Emergency and Urgent Care
Call Triple Zero (000) in a life threatening emergency
Choose the right care at the right time
Save the Emergency Department for emergencies.
Urgent care services are:
- staffed by doctors and nurses
- do not always require a Medicare care, appointment or referral
- often free of charge
- generally open each day
Emergency Department
Life threatening emergency
If your condition is serious, or you are experiencing chest pain, call 000 (Triple Zero) for an ambulance.
Urgent Care
Urgent, but not an emergency
Go to your closest Urgent Care Clinic or select from other options listed below:
Other urgent care options
COST |
OPENING HOURS |
CONTACT DETAILS |
||
All Victorian Urgent Care Clinics |
Free for everyone with or without a Medicare Card |
Check site for locations and opening times |
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Ballarat Urgent Care Clinic |
Free for everyone with or without a Medicare Card |
9am to 11pm Every day including weekends and public holidays. NYE and NY day hours might differ |
Medicare Urgent Care Clinic is now at Level 1/1010 Sturt St, Ballarat Central VIC 3350 |
|
VVED |
Free for everyone with or without a Medicare Card |
24 hours, 7 days |
||
Health Direct |
Free for everyone with or without a Medicare Card |
24 hours, 7 days |
1800 022 222 |
|
St John of God Hospital Emergency Department |
An out-of-pocket fee applies to most visits. |
24 hours, 7 days. |
||
Nurse on Call |
Free for everyone with or without a Medicare Card |
24 hours, 7 days |
1300 60 60 24 |
|
National Home Doctor |
Bulk-billed for eligible Medicare card holders. |
Booking lines open
|
13SICK (137 425) |
|
Doctors on Demand |
An out-of-pocket fee applies to most appointments. |
24 hours, 7 days |
- Find your closest medical service on healthdirect.gov.au
- Pregnancy Birth and Baby hotline - 1800 882 436
- Victorian Poisons Information Centre - 131 126
- Mental health support:
- Lifeline 13 11 14 or www.lifeline.org.au
- Beyond Blue 1300 224 636 or www.beyondblue.org.au
Information about Emergency Departments
Emergency Triage
When you come into the ED you will be seen by a Triage Nurse - this nurse is highly skilled and will decide how urgently you need to be seen.
To help make this decision, the Triage Nurse will perform routine checks and will ask about symptoms, and your medical history, including:
- Previous health problems
- Current medications
- Recent overseas travel
- Allergies
- If you are pregnant or breastfeeding
- Other relevant information you think we should know about
You may be asked to sit in the waiting room or you may be taken to another area for treatment.
If you do not need emergency care, the Triage Nurse may also suggest you seek treatment at a service outside Grampians Health.
Waiting times
Emergency Departments are generally extremely busy, and wait times can be hours.
The number of patients in the waiting room does not indicate how busy we are.
If the Triage Nurse suggests an alternative care service, this may save you significant time in our waiting room.
Please note: Our staff will not tolerate any form of violence or aggression.
The waiting room is a busy space with unwell people. Please remember to be quiet and courteous and do not eat or drink in the waiting area.
Leaving / Discharge
You may choose to leave at any time, but please let staff know before you go.
When you leave a hospital after treatment, you go through a process called 'hospital discharge'.
A hospital will discharge you when:
- you no longer need to receive inpatient care and can go home, or
- you need to be sent to another service or facility, or
- if you no longer wish to receive treatment in the hospital.
When it is time to go, please ensure you've collected all your belongings, including x-rays, medications and any medical documents you might need including medical certificates.
If you are picking up someone who is being discharged, please arrive on time. When a patient is not collected on time, the flow of patients through the hospital is interrupted and slowed down.