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Morayfield Medicare UCC keeps care close to home for Moreton Bay community
Aug 05, 2024
Minister for Health and Aged Care applauds opening of new Morayfield Medicare UCC
Pictured: Brisbane North PHN CEO Libby Dunstan, Minister for Health and Aged Care the Hon. Mark Butler MP, patient Sebastian, Morayfield Health Hub Director Dr Evan Jones, QLD Member for Morayfield the Hon. Mark Ryan MP.
Brisbane North PHN had the pleasure of welcoming Minister for Health and Aged Care the Hon. Mark Butler MP to the official launch of the Morayfield Medicare Urgent Care Clinic (UCC) last Thursday following its recent transition from the existing Minor Accident and Illness Centre (MAIC) model.
Morayfield is the third Medicare UCC to open in the North Brisbane and Moreton Bay region since 2023, joining Northside Medicare UCC and Murrumba Downs Medicare UCC in providing bulk-billed care for urgent but non-life-threatening injuries, illnesses and conditions, and diverting patients away from busy local hospital emergency departments (EDs) at Caboolture and Redcliffe.
At the launch Minister Butler welcomed clinic director Dr Evan Jones' “exemplar” site into the Medicare UCC network following ongoing discussions with the Federal Government, ensuring continuity of care for surrounding communities in the Moreton Bay region.
Pictured: Danielle, with daughter Tamarra, recounts her experience of Morayfield Medicare UCC's "exemplar" service with Minister Butler.
In 2022–23, more than 22 per cent of presentations to Caboolture Hospital were for semi-urgent and non-urgent conditions. “This clinic will ease pressure on the ED at the Caboolture Hospital, and free up staff to provide care to people with more serious conditions,” Minister Butler said.
Dr Jones praised the community’s support of the facility, and acknowledged stakeholders including Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) and Metro North Health.
The large 38-bed urgent care clinic, co-located within the state-of-the-art Health Hub Doctors Morayfield, has provided more than 45,000 episodes of care since April 2023, with more than 60 per cent of those patients advising they would have otherwise presented to the local ED.
Sebastian, 11 pictured at his first ever press conference, spoke of his recent ordeal injuring his elbow on a trampoline at a friends’ birthday party and the “amazing” treatment he received at Morayfield Medicare UCC last month.
“They treated me so fast. I was back in action in no time, and I’m now able to move my arm again,” Sebastian said.
Queensland Member for Morayfield the Hon. Mark Ryan MP also congratulated Dr Jones and, joining Minister Butler and the PHN on Thursday, spoke of his own experience using the service.
“I’ve used this service... It’s well received by the community. When you’ve got a sick child, sometimes all you need is someone to have a look at that child in the moment to say everything’s going to be all right. This service does this,” Minister Ryan said.
Morayfield Medicare UCC is open 7 days (Monday to Sunday) from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm with walk-ins welcome for bulk-billed, episodic urgent care.
Find out more about urgent care pathways across the North Brisbane and Moreton Bay region.
