Carlton clinic goes fully bulk-billed

Carlton’s Medicare Urgent Care Clinic has become 100 per cent bulk-billed, with local patients already responding strongly to the change.

Federal MP for Melbourne Sarah Witty visited the Carlton Medical and Urgent Care Clinic at 221 Drummond St on July 7 to mark the milestone, touring the facility with staff before cutting a special Medicare card-themed cake.

The clinic, which opened in December 2023 as the Inner Melbourne Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, provides walk-in care for urgent but non-life-threatening conditions and is designed to help take pressure off nearby hospital emergency departments, including the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Ms Witty said the move to full bulk billing would make it easier for local residents to access healthcare without being deterred by cost.

“When you’re sick, you shouldn’t have to struggle to find a doctor,” Ms Witty said.

“That’s why the Albanese government is making the biggest ever boost to Medicare so that you can see a doctor for free.”

She said the clinic had already seen a clear increase in demand since moving to 100 per cent bulk billing.

“In their first week of bulk billing they got an extra 150 patients,” Ms Witty said.

“That is 150 people who may not have been going to the doctor beforehand.”

The Drummond St clinic is open for extended hours, seven days a week, and treats patients who need urgent care but do not require an emergency department. 

Typical presentations can include minor burns, cuts, infections, sprains and other non-life-threatening injuries or illnesses.

The clinic was established with support from the Federal Government as part of a broader rollout of Medicare Urgent Care Clinics across Victoria and Australia.

Ms Witty said she was proud to be part of a government “making such huge investments into our health”.

For inner-city residents, the shift to full bulk billing means patients can access urgent care at the Carlton clinic with their Medicare card and without an out-of-pocket cost. •