Half the patients using Mark Butler’s urgent care clinics as alternative to GPs, evaluation suggests

An interim independent evaluation of the UCCs appeared on Thursday.
Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler (left) with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Half of patients who went to one of the Federal Government’s urgent care clinics used it as an alternative to general practice rather than ED, an interim analysis suggests.

Under a policy that will cost over a billion dollars, the government has set up 87 urgent care clinics (UCCs) since 2023, with 50 more promised going into the federal election on 3 May.