Temporary service changes at Bicheno Medical Centre

Posted on 17th January 2025
The Bicheno Medical Centre is making some temporary changes to how it supports the community, between Monday 20 to Monday 27 January 2025.

The Bicheno Medical Centre is making some temporary changes to how it supports the community, between Monday 20 to Monday 27 January 2025.

Due to GP shortages, we are temporarily reducing our service offering.  

What does this mean for the Bicheno community?  

  • There will be no GPs available in person at the Centre from Monday – Thursday.
  • A very limited number of GP consultations will be provided via telehealth and supported by a nurse if required.
  • Out-of-pocket costs may be higher to access services.  
  • Wait times may be longer than usual. 
  • You may need to travel to a provider in a nearby region to access the healthcare you need. 
  • Our Client Service Officers and Nurses will work hard to identify the best way for you to have your healthcare needs met during this period. 

We can provide a limited number of virtual GP appointments with Tasmania-based GPs between Monday 20 to Monday 27 January.

Our team will be available to support you and connect you to the care you may need. 

If you have an appointment booked during this time with a psychiatrist, your appointment will proceed as usual. If you need to reschedule, please contact us as soon as possible on (03) 6375 1455. 

As we will have very limited availability, it’s possible you may need to travel to a provider in a nearby region to access healthcare.

If you have private health insurance, please check with your provider as they may offer a telehealth GP service.

HealthDirect
If you wish to find out about other treatment options visit healthdirect.gov.au or call 1800 022 222 for trusted health advice 24/7.

St Helens District Hospital and Community Centre
10 Annie Street, St Helens TAS 7216
Type of support: 4 bay Outpatient and Emergency service.
Other services include
in-patient beds, Radiology and community nursing. 
Approx. travel time (driving) from the Bicheno Medical Centre: 1 hour 
Contact: (03) 6387 5570 

St Marys Community Health Centre
15-17 Gardiners Creek Road, St Marys TAS 7215
Type of support: Outpatient and Emergency service.
Other services include n-patient beds and community nursing.
Approx. travel time (driving) from the Bicheno Medical Centre: 45 minutes
Contact: (03) 6387 5555

Launceston Urgent Care Clinic
215 Wellington Street, Launceston TAS 7250
Approx. travel time (driving) from the Bicheno Medical Centre:
2-2.5 hours from Bicheno

Hobart Urgent Care Clinic (business hours)
Level 1/242 Liverpool Street, Hobart TAS 7000
Approx. travel time (driving) from the Bicheno Medical Centre:
3-3.5 hours from Bicheno

Hobart Urgent Care Clinic (after hours)
71 Bathurst St, Hobart TAS 7000
Approx. travel time (driving) from the Bicheno Medical Centre:
3-3.5 hours from Bicheno

Swansea General Practice and Urgent Care Centre
37 Wellington Street, Swansea TAS 7190
Type of support:General Practice available Monday to Friday. 2 bay Urgent care facility available 24/7.
Approx. travel time (driving) from the Bicheno Medical Centre: 45 minutes from Bicheno
Contact: 
(03) 6257 8205

We recommend you call the provider in advance to ensure they have availability to support you. If you need our help to understand the best place to seek support, please call the Bicheno Medical Centre on (03) 6375 1455. 

You are welcome to call our team at reception for more information.
Phone: (03) 6375 1455
 

We acknowledge these changes may be disruptive and apologise for any inconvenience caused during this time. If you would like to share feedback about how the changes are impacting you, please choose one of the options listed on our ‘feedback’ webpage:  https://www.cohealth.org.au/contact-us/give-feedback/ 

Feedback allows us to understand the impact of this service reduction on community and can assist with our efforts to improve access to care for the community. 

Yes, you are welcome to call our team at reception for more information or to book an appointment from Tuesday 28 January onwards. We will do our best to find a time to book your appointment or connect you to the support you need.  

Phone: (03) 6375 1455 

The health of our community is important to us. We are doing everything we can, to return to our usual service offering, and appreciate your patience and understanding during this time. 

We can provide a limited number of virtual GP appointments with Tasmania-based GPs between Monday 20 to Monday 27 January.

We will have a Locum GP available on Friday 24th January and from Tuesday 28 January – 31 January. Our usual GP returns from leave on 2 February 2025We are also actively recruiting to find more GPs to work with cohealth and provide support to the Bicheno community. 

Workforce shortages are just one of the challenges faced by healthcare providers in rural and remote communities. For the past few years, cohealth has been working alongside community to deeply understand the barriers to good health in rural and remote areas.  

We have codesigned a place-based integrated model of primary health care, that will ensure health care is local, visible, connected and accessible for all. The model also creates a more supportive working environment for GPs and other health professionals and addresses several workforce recruitment and retention issues.  

We are actively seeking the funding and partnership arrangements required to implement the new model. 

More information: https://www.cohealth.org.au/about-us/what-we-do/improving-primary-healthcare-in-tasmanias-east-coast/ 

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