MS PORTER WELCOMES THE EXPANSION OF WALK-IN CENTRES

Today Ms Mary Porter AM MLA, Member for Ginninderra, welcomed the announcement, by the Chief Minister and Minister for Health, that the ACT Government will expand the Walk-In Centres (WiC) to community locations in Belconnen and Tuggeranong.

“After the success of the WiC at the Canberra Hospital, establishing a similar facility in Belconnen will be a welcome addition to the existing community health infrastructure in Ginninderra,” Ms Porter said.

In the first 17 months of operation, the WiC at The Canberra Hospital has treated 15,198 people who presented themselves for minor treatment.

“Having been a registered nurse for many years, working in remote communities in the Northern Territory, I know that a highly skilled nursing service can respond in a timely and competent manner to people seeking medical attention for minor illnesses such as cuts, abrasions, coughs and colds,” Ms Porter stated.

“This service will now be closer to where people live, and because it’s also free, it will help ease the financial pressure of people accessing these services in Ginninderra.”

The WiC’s however do not replace GP care; rather the centres will be complimenting the existing primary health care services to relief the huge amount of pressure on them. Babies under 2 years of age are not seen by the nurses in the WiC.

“The Government fully understands that for the WiC’s to work it will need to continue working with, and consulting with, local GP’s, the ACT Medicare, local nurses and consumers, on the preferred model for establishing these services,” Ms Porter acknowledged.