Construction on a AUD$1.4 million GP Super Clinic at Ballan, Victoria, will begin this month, which will include optometry and dental services. Located on the Ballan District Health and Care hospital grounds, it will include 16 general practitioner consulting rooms and will also have space for visiting allied health professionals from Ballarat, Geelong and Melbourne. Other clinics in Victoria will be at Bendigo, Wallan, Berwick and Geelong. The clinic funded under the Federal Government’s GP Superclinic Program and the Rural Medical Infrastructure Fund, was announced by the Health Minister, Lillian Roxon last May. The Federal Government announced that it was investing AUD$275.2 million over five years on 31 GP Super Clinics across Australia, providing families with one convenient location where they can access a range of health services. The GP Super Clinics will bring together general practitioners, nurses, allied health professionals, some specialists and other health care providers to deliver a range of health services that are tailored to meet local health needs and priorities.
In New South Wales, the Federal Government has signed a contract with Balance! Healthcare, to run the AUD$5 million Blue Mountains GP Super Clinic. Balance! Healthcare will also make a significant private investment in the development of the GP Super Clinic across ten individual sites. The main hub will be located in Springwood, with additional general practice and allied health services in Katoomba and Blackheath. Six further sites offering allied health services will be located across the mountain between Blackheath and Blaxland. In addition, medical specialist services will be provided at Katoomba.
The facilities will bring together GPs, specialists, allied health professionals (including optometrists), pharmacy, radiology, pathology, rehabilitation, dental, physiotherapy and psychology, all connected through a single IT system. Morriset, in the Hunter Valley, will also soon have a GP Superclinic as will Shell Harbour, south of Sydney. A number of sites have also been identified in Queensland and other parts of the country.
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