Urgent Care Centre
24-Hour Emergency Medical Services
If you require medical attention for emergencies, you should always call 000.
What we do
The Urgent Care Centre (UCC) at South Gippsland Hospital (SGH) provides 24-hour emergency medical services to residents and visitors to the South Gippsland region.
Important Information
Please note that our UCC is not a ‘funded’ Emergency Department (ED) so you may incur costs for the General Practitioner service.
The UCC team comprises General Practitioners (who are on call), Nursing and Clerical staff.
SGH have medical imaging services provided by South Gippsland Radiology during weekdays (8.30 am to 5.00 pm) Pathology services are limited onsite to ‘point of care’ testing. Pathology specimens are transported to Monash Pathology located in Wonthaggi.
The Urgent Care Centre is a public / private healthcare setting, where nurses are employed by the public hospital and the Medical Officers are either private General Practitioners (GPs) or publicly funded medical officers from the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED).
The Foster and Toora Medical Centre GPs will assess and treat the general public 24 hours/seven days per week for presentations with an Australasian Triage Scale of 1, 2 and 3 (urgent) and for presentations with an Australasian Triage Scale of 4 or 5 (non-urgent) from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm.
The Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) will assist presentations that have a non-urgent category between 6.00 pm and 8.00 am the next day, via telehealth.
How to access the Urgent Care Centre
Physical access to the Urgent Care Centre is via Jones Street. Please don’t enter via the main hospital entrance.
For all patients seeking urgent care, the level of urgency is determined on arrival to the UCC. The Australasian Triage Scale (ATS) is the tool used to prioritise all patients according to clinical urgency.
People may present by ambulance, car or on foot, and at times via referral from the Foster Medical Centre.
Who can use our service?
Any person in need of emergency care can access our service.
Due to our resources, patients would not normally be transported by Ambulance Victoria to us if they are in need of stroke, intensive, coronary, critical care, emergency surgery and patients with significant mental health issues.
Are there any fees?
Our UCC is not a ‘funded’ Emergency Department (ED) so you may incur costs for the General Practitioner service.
The nearest funded ED’s are at Bass Coast Health, Wonthaggi and Latrobe Regional Health, Traralgon.
You will not incur any cost for the VVED service.
Who do I contact?
There is no need to inform the hospital that you are coming.
Our nurses will assist you on arrival.
Please note that SGH does not provide medical advice on the phone, you are best to call Nurse on call 1300 606 024 or visit the VVED service website.
Ambulance Victoria will generally contact the Urgent Care Centre if transporting a person for assessment.
What to bring
Bring your Medicare card, Healthcare card, and usual medications.
