Urgent and after hours care

This page is intended for GPs in the Southern Adelaide catchment area and lists urgent care, after hours care and hospital avoidance services. Please note that most of these services are accessible via clinician referrals only, and are not accessible directly to the general public.

GPs and GP Practice staff seeking support in navigating the non-ED service information below can contact the SALHN Out of Hospital Nurses on 0481 902 546, 7 days a week, 8.00am to 4.00pm (hours may vary depending on staff availability).

A handy GP information fact sheet (PDF 333KB) has also been developed, specifically for General Practitioners, to assist with navigating these services. (Last updated August 2023, including Early Pregnancy Unit.) 

    

Emergency Departments

The SA Health Dashboard provides real time average waiting times for each Emergency Departments.

Child and Adolescent Virtual Urgent Care Service - For GPs

The Child and Adolescent Virtual Urgent Care Service (CAVUCS) provides clinical advice for GPs via (08) 8161 8207 (GP only direct phone number) or via WCHN switchboard (08) 8161 7000.

CAVUCS also provides video telehealth consultations for children aged 6 months up to 18 years 7 days a week from 9.00am to 9.00pm for children who otherwise would need to attend ED. Patients can register online.

If you are concerned about a child (aged over 3 months) with COVID, you can contact CAVUCS for advice. Otherwise your patient (if aged over 6 months) can have a video telehealth appointment with the doctors at CAVUCS. More complex care will require support from the COVIDKids specialist service. This document helps assess the appropriate management pathway for patients under 18 years with current COVID-19 infection.

My Home Hospital

GPs can now refer patients to My Home Hospital, a public hospital-level service that delivers medical care to patients in the comfort and privacy of their own homes. The service is available at no charge to eligible public patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week across the metropolitan Adelaide area, Gawler and Mount Barker regions and their surrounds.

Mt Barker area map and postcodes

Patients may be eligible if they have a condition requiring acute hospital-level care, including but not limited to:

  • infections requiring IV antibiotics (eg cellulitis)
  • exacerbation of COPD
  • pneumonia
  • chronic heart failure
  • post-operative care
  • supportive cancer treatment
  • DVT and PE
  • other conditions for which in-home care is considered safe and appropriate

To make a referral, please call 1800 111 644, 7 days a week.

  • Between 8.00am and 8.00pm, a member of the My Home Hospital team will collect basic patient identifiers and demographics. They will then transfer your call directly to the admitting medical officer who can discuss the patient’s individual needs with you, including clinical requirements and the person’s home environment. During this conversation, the medical officer will accept or decline the referral, and discuss their clinical reasoning. Any required documentation, such as medication list can then be forwarded, without the need to fill in the referral form.
  • Between 8.00pm and 8.00am, a Care Coordinator (senior registered nurse) will talk through next steps. At this stage, a referral form will still be required to support the referral  (PDF and RTF templates available on the My Home Hospital page).

If you have questions regarding eligibility or want to confirm any details of the service, you can call 1800 111 644 at any time, 24/7, 365 days a year or refer to the My Home Hospital page.

Priority Care Centres

The Priority Care Centres (PCC) provide community-based healthcare and treatment for eligible patients who would otherwise be seeking a service from an SA Health Emergency Department.

  • Marion PCC – 0466 698 616 (clinician referrals only)
    • open Mon-Sunday and Public Holidays, 10.00am to 8.00pm
  • Mt Barker PCC – 0428 719 656 (clinician referrals only)
    • open Mon-Friday, no Public Holidays, 10.00am to 6.00pm

The Centres are led by GPs with additional support from nursing staff specially trained in acute care, onsite pathology, radiology and pharmacy. Cases need to be discussed by the PCC nurse or GP prior to transfer to the PCC. See General Practitioner Pathway to PCC (DOC 280 KB).

Transport to/from the PCC may be arranged when discussing with the PCC.

CARE

The Complex and RestorativE (CARE) service has been specifically designed to improve care for older patients by providing alternative treatment pathways to Emergency Departments (ED) where emergency care is not required.

The CARE service can deliver same day hospital level care to appropriate non-emergency older people, either in their homes or at the CARE centre based at the Repat Health Precinct (six treatment spaces within the Bangka Strait Ward).

The CARE team is staffed by specialist geriatric, nursing and allied health staff, with partnership with SA Ambulance Service (SAAS).

GPs can refer to CARE Services by phone only
Phone: (08) 7425 0340 (clinician referrals only)

Inclusions:

  • Patients aged 65 or above, 50 years or above for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
  • Frail with geriatric syndrome
  • Not requiring input from other medical or surgical specialist teams

Common referral cases:
Urgent falls assessment, urgent radiological investigations like CT or Xray , urgent allied health review to maintain the functional capacity at home , BPSD reviews, routine blood transfusion or iron infusion

Location: 
Gate 6, Repatriation Health Precinct, Daws Road, Daw Park
See CARE Service Location Map (PDF 670KB)

Opening hours:

  • CARE Centre - 8.00am to 10.00pm, 7 days a week. Note: triage closes at 7.00pm with last patient arrival 7.30pm.
  • Home visits (Eyes on Scene team) – 8.30am to 8.00pm, 7 days a week.

More information:

High Risk Foot Service

The Southern Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHN) High Risk Foot Service provides a multi-site high-risk foot service for individuals at risk of/with current foot ulceration or amputation.

For urgent referrals and access to same day review, please contact the High Risk Foot Co-Ordinator on 0403 937 758 (clinician referral only). Outside of business hours, please contact the Vascular registrar on call via switch 08 8204 5511.

Urgent referrals may include:

  • Foot wound deep to tendon/bone
  • Foot wound in the absence of pedal pulses
  • Foot wound not healing after 4 weeks of appropriate treatment
  • Known or suspected acute Charcot neuroarthropathy
  • Local foot infection (eg cellulitis/osteomyelitis)

See also: 

Medical Ambulatory Care Services (MACS)

The MACS Clinic is open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.00pm.

The clinic was created to meet the needs of patients requiring emergency access to medical care but who can be managed safely in the community. It is staffed by the SALHN General Physician team and is located within the Noarlunga Health Precinct.

Patients need to be referred (this is not a walk-in service) and referrals are triaged daily. Please call the MACS number 0466 439 479 during operational hours to discuss urgent cases.

Metropolitan Referral Unit

The Metropolitan Referral Unit (MRU) provides a single point of contact for referral to a range of hospital avoidance and early supported discharge services. Services regularly accessed by General Practitioners and Practice nurses include:

  • IV antibiotic therapy - including cannulation
  • Short term wound care
  • Blood Transfusion - low risk
  • Other Nursing/ Midwifery care and allied health, personal care services directly related to immediate hospital avoidance.

Referrals are accepted by telephone or fax.

Metropolitan Referral Unit page (includes forms)

Hours: 8.00am to 8.00pm, 7 days a week including public holidays
Ph: 1300 110 600
Fax: 1300 546 104

SA Virtual Care Service (SAVCS)

The SA Virtual Care Service (SAVCS) provides a virtual, personalised assessment of Residential Aged Care Facility (RACF) patients. Aged care facility residents who may otherwise go to an emergency department for consultation, can now receive timely clinical assessment in the comfort of their residence. Virtual care is delivered by senior medical, nursing and paramedic staff working together to provide health navigation and virtual clinical consultation.

SAVCS is available every day of the year, from 8.00am to 10.00pm. 
RACFs involved in this project are able to access the service by accessing the link on their dedicated CARE smart phone/tablet.

To register your facility for access to Virtual Care:

Phone: 7117 4900
Email:  health.savirtualcareservice@sa.gov.au 
Website: sahealth.sa.gov.au/virtualcareserviceRACF

Mental Health Emergency

For assistance in a mental health emergency, contact the mental health triage service on 13 14 65 available 24/7 – Metropolitan and Country SA.

This service is the main point of access for mental health services and is staffed by mental health clinicians. It will assess and refer to acute response teams where appropriate.

Urgent Mental Health Care Centre (UMHCC)

The Urgent Mental Health Care Centre (UMHCC) is located at 215 Grenfell Street, Adelaide (Ph: 8448 9100) and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including public holidays.

The UMHCC uses a combination of peer-led recovery and clinical support to provide high-engagement support in a calm, 'lounge room like' space to help with urgent mental health needs as an alternative to going to hospital emergency.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this service, people need to be:

  • aged over 16
  • experiencing a mental health crisis
  • willing to attend the UMHCC*.

          * Sections 56/57 but who choose the UMHCC for assessment and are likely to stay.

Exclusion criteria

  • People under an Involuntary Treatment Order
  • People administered intramuscular medication in the management of acute symptoms prior to arrival at the UMHCC 
  • People aged 16–17 years under a section 56/57

Resources for referrers


Women’s Assessment Service – Early Pregnancy Unit (EPU)

The Early Pregnancy Unit is a service provided within the Women’s Assessment Service (WAS) for women experiencing pelvic pain and/or vaginal bleeding in early pregnancy (<14 weeks)

Hours and Location:
Mon-Fri 7am till 9.30pm (Last patient accepted at 8pm)
Flinders Medical Centre, level 4 (4B) Front entrance, Koala Lifts

Phone: WAS front desk 8204 4645 - Fax: 8204 5829

How to refer:

The EPU provides scheduled appointments as well as unplanned reviews.

  • Written referral is required and should be faxed to 8204 5829. Please include all relevant investigations, bloods and scans.
  • Clinically stable women can be seen in scheduled appointment times.
  • Assessment can be escalated by contacting WAS directly.

The EPU will provide clinical review and management as indicated, for instance Bloods +/- USS.

Common presentations include:

  • Confirmed viable intrauterine pregnancy with sudden onset of pelvic pain and vaginal bleeding (Threatened Miscarriage)
  • Confirmed miscarriage on US requiring management
  • Suspected Ectopic Pregnancy with inappropriately rising BHCG
  • Retained Products of Conception following medical/surgical Termination of Pregnancy or incomplete miscarriage.


Yarrow Place Rape and Sexual Assault Service

Yarrow Place is located at 64 Pennington Terrace, North Adelaide (ph: 1800 817 421) and provides free and confidential service for people aged 16 years and over at the time of the sexual assault, their significant others (family and friends who want to support them), and young people 12-25 years under Guardianship (at time of referral) who are absconding from care and/or at risk of sexual exploitation.

Services include:

  • 24-hour crisis response service for recent rape or sexual assault. This can involve support from a social worker, and medical care by a doctor or nurse
  • Medical care for victims of rape and sexual assault can include: treatment for minor injuries, health checks for pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, treatment for anxiety, sleeplessness, or other issues arising from the assault
  • Collecting evidence from the body of the person who has been assaulted (forensic medical examinations for people who want to take legal action).


Discontinued services


  • Noarlunga Walk-in After Hours Mental Health Service – Finished 30 June 2023
  • GP Respiratory clinics (Reynella, Adelaide Central, North Eastern, and Athelstone) – Finished 28 February 2023



HealthPathways SA

Information is also available on the following HealthPathways SA pages (obtain login):