The Hervey Bay Urgent Care Clinic opened on December 11. (ABC Wide Bay: Lucy Loram)
In short:
Queensland's 16th urgent care clinic has opened in Hervey Bay.
Heathcare staff say the money would be better spent on the existing local workforce.
What's next?
It comes two months after neighbouring Bundaberg's urgent care clinic closed less than a year after opening.
The federal government has opened a new urgent care clinic in Queensland's Hervey Bay, but some local healthcare staff say the money would be better spent on the existing workforce.
The bulk-billing clinics are designed to divert non-life-threatening cases from emergency departments, taking the pressure off hospitals.
But another urgent care clinic in the neighbouring city of Bundaberg closed its doors in October after operating for less than a year.
The new Hervey Bay Urgent Care Clinic is the 16th service to open in Queensland since the initiative began 18 months ago. (ABC Wide Bay: Lucy Loram)
Bodies representing GPs in Australia have long maintained that the urgent care clinics are doubling up on services they already provide, and say the money would be better spent supporting existing GP services so they can see more patients.
Australian Medical Association Queensland President Nick Yim said he feared opening a new clinic in Hervey Bay would also split the region's healthcare workers.
"We know that we have a finite number or doctors, nursing staff and administration staff — so any new potential clinics, which are federally funded, potentially places risk of workers moving from one location to another," he said.
Nick Yim says the clinic is not the best use of taxpayer dollars. (ABC Wide Bay: Lucy Loram)
"To use Hervey Bay as an example, consultation among the public hospital, the private hospitals, GPs and private health would be really important to see effective use of taxpayers' dollars."
Workforce drawn from 'many places'
Federal Member for Hinkler Keith Pitt shared concerns about losing or relocating existing services.
"It's up to [Federal Health Minister] Mark Butler to demonstrate … they're not going to rob Peter to pay Paul and simply see GPs and other health practitioners move from existing providers to this new facility," Mr Pitt said.
Workforce sustainability is part of the selection criteria for urgent care clinic providers. (ABC Wide Bay: Lucy Loram)
Julie Sturgess, CEO of Country to Coast, the Primary Health Network (PHN) that delivers the funding for the new clinic, said workforce sustainability was a part of the criteria when selecting a provider.
"In this instance, with ForHealth as the successful provider in Hervey Bay, we know from experience working with them that they have a very large footprint and the ability to leverage that very large workforce," Ms Sturgess said.
"There are many places the workforce comes from, not necessarily other practices in Hervey Bay."
The Hervey Bay clinic will be the 16th to open in Queensland since the federal government began the program in June last year.
It will be operated by GP corporate ForHealth, which is owned by a private equity group.
Plans to restart Bundaberg service
ForHealth was not the operator of the Bundaberg clinic that closed.
The Bundaberg Urgent Care Clinic closed in October less than 12 months after opening. (ABC News: Grace Whiteside)
Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the clinic would take pressure off household budgets.
"Almost half of presentations to the emergency department at Hervey Bay Hospital are the sorts of things which could be treated and will be treated here at this new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic," Dr Chalmers said.
Dr Chalmers said it was disappointing the Bundaberg service closed in October.
"We didn't want to see the services from the Bundy clinic paused and are working with relevant people to get it restarted again, as soon as we can," he said.
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