Hospital avoidance options for General Practitioners and medical professionals in Northern Adelaide.
Patients are able to walk in with no referral necessary.
Urgent Care Clinics provide alternative options for patients when their GP is not able to see them in an urgent situation/ has no available appointments or does not have onsite ability to perform some procedures.
Elizabeth UCC, is co-located at Elizabeth Medical and Dental Centre & Para Hill UCC, is co-located at McIntyre Medical Centre
For further information see the Medicare Urgent Care Clinics page.
For children aged between 6 months and up to 18 years only
The Child and Adolescent Virtual Urgent Care Service (CAVUCS) provides clinical advice for GPs via (08) 8161 8207 (GP only direct phone number) or via WCHN switchboard (08) 8161 7000.
CAVUCS also provides video telehealth consultations for children aged 6 months up to 18 years 7 days a week from 9.00am to 9.00pm for children who otherwise would need to attend ED.
Patients can register online.
Formally known as Hospital Avoidance Supported Discharge Service (HASDS).
BRIGHT provides multidisciplinary rapid assessment and acute care for patients who:
The BRIGHT multidisciplinary team is made up of nurses, nurse practitioners, doctors, physiotherapists, pharmacists, social workers, podiatrists, occupational therapists and dietitians.
BRIGHT is a referral-only service, open 365 days of the year 8:00 am – 9:30 pm and located in Sefton Park and Woodville.
Please note that a phone call to 08 7133 9992 MUST precede a referral to this service, as capacity is limited.
For further information see the BRIGHT page.
Internal and GP referrals only. This clinic is designed to see patients that require medical specialist level involvement for the management of acute issues that pose a risk to ED presentation or hospital admission within a short interval but not requiring immediate intervention.
Some examples include significant anaemia, abnormal investigations (eg. possible malignancy needing biopsy), acute illness not responding to initial appropriate intervention (eg. pneumonia not improving with oral therapy), acute thromboembolic disease, etc.
You can contact the service by phone (08) 8282 0490 or 0466 861 839 and by fax on (08) 8282 1235.
My Home Hospital is a public hospital-level service that delivers medical care to patients in the comfort and privacy of their own homes. The service is available at no charge to eligible public patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
MyHH has full clinical governance, with doctors (including consultants and specialist GPs) who assume responsibility for care of all patients upon admission. Once admitted, you as the usual GP won’t consult with the patient, like when one of your patients is admitted to a physical hospital. However, you can contact MyHH to speak to their clinicians; they are very keen to work with GPs and are very responsive to concerns.
The service provides acute hospital-level care for the following conditions:
To be eligible, patients must be over 13 years of age; have a Medicare card; live in service regions (all of metropolitan Adelaide, designated Mount Barker region or designated Gawler region); consent to receive their care under MyHH; and have a mobile phone or landline to receive and make calls. They must live in a safe and suitable environment (thus, not suitable for homeless clients).
To refer a patient, please call 1800 111 644 and you will speak to a MyHH doctor who will advise whether or not MyHH will accept the referral. If accepted, please fax or email through the completed referral form, health summary and relevant pathology / imaging results. Please keep the patient at the practice, until you have been advised the outcome of your referral.
For further information, including how to refer, please see the My Home Hospital page. The referral form is on the website and can be downloaded and integrated with your practice software. If you have questions, please call 1800 111 644 (available 24/7).
There are five PCC across metropolitan Adelaide. They are situated beside GP practices, although they are not part of them. They provide plaster/backslab application, suturing, burns management, IV antibiotics or fluids administration, and other procedural skills.
The PCCs may be a suitable option for patients who might need a prolonged procedure or if the patient needs access to some of the more expensive burns dressings or a more comprehensive range of splints and plastering options.
GPs and nurse practitioners run the PCCs and will manage the patient's care while providing a discharge summary to the referring GP. Then, they will return the longer-term patient care to their usual GP.
PCCs in the north:
Other PCCs
For more information, see the PCC page and General Practitioner to Priority Care Centre Pathway flowchart.
Patient self-referral and GP referral.
Mental health support offered face to face for patients who require support but do not need admission to hospital. Can on-refer the patients if needed.
Contact
Open: Mon - Fri: 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
2 Peachey Rd, Edinburgh North, SA 5113
Phone: (08) 8209 0700 or (08) 8209 0711
This state-wide service treats people with mental health issues aged 16 years and over. This service helps those in crisis who need a safe environment to allow them time to self-regulate with the help of lived experience peers and mental health clinicians.
UMHCC is a walk-in/self-referral service, but if a GP is referring, they ask that you call (08) 8448 9100 in advance to check capacity or if you wish to discuss the referral.
This service does not provide psychiatric assessments.
If you are requesting an urgent referral to mental health services, please call Mental Health Triage on 13 14 65.
The service is open 24hrs a day 7 days a week for patient self-referral and GP referral. The service is for those age 16 and up.
The Intermediate Care Service (ICS) team works with people with chronic conditions and complex needs to help them improve their health and wellbeing, avoiding hospital admission where possible and support early discharge.
ICS is available for people who have one or more of the following chronic conditions:
Our service includes:
NALHN Allied Health Division
Phone: (08) 8182 9288
Fax: (08) 8182 9440
Elizabeth GP Plus
Phone: (08) 7485 4000
Fax: (08) 7485 4011
Gilles Plains GP Plus Super Clinic
Phone: (08) 7425 8990
Fax: (08) 7425 8981
The MRU provides "RDNS type services," including wound care, medication supervision, IV medication delivery, assistance with insulin administration, and end-of-life care. It can visit patients twice a day. The governance stays with the GP – so you are responsible for the medication orders, any concerns arising, and deteriorating conditions.
Referrals to the MRU are accepted by telephone or fax.
Referral forms are available for download on the Hospital Avoidance and Discharge Support Services page.
You can contact the MRU on:
Phone: 1300 110 600
Fax: 1300 546 104
Health.MetropolitanReferralUnit@sa.gov.au
The SA Virtual Care Service (SAVCS) is improving access to healthcare across the state and responding to the needs of frontline workers by bringing emergency care to patients, that would normally only be available in an ED.
Find out more about the SA Virtual Care Service and their Residential Aged Care Facility Services.
The GPIU have compiled a collection of resources tailored to empower you in hospital avoidance and alternative solutions. These resources will expand your toolkit beyond conventional approaches, fostering a healthcare environment that prioritises preventive care and ensures patient well-being efficiently.