What is a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic?

Medicare Urgent Care Clinics (UCCs) are designed to reduce pressure on hospital Emergency Departments by providing you with more options to see healthcare professionals for urgent but non-life-threatening needs. Tweed Heads Urgent Care Clinic provides urgent care in a GP setting, so you don’t have to wait in the emergency department.

For routine and non-urgent healthcare needs, you should visit your regular GP.

After your treatment, you will receive a discharge summary and instructions for follow-up care. If you have a regular GP, they will also receive a copy of your discharge summary.

Bulk billed

Medicare card with green and yellow design inside a circular green border.

Walk-in

Icon of a calendar and clock with a green circle and slash indicating no scheduling or no time restriction.

Open early and late

An analog clock showing 11:35 with a green frame and black hour and minute hands.

Walk-Ins Welcome!

No appointment is required. Patients can walk in at any time during opening hours and will be triaged according to clinical urgency.

Safety – When to Call 000 Instead

The Medicare UCC is not designed for life-threatening emergencies.

Patients experiencing any of the following should call 000 or go directly to the Emergency Department:

  • Severe chest pain

  • Difficulty breathing

  • Stroke symptoms

  • Major trauma or heavy bleeding

  • Altered consciousness

  • Pregnancy emergencies

Who We Can See – Patient Eligibility

Our clinic accepts all patients, including those without a Medicare card. However, the Urgent Care Clinic is designed specifically for urgent, non-life-threatening conditions, and we follow a defined scope of service to ensure patients receive the most appropriate care. Patients with conditions outside our scope (for example, life-threatening symptoms, major trauma, or care requiring ongoing GP management) will be safely referred to the Emergency Department or their usual GP.

Medicare-Ineligible Patients

We are encouraged to treat Medicare-ineligible patients wherever safe and appropriate. Patients who are not eligible for Medicare will still be triaged, and care may be provided free of charge, depending on the clinical need. If the patient’s needs fall outside the UCC model or require other services, we will help arrange referral to the appropriate alternative service.

My Health Record

With patient consent, we upload an event summary from each visit to My Health Record to ensure your usual GP is informed of your care. We also copy the patient’s usual GP into referrals and imaging/pathology requests where required and provide discharge summaries within 24 hours. If a patient prefers that their visit is not shared with their GP or My Health Record, we respect this choice and document it accordingly.

Cultural Safety & Accessibility

Our clinic is committed to providing culturally safe and inclusive care for:

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients

  • Patients from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds

  • LGBTQIA+ communities

  • People with disabilities

  • Victims of violence

Interpreter services are available, and our facilities are fully wheelchair accessible with specialised seating and mobility-friendly features.