The New South Wales Opposition is pledging to spend $40 million setting up four free walk-in medical centres staffed by nurses, if it wins the state election next month.
The clinics, to be based in Western Sydney, Wollongong and the Central Coast, are designed to treat patients with minor illnesses and injuries.
NSW Opposition spokesman Walt Secord said the centres would be similar to those in Britain and the Australian Capital Territory, and would help to relieve the pressure on hospital emergency departments.
“Our state’s health system is under pressure,” said Mr Secord.
“Last year 1.25 million people presented to emergency departments seeking treatment for the lowest triage categories – cuts, abrasions, gastro, minor ailments.
“These nurse walk-in centres will complement and work with GPs and emergency departments.”
NSW Labor said staff at the centres would not treat infants under two and an ambulance would be called for emergency cases.
“[The centres would be] for people who are generally healthy and just have a one off episode such as the flu, gastro or a cut or scrape,” said Mr Secord.
“The nurses are highly-trained professionals and this also enhances the profession of nursing.”
A statement from the NSW Labor Party said the influx of triage category four and five patients, with minor ailments such as sprained ankles, cuts and abrasions, were blowing out hospital waiting times.
It said at some hospitals, these patients accounted for a third to almost half of all presentations.
But the proposal has been slammed by Australian Medical Association NSW president Dr Saxon Smith, who said it would not relieve pressure on hospitals because the greatest number of people going to emergency wards were among the sickest of patients.
“In actual fact we’ve seen a drop in presentations in these so-called sprained ankles and grazed knee patients category five,” said Dr Smith.
“So this will not improve the health care system, it is not an appropriate spend of money and in actual fact may actually deliver worse health outcomes because it devalues the importance of your family local doctor.”
The proposal is based on a trial program in the ACT which has been running since 2010, but the AMA said an independent review of that trial had shown the policy would not work.
“This is poor health policy, showing inexperience,” said Dr Smith.
“This is a trial that has been run in the ACT and showed it had no impact on hospital admissions for emergency departments, in fact increased them.
“We’d much rather like to see that $40 million spent in co-ordinating care between hospitals and general practice.”
Health Minister Jillian Skinner said there were better ways to spend the funds.
“$40 million is a heck of a lot of money and I want to know where Labor’s proposing they cut it from because I think a greater investment is in building links with GPs and other primary health care providers, as we’re already doing, including co-locating some GP type clinics, health one, within hospital grounds,” said Ms Skinner.
The plan by the NSW Opposition builds on NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley’s announcement to, if it wins the election, allow pharmacists to give flu shots.
A plan the AMA also rejected, saying it could compromise public health.