Residents and visitors to the Shoalhaven will soon have better access to urgent care with Grand Pacific Health Centre - Nowra today announced as the location for the new Nowra Medicare Urgent Care Clinic (Medicare UCC).  The announcement was made by The Hon Richard Marles MP, Deputy Prime Minister, and Fiona Phillips MP, Member for Gilmore, following a competitive tender process led by COORDINARE – South Eastern NSW PHN. 

The Nowra Medicare UCC will open on 19 January at the Grand Pacific Health Centre - Nowra (107 Scenic Drive, Nowra) for extended hours, seven days a week, and offer walk-in care that is fully bulk billed to support local communities, including visitors to the region.  

Medicare UCCs are being established by the Australian Government to operate independently from local emergency departments to alleviate pressure on local hospitals and general practices, especially after hours.  

Based on latest available data (2023-24) more than 54 per cent of presentations to Shoalhaven Memorial Hospital in Nowra were for non-urgent or semi-urgent care. 

COORDINARE’s CEO Prudence Buist said, “The new Nowra Medicare UCC will provide an alternative option for families needing urgent care from a doctor or nurse in the Shoalhaven. They will treat sprains and broken bones, cuts, wounds, insect bites, minor ear and eye problems, minor burns and other non-life-threatening issues. 

“This will ease pressure on our local EDs and be much more convenient for our community, the clinic will be completely bulk-billed meaning that people needing urgent but non-life-threatening care will save on out-of-pocket costs,” said Ms Buist. 

The Shoalhaven region is a fast-growing area, with an ageing population and high demand for accessible, affordable health care. 

Ninety Medicare UCCs are in operation across Australia, which have already seen more than 2 million presentations since the first sites opened in June 2023. This includes Medicare UCCs currently operating in Wollongong, Dapto, Queanbeyan and Batemans Bay. 

Pictured from left: 
Charise Morris, Practice Manager, Grand Pacific Health - Nowra; Prudence Buist, CEO COORDINARE; Deputy Prime Minister The Hon Richard Marles MP; Member for Gilmore, Fiona Phillips MP; Kirbi Hocking, Grand Pacific Health Primary Care Clinics Manager and Jenny Valdivia, Grand Pacific Health Youth & Primary Health Executive General Manager.