The Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler received a first-hand update from management and staff when he visited the Batemans Bay Medicare Urgent Care Clinic and Batemans Bay headspace with Federal Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips.

Mrs Phillips said it was fantastic to give Minister Butler a tour of the two vital services that she has advocated for and helped deliver in Batemans Bay.

“It was a great opportunity to speak to staff on the ground and to hear how both services are making a real difference in our community,” Mrs Phillips said.

“Since the doors of the Batemans Bay Medicare Urgent Care Clinic (UCC) opened in December 2023, there have been more than 6000 presentations for urgent but not life-threatening care.

“The largest proportion of presentations to the clinic were under the age of 15, accounting for around 26 per cent of visits, and more than one quarter of visits have taken place on weekends.”

Mrs Phillips said the most common presentations recorded at the Batemans Bay Medicare UCC have been for conditions such as upper respiratory tract infection, ear infection and urinary tract infections.

“In 2022-23, more than half the presentations to the Batemans Bay Hospital were for semi-urgent or non-urgent conditions, so the UCC is now taking a lot of pressure off the hospital and allowing it to concentrate on higher priority emergencies,” she said.

“I’m delighted that the clinic is providing close-to-home urgent care that local people need and that the service is bulk billed under Medicare.”

Following the UCC visit, Minister Butler and Mrs Phillips met the team at headspace Batemans Bay, including their support dog Maximus.

headspace Batemans Bay has been operational since January 2021 and provides outreach services to Moruya and Ulladulla, and will shortly take over the outreach services to Narooma.

“Minister Butler took the time to speak to the vibrant staff who are doing an incredible job providing tailored and holistic mental health support in our community,” Mrs Phillips said.

“With two in five young Australians experiencing a mental health issue each year, access to mental health services and support has never been more important.

“headspace Batemans Bay allows young people to access a range of support services during what can be a difficult time in their lives.

“In our area, following the bushfires and COVID lockdowns, it is crucial that young people and their families receive the help, support and care they need where and when they need it.

“The sooner we can help them tackle mental health challenges, the sooner they can reach their full potential.”

Mrs Phillips and Minister Butler also met with a pharmacist in Ulladulla and dropped into the Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Clinic in Milton.

Photo: Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler and Federal Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips met with management and staff at the Batemans Bay Medicare Urgent Care Clinic on Tuesday morning.

Photo: Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler and Federal Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips met with management and staff at headspace Batemans Bay.

MEDIA CONTACT: Katrina Condie: 0437 662 967