Medicare Urgent Care Clinics - South Eastern Melbourne PHN

Primary Health Networks (PHNs) were established with the key objectives of:

• increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of health services for people, particularly those at risk of poor health outcomes,
• improving coordination of health services and increasing access and quality support for people.

The South Eastern Melbourne PHN (SEMPHN) is one of six PHN's in Victoria, and 31 PHN's across Australia. The SEMPHN catchment encompasses an area comprising 1.6 million people and stretches from St Kilda to Sorrento and as far east as Bunyip, including the major population hubs of Monash, Dandenong, Moorabbin, Caulfield, Cranbourne, Frankston and Pakenham.

SEMPHN is dedicated to creating opportunities for people in South-East Melbourne to live their healthiest lives, and positively impacting health outcomes by:

• Evidence, planning, and influencing services to meet population health needs.
• Capacity building services to grow primary health and its workforce in our region.
• Commissioning services to translate national and state policy into local services and the regional health system.

Medicare Urgent Care Clinics (UCC’s) were introduced in 2022 by the Commonwealth Government with the aim to increase accessibility to free urgent health care and reduce the number of patients attending public hospital emergency departments with less urgent presentations. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DHDA) announced in March 2025 an additional 50 Medicare UCCs to open across Australia, bringing the total to 137 clinics nationally. Within the SEMPHN catchment there are four existing UCC’s operating, based in Prahran, Dandenong, Narre Warren and Frankston.

As a result of this additional funding announced in the 2025/26 Commonwealth Budget, there will be four additional Medicare UCCs located within the SEMPHN catchment in the following locations:

• Bayside (Local Government Area)
• Cardinia (Local Government Area) – with a preference for Pakenham - 3810
• Stonnington (Local Government Area) with a preference to the eastern part of the region and bordering suburbs (including Malvern – 3144, East Malvern – 3145, Caulfield North – 3161; Caulfield – 3162; Carnegie – 3163; Murrumbeena – 3163)
• Mornington Peninsula (Local Government Area) with a preference for Hastings – 3915

Medicare UCCs provide short term, episodic care for urgent conditions that are not immediately life-threatening and must offer a ‘no wrong door’ approach to all patients, including walk-in patients without the need for appointments. Medicare UCCs are GP led and equipped to treat presentations requiring urgent care, such as minor illnesses and injuries, for people of all ages. They are open 14 hours every day and services must be bulk-billed, resulting in no out of pocket costs to patients.

Medicare UCCs are integrated with local health services and are part of a referral network that ensures patients are directed to the most accessible and efficient services for their need.

Applying for Multiple Medicare UCCs

If a Service Provider wishes to apply for multiple Medicare UCCs in the SEMPHN catchment, they must submit a separate application in eProcure for each Medicare UCC. Each submission must specify the nominated eligible service delivery location.