Clinic plan to replace closed Hills emergency department
An after-hours clinic with a nurse and “virtual support” from a doctor will be set up at Gumeracha hospital after its emergency department was shut down early in the pandemic.
Photo: Facebook
The Malinauskas Government said today that it was restoring after-hours healthcare for the Adelaide Hills town and surrounding area after the Gumeracha District Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital emergency department was closed by the previous government in 2020.
The ED reopened for five months in 2021 but closed again in July and had been shut for a total of 853 days. The former Marshall Government said the hospital’s emergency department closure was only intended to be temporary during the pandemic.
Health Minister Chris Picton said that last year he met with key stakeholders to re-establish services in Gumeracha and a working group was set up involving local GPs, residents, SA Ambulance Service staff and representatives from the Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network.
He said the group assessed the region’s out-of-hours healthcare needs and reviewed various models of care before recommending that an after-hours nurse-led clinic be based at the hospital “with virtual support from a medical practitioner”.
The clinic is expected to open in late March and operate from 4pm-8pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
A community forum about the plan will be held on Thursday 12 January at the Gumeracha Town Hall from 5.30-6.30pm.
“We are committed to providing the Gumeracha and surrounding community with access to the after-hours health care that they need,” Picton said.
“I’d like to thank the members of the urgent care working group who have closely considered the growing needs of the region and how we can best deliver out-of-hours care to the community.
“We look forward to sharing the proposal with the community and receiving their feedback.”
Gumeracha community representative Joel Taggart said he was pleased to have been part of the working group examining the issue.
“It has become clear to me that this model of care can restore services to the region and can realistically be implemented, given the clear challenges in attracting and retaining a medical workforce,” he said.
“I’m pleased that the working group will come together again to review the model over time and make sure that Gumeracha and the surrounding region is receiving the best model that is available.”
