Page 642 - Week 02 - Thursday, 20 February 2020
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work of those in the walk-in centres because we are seeing significant reductions in wait times at a range of those centres.
This data demonstrates that Canberrans can get the care they need, when they need it. I particularly encourage those with minor conditions to avoid the emergency department and actually use the walk-in centres as a really terrific alternative, because that then makes the emergency department available for those with more serious injuries that cannot be treated at the walk-in centres.
I think Canberrans can be assured that they will get the treatment they need, the care they need, within a short wait time, at an ideal location for their healthcare needs to be met. The walk-in centres are geographically dispersed across the city, more than an emergency department ever could be. I think that, once you add in travel time, for many people with more minor conditions the nurse-led walk-in centres become particularly attractive.
Over the period of smoke haze that we had in the city across the summer, which I know was really stressful for a lot of people—and a lot of people were unsure about the impact on their health—the walk-in centres provided a service for people presenting with low-level symptoms and they were also able to get advice for the medical attention they needed.
I would like to finish my remarks today by simply commending the tireless work of our health staff across the city, particularly the staff in the nurse-led walk-in centres because we are focusing on that today, for continuing to strive for improvement and delivery of health and medical care to the Canberra community.
I am not going to go into my personal trips to the nurse-led walk-in centres, but what I can say is that, from my experience, it has been a great service and I think that is the experience of the many, many people that turn up to seek support from these terrific centres.
MR GUPTA (Yerrabi) (3.52): The government’s commitment to developing nurse-led walk-in centres in the ACT has played a crucial role in ensuring that our health system can provide immediate assistance when people need it. I thank Ms Cheyne for bringing this important matter to the Assembly.
By providing advice and treatment for minor illness and minor injuries at no cost, these centres allow all Canberrans, particularly those who are most vulnerable, to access quality health care. Since their opening, nurse-led walk-in centres across the ACT have all seen significant use by the public. Presentations at the walk-in centres have continued to grow month on month, year on year, and continue to grow every day.
In 2014 the first centre treated 27,000 presentations. By 2017 this had grown to 38,942. The opening of the Gungahlin centre further added to the total growth, with 48,987 presentations. Last year this had further grown to 50,060. Already in 2020 the walk-in centres have seen 10,837 presentations. The walk-in centres benefit not only
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