My Government has just made free virtual healthcare available to every person in NSW, including here in Kogarah.
These changes now mean everyone with an urgent but non-life-threatening condition can access urgent clinical care for injuries and illnesses without needing to visit a hospital or a GP, or leave home.
One of our biggest challenges in the health system is that many people feel like they don't have a choice but to go to a hospital emergency department, because they can't find a GP.
Instead, over the past year, almost 16,000 patients accessed virtual care, as the service incrementally expanded across all of NSW.
This is in addition to the over 216,000 attendances to NSW urgent care services over 2024 and 2025.
This also coincides with significant improvements in emergency department wait times as well as improvements in ambulance ramping.
These free virtual care services are available by calling Healthdirect on 1800 022 222.
A registered nurse will assess conditions over the phone, and if virtual care is appropriate, arrange a video-call appointment with a clinician, whether that's a doctor, nurse or allied health professional.
The people of NSW will receive expert advice on treatment options, prescriptions if needed and referrals to follow-up care.
This service is available 7 days a week between 8am and 10pm for people aged 16 years and older.
NSW virtual urgent care services are equipped to manage a wide range of health concerns. This includes the management of colds and flus, nausea and mild infections, or minor injuries such as sprains.
This builds on our $500 million investment into emergency departments to ease the pressure on stretched NSW hospitals.
As Premier, I'm pleased to announce the completion of our rollout of virtual urgent care services across all of NSW.
This complements our urgent care services and clinics, which also provide an alternative pathway to care outside the hospital.
More pathways for care outside of the hospital, more staff, and more hospitals means lower wait times - it's as simple as that.
I know there is more work to do, but this is all part of our plan to build a better healthcare system.
