Health Services on Phillip Island

 

 

Urgent Care Centre (UCC)

Phillip Island Health Hub

50 – 54 Church Street COWES 3922

Ph: 5951 2101

About UCC and Phillip Island Health Hub

The hub has two administrative bases: one for the UCC and one for the remaining services.  The UCC area is staffed 24 hours a day whilst the other area is staffed Monday to Friday from 8.45am to 5.15pm.

Staffing numbers vary from day to day depending on which services are provided on the day. The model of care is that all Allied Health, Specialist and Community services are provided from both the Cowes and Wonthaggi sites, delivered by Bass Coast staff who mobilise themselves, rather than their clients.

In 2021, the Hub can have up to 35 staff on site on any one day. This will continue to grow over the next few years. The addition of the community hospital will see staff numbers treble.

The Urgent Care Centre can see up to 60 patients a day in peak times with most presentations occurring between 9am and 7pm. The urgent care centre is available overnight and whilst many nights see extremely low numbers of presentations, in summer and at the peak of COVID, presentations overnight grew significantly. This is largely because there is a shortage of GP appointments available.

A number of new services, that had been previously only been provided from Wonthaggi, were introduced to the Hub, the most important being a significant number of Medical Specialists.  These medical specialist services have continued to grow over the years with the Hub now facilitating access to Ophthalmologists, Cardiologists, Endocrinologists, Surgeons, Haematologists, Oncologists, Geriatricians, Urologists etc.  A urodynamics service is offered on site along with Cardiac investigative services including stress Echoes. Ophthalmology equipment has been recently added with Commonwealth funding. These specialist services have greatly reduced travel time for Phillip Island community members, and over time as funding becomes available, more of these services will transition to Public Clinics which will mean there will be no cost to the patient.

Importantly, much of the equipment in the hub has been funded through the generosity of the Phillip Island community, with amazing advocacy and leadership from the newly created Phillip Island Health Hub Auxiliary.

Specialists can see up to 40 patients a day; Allied Health up to 40.

All allied health and specialist services can be organised by phoning Access Department on 5671 3175 (Specialist Services require a valid/current GP Referral) or emailing access@basscoasthealth.org.au

 

On Arrival

You will be seen by a receptionist who will take your details and then be seen by a nurse who will ask you some clinical questions and assess your injury or illness.

Patients will be prioritised according to their clinical needs.  This means sicker people will always be treated first, even if they have not been waiting for long.

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Chrissy at ICC
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Gardens

Management

Your condition and assessment will determine whether you are treated at the UCC or whether you will be transferred to another service.

Pathology or radiology services can be accessed at 164 Thompson Avenue in Cowes during business hours.  Patients will be responsible for any costs incurred for pathology or radiology services.

If you need medication, we will provide you with an emergency supply and a prescription, which can be filled at the following pharmacies:

Priceline Pharmacy                                                                         Phillip Island Pharmacy
24 Thompson Avenue, Cowes                                                        164-166 Thompson Avenue, Cowes
Ph: 5952 2061                                                                                 Ph: 03 5952 2299
Open: Mon - Fri 8:30am - 6:00pm                                                  Open: Mon - Fri 8:30am - 6:00pm
           Saturday 8:30am - 5:30pm                                                  Saturday 8:30am - 1:00pm
           Sunday 9:00am - 5:30pm                        

Fees

There is no cost for the doctor or the nurse.  There may be some costs associated with medications or medical aids.  If your management involves being transferred via ambulance to another health service, this will be at your cost.

This cost is completely covered if you have an Ambulance Victoria subscription, Pensioner Concession Card or Health Care Card.

Feedback

We welcome any comments or feedback you may have about the services provided.  Our aim is to continually improve what we do.

YOUR FEEDBACK

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Front view of Cowes UCC