Location and provider confirmed for Torquay’s Medicare Urgent Care Clinic

A HEALTHCARE provider has been selected to run Torquay’s Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, with the service expected to open before the end of the year.

ForHealth was chosen to operate the service through a competitive tender process led by the Western Victoria Primary Health Network (WVPHN).

The clinic, promised to the region ahead of this year’s federal election, will operate from 85 Surf Coast Highway, in partnership with Surf Coast Medical Centre.

The service will provide free, walk-in urgent care for non-life-threatening injuries or illnesses and will operate seven days a week over extended hours.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said the clinic would fill an important gap in services across extended hours and over the weekend.

“The Albanese government is getting on with the job of delivering more Medicare Urgent Care Clinics for people in Victoria,” he said.

“The new clinic in Torquay will be open seven days a week, extended hours and most importantly they’ll be fully bulk billed.”

The clinic is designed to take pressure of local hospitals, including the Geelong University Hospital, where about 33 per cent of presentations to the emergency department last financial year were classified as semi-urgent or non-urgent.

Federal member for Corangamite, Libby Coker, said the clinic will support both local residents and the region’s growing visitor population.

“Torquay is growing rapidly, and it’s one of Victoria’s most popular summer destinations – from shift workers, students and families to the thousands of tourists who come every summer, we know there’s real demand for healthcare outside of regular hours,” she said.

“Our new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Torquay will mean people can get the medical attention they need, without having to wait in an emergency department or worry about the cost.”

The Torquay clinic will join Victoria’s network of 20 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics (MUCC) and more than 90 nationally, which have recorded more than 2.1 million presentations since June 2023, including more than 441,000 across Victoria.

WVPHN chief executive Craig Wilding congratulated ForHealth on its selection.

“ForHealth is a highly experienced primary health service, currently delivering health care in 34 other MUCCs across the country,” he said.

“The Torquay MUCC will commence services in the coming months, in time for the many visitors who come to the Surf Coast during the holiday season.”

It will operate initially at 10 hours per day, building up to 14 hours a day by March 2026.

The clinic will be staffed by a team of GPs, nurses and paramedics, and patients will be triaged on arrival to determine their suitability for the service and their priority for care.

Patients requiring non-urgent regular medical care will be redirected to their regular GP for ongoing management. Patients experiencing an emergency or life-threatening conditions should still attend an emergency department.