Services will share in $615,000 for a suite of scopes, including colono-videoscopes and gastro-videoscopes, and Northern Hospital was given a further $222,000 for sterilising system endoscope trays and accessories.