The Calvary Mater GP Access clinic finally has a re-opening date.
Hunter Primary Care (HPC) was forced to slash its After Hours GP services in 2021 after fixed funding from the Commonwealth government failed to keep up with an increase in operational costs.
The Albanese Government promised to restore the services and followed through when they were elected committing $5.5 million per annum for the service for the next four years.
The clinic that was closed at the Calvary Mater in Decmeber 2021 will re-open on Monday, May 29.
The after hours service will be open weekdays from 6 to 10pm, Saturdays 1 to 8pm and Sundays 9am to 4pm with appointments booked via the GP Access call centre on 1300 130 147
HPC’s Chief Operating Officer, Keith Drinkwater said the GP Access management team has worked tirelessly to ensure the seamless restoration of services.
“Many hours of work have been put into working with GP Access staff and local GPs to re-establish the workforce, as well as the Calvary Mater and other key stakeholders to ensure we have the space and equipment required to re-open the clinic.”
“We are extremely grateful to Sharon Claydon and her team, the HNECCPHN, management of the Calvary Mater, and the local community for their ongoing support to make this restoration possible. We understand that the Calvary Mater service has been greatly missed by the community over the past 18 months so we are very pleased to be now in a position to reinstate this valuable service,” said Keith.
Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon has been a strong advocate to get the funding ever since the clinics were forced to shut.
“The re-opening of the Calvary Mater GP Access After Hours Clinic is a massive win for our community, and I want to express my gratitude to the people of Newcastle for making this possible.
“Your strong advocacy saw the Albanese Labor Government’s record investment of $5.5milion to restore GP Access to its full capacity. This service provides quality primary health care to Newcastle families, where the only card you need is your Medicare card.”
Work on the next phase to restore hours at Belmont, Maitland, the John Hunter and Toronto is underway.