Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Health, Mary-Anne Thomas, visited the Glen Waverley Priority Primary Care Centre (PPCC) on Sunday, one of the 21 centres now open across the state which, combined, have treated over 42,000 patients – more than half of whom would have otherwise attended an emergency department.
The Glen Waverley (GW) PPCC opened on the 24 October 2022, was the second PPCC to become operational in Victoria and was commissioned in partnership with the Victorian Department of Health. The GW PPCC is operational 7 days a week for 16 hours a day and offers pathology and imaging services on site.
As of 2 April 2023, the GW PPCC has treated over 5,630 patients. Of these patients:
- 21.6% of patients were between the ages of 0 – 5 years,
- 52.9% were female and
- 677 patients presented without a Medicare card.
In terms of ancillary services such as pathology and radiology, 198 patients required a referral to radiology for suspected fractures, whilst over 1920 patients required pathology.
Patients can access care at a PPCC with or without a Medicare card. PPCCs offer face-to-face treatment and telehealth appointments for urgent but not life-threatening conditions such as mild infections, fractures and burns. Medications may be prescribed. Patients are referred back to their usual GP or assisted to connect with a local GP for any on-going care or treatment. Patients can access the GW PPCC directly or may be referred through the Monash Hospital’s Emergency Department, the Victorian Virtual ED service, Ambulance Victoria or via referral from Nurse on call or the Maternal and Child health line.
EMPHN has worked with our very capable General Practice providers to:
- establish PPCCs that complement existing general practices without increasing workforce shortages.
- provide care to patients who need it quickly but who do not need to present to emergency departments.
- offer more options to patients in after-hours periods.
- prove that investment in general practice makes economic sense and leads to improved patient outcomes.
The success of the Glen Waverley PPCC and the other five PPCCs, including the co-located Paediatric PPCC at Monash Children’s Hospital in the EMPHN catchment, continue to demonstrate the enormous capability in our general practices.
With investment in better funding models and workforce capacity building, general practices can be the solution to many of the problems that plague our hospitals. They can provide the health care solutions that patients are looking for.
Acting EMPHN CEO, Narelle Quinn says "PHNs have welcomed the opportunity to influence the integration between the LHN and the PPCC through highly productive working groups- they show what we can achieve when LHNS and GP clinics are around the table."
PPCCs complement existing general practices without increasing workforce shortages, as well as provide care to patients who need it quickly but who do not need to present to emergency departments. PPCCs offer more options to patients during after-hours periods and timely assistance to patients leading to improved patient outcomes.
Priority Primary Care Centres (PPCCs) are taking pressure off emergency departments across the state – saving tens of thousands of Victorians a long wait in emergency, and making sure hospitals are freed up to treat the sickest patients.
Read the full media release on the Premier's website. Find out more about PPCCs in the EMPHN region.
Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas was welcomed by Member for Glen Waverley John Mullahy, Narelle Quinn, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Eastern Melbourne PHN, Rachel Rosler, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Monash Medicine, Monash Medical Centre, Moorabbin Hospital, Monash Health, Kylie Payne, Chief Executive Officer, Interconnect Healthcare, Dr Virginia Hamilton Clinical Director, Interconnect Healthcare, staff at the Glen Waverley PPCC and staff at EMPHN.