Urgent Care Services
For life-threatening illness and injury including chest pain, stroke, snake bite, serious burns and possible fractures, do not delay! Call 000 for an ambulance.
We offer a 24 hour, 7 days a week Urgent Care Service to the community for the treatment of non-life-threatening medical conditions.
Upon presentation at Heywood Rural Health a nursing staff member will undertake an assessment of the patient’s condition and then provide supportive care prior to referring the patient to the most appropriate health setting if required. The nurse may refer the patient to:
- The local Doctor (if a doctor is available)
- Another local hospital (i.e. Portland District Health, Western District Health Service in Hamilton)
- HRH also have access to My Emergency Doctor, a Telehealth service that provides advice and consultation with the patient and registered nurse.
If required our staff will arrange the patients transfer via Ambulance onto a higher level service such as Portland District Health or Western District Health Service.
The cost of the ambulance transfer is the responsibility of the patient.
Our nurse based Urgent Care Centre does not involve Doctors unless they are available at the time to assist our nursing staff.
Nursing staff cannot admit patients to Heywood Rural Health unless a Doctor is present.
People who are seeking routine medical consultations should directly contact their own Doctor.
Our Nursing staff can assist patients with information on where additional services are available.
Heywood Rural Health’s Urgent Care Centre is a walk-in service for people with minor illnesses and injuries requiring immediate attention outside of normal hours
Urgent Care should only be used for those conditions that require immediate medical attention. If your condition is life-threatening, call 000 for an ambulance.
As an alternative, for AFTER HOURS medical advice, call Nurse-On-Call on 1300 6060 24.
Acute Care
Heywood Rural Health has five acute care beds which provides a vital service for Heywood community, supporting palliative care, sub-acute needs, chronic health conditions or healthcare while awaiting a bed in residential care. The service is a 24 hour service managed by a Registered Nurse.
Our registered and enrolled nurses are supported by our VMOs (Visiting Medical Officers) and Doctors which can be accessed through Telehealth (My Emergency Doctor) when VMOs not available onsite.
Our multidisciplinary team consists of Physiotherapists, Dieticians, Diabetes Educator and Occupational therapist, all provide care and service to inpatients during their hospital stay, maintaining the high quality and safe care Heywood Rural Health provides to the community.
