- After-hours provision is the service to resort to in case of urgent, non-emergency conditions when regular GP clinics are closed. Besides, most Urgent Care Clinics bulk-bill Medicare cardholders and are open for longer hours.
- Waiting time is influenced by factors like urgency level, hour of the day, visit type, place, and season. There is no single national average for waiting times of after-hours GPs. Data from the Emergency Department (ED) is indicative of how urgency-based queues operate in the system as a whole.
- Generally, telehealth can be the fastest first step in a situation if safety is followed and the situation permits face-to-face care.
- If your life is at stake or time is of the essence, do not hesitate on the spot to call 000.
Understanding After-Hours Doctor Services
After-hours medical services are primary care facilities that can be visited when regular GP clinics are closed. You can access these services through telehealth, centres providing after-hours medical services, home doctor visits in some localities, and Medicare Urgent Care Clinics that are bulk-billed for Medicare cardholders and have longer opening hours. Minimising delays is a core part of our mobile doctor service commitment to the community. Such services are intended for immediate needs and do not require hospital emergency departments.
What Affects Average Wait Times
Time of Day and Peak Periods
Evenings, weekends, and public holidays are times when services are more in demand. Demand for them increases after 6 p.m. and even during the night, which can cause the queues to lengthen. Urgent care clinics were created to be the place of demand for walk-in, extended-hour care.
Patient Location and Travel Distance
Regional or remote areas may be less fortunate in having a sufficient number of on-call doctors, and the distance for home visits may be too long. Telehealth can be a good interconnector when the doctor doesn't need to conduct an immediate physical exam.
Type of Service Requested
Queues for telehealth are usually faster as they tend to be for simple problems. Staff availability, the number of rooms, and the distance from where the staff would have to come are some factors that can affect the time it takes for them to arrive at your home or when you visit the clinic. Medical staff also follow triage principles, meaning those with higher urgency are seen first. Strict triage rules are used in public hospital emergency departments, and the same urgency thinking helps to guide non-emergency pathways.
Seasonal Demand and Public Holidays
The flu, cold seasons, and long weekends or holidays may put an extra workload on the healthcare system. Many services increase working hours to cope with the peaks, but waiting times may still be long. Healthdirect is a good tool to help you decide on the best place when unsure. Travel distance between patients can also impact wait times in regional areas compared to metropolitan zones.
Typical Wait Time Ranges Across Australia
What You Can Do to Reduce Wait Times
- Make sure that your phone is ready for use: charged, volume on, and an internet connection established if a video link is set up.
- Please have ready your personal details, such as name, date of birth, and address or location, together with your Medicare card and usual GP details.
- Change your time window and visit type if it is safe.
- Initially, if you think a physical exam will not change the plan, use telehealth for screening.
- Sharing a summary with your usual GP or with My Health Record will make follow-up safer and prevent you from repeating your history.
When to Call 000 Instead of Waiting
If the environment looks like it is going to be dangerous, lead to loss of life, or critical time, and you feel that it is unsafe to wait for a callback or a booking, then definitely call Triple Zero 000. If you are unsure and the problem is severe, then 000 should be the choice. Furthermore, talking to a registered nurse via Healthdirect advises that you can go to an urgent care service if a problem is urgent but not life-threatening.
How 13CURE Prioritises Urgent Calls
Our work is performed by a straightforward, security-first method that is in agreement with Australian regulations:
- They check for red flags very soon. In a time-critical situation, they advise you to call 000 or go to the nearest emergency department immediately.
- The triage process is done based on urgency, not by booking order. Those with higher urgency are the first ones to be helped. The concept of urgency used in emergency departments also serves as a guide for safe primary care triage.
- In addition to the visit summary, you can support continuity of care by giving your usual GP or My Health Record consent. This facilitates the follow-up process and reduces the need to repeat history.
Our triage system ensures priority scheduling for young children and elderly patients, which may influence general wait times.
Telehealth vs Home Visit Wait Times
Telehealth Consultations
In many cases, telehealth is the fastest method of after-hours communication between a patient and a healthcare professional when it is not likely that an examination will alter the treatment plan. The Australian criteria insist on correctly identifying, obtaining consent, and recording information. Similar expectations for maintaining the safety of care are also present in the case of face-to-face services. You will be redirected to the right place if a check-in is necessary.
Home Doctor Visits
Home visits are an excellent option for those who cannot physically visit the clinic. Additional time is factored in, however, as these waiting times can also be longer in general due to travel distance, traffic, and region, and therefore waiting times can also be longer compared to telehealth or clinic visits, especially during odd hours and public holidays. If the circumstance is appropriate, an urgent care clinic may be able to give a faster face-to-face service, as it is bulk billed for Medicare cardholders, and an appointment is not necessary.
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9 min readFrequently Asked Questions
After-hours care is care you receive when local GP clinics are closed. You can access services through a telehealth call, visiting an after-hours medical centre, having a home visit in some areas, or through a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic.
Dedicare Urgent Care Clinics have longer hours, you can walk in without needing an appointment, and they provide bulk billing for Medicare cardholders. Use the official map to find one.
Triaged patients are attended to based on the severity of their condition. The most urgent cases are attended to first, just as emergency departments do when prioritising patients for care.
Yes, if it is done properly. Healthcare providers must adhere to the national telehealth guidelines, which define the identification, consent, documentation, and follow-up standards. If it is necessary to see the doctor face-to-face, you will be taken to the proper location.
If waiting makes you feel unsafe, dial 000 immediately. If it doesn't look like an emergency, call Healthdirect to talk with a registered nurse who will provide you with the correct advice and place to go.
Need a doctor after hours
Our team is available 24/7 for bulk billed home visits across Australia.
Written By
Dr. Muhammad Mohsin, General Practitioner
MBBS, AMC
Dr. Muhammad Mohsin completed his studies from University of Health Sciences, Lahore Pakistan in 2008. He came to Australia in 2012 and has woked as a resident and GP in various hospitals and medical centres across Australia. He has a particular interest in men's health, travels medicine, chronic disease management, and general family medicine.
