A bid to reduce the number of people presenting to emergency departments has begun in the Hunter, with local health providers invited to apply to establish urgent care services to meet growing community needs.
On behalf of NSW Health, the Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network (PHN) is calling for expressions of interest to run services designed to "bridge the gap" between hospitals and primary care.
The goal is to integrate these services with existing providers "more effectively" to reduce the number of people presenting to hospital by addressing current service gaps.
The PHN chief executive, Richard Nankervis, said the NSW approach of focusing on "urgent care services" rather than "urgent care clinics" allowed flexibility in service delivery to meet the needs of the community.
"This is an exciting opportunity for general practice and other primary health care services as we gather ideas around potential solutions that will make a real impact in our communities," Mr Nankervis said.
"We're keen to encourage primary care provides from across the Central Coast and Hunter New England regions to submit an application and to give consideration to partnering with the PHN and Local Health District in the development of local collaborative models."
While the PHN is facilitating the expressions of interest process, ultimately the decisions will be made by NSW Health. Applications close Friday, December 2.
