Reactions to the Walk-In Centre review

I love the service and wish they had one northside as well. At about 4 yesterday I realised I probably had tonsillitis rather than just a cold and needed to get some antibiotics. Almost impossible to get into a GP at that time, so I checked the walk-in centre website and tonsillitis was on the list of treatable ailments. I left my place in the inner north at 5, got there 15 mins later, got a park out the front, was the only person waiting, sat down for about 3mins, saw a nurse and was out by 5.40 and home by 6. Didn’t cost me a cent and I even got antibiotics for free.

Can’t imagine any other GP or clinic would only take up 60mins of my time!

I’ve used the Walk-In Centre a couple of times. Highly recommend the service, and possibly one of the only things Labor has done well.

It’s clean. The nurses are very helpful (they, gasp are English too). Unlike most GP surgeries, they don’t attempt to refer you for X-rays, blood tests and physiotherapy – for a sore throat. Plus, they issue sick certificates, and provide free panadol/gargle/electrolytes.

I’ve waited longer at Woolies Dickson on a Saturday for a checkout, so I can’t complain there either.

Did I mention they don’t bill you for this privilege? No wonder the medical associations are very concerned with this development in health care…BMW leases are expensive don’t you know.

wildturkeycanoe said :

All they can do at the walk in center is pretty much what advice you can get from a chemist. Blood pressure, temperature, general list of Q & A……”well, I think you need to see a doctor about that!”
Considering they can’t give prescriptions and can’t give sick certificates, they are pretty much as useful as the health first phone line. Not to mention, it’s a long way to go from Gunners or Belco.
3/10 for results.

I’ve gotten both antibiotics and sick certificates from them in the past – I’ve always found them quick and very helpful, particularly compared to the waits to see a doctor. Plus it’s free! I give them 8/10 🙂

I remember when suburbs had a free family health centre – full of doctors, nurses, dental and physio services…but that was during/because of the Whitlam years and now most of those centres have been lost to neglect, destruction of medicare bulk billing and lack of funding. People cry about not having access to doctors and fail to see that the vast majority are responsible for the erosion of the system by constantly voting in governments who are against free medical care.

wildturkeycanoe – the Walk in Centre can provide sick certificates – just not a Medical Certificate – what you need depends on your workplace… They can also provide a limited range a medication for you to take home a use – my experience is they provided antibacterial eye drops for my conjunctivitis. They provided this for free, without having to visit a chemist.

They can also do things that are beyond the reach of your chemist – most chemists don’t have an x-ray machine out the back!

Among the leaflets they have is one for drug addicts that promotes homeopathy – produced and printed by a local government funded rehab facility. No government-funded health clinic should be promoting heeby-jeeby alternative nonsense like that. Homeopathy is a total fraud.

I’ve used it twice for the kids – a physical injury – got great service.

The ear infection – normally use CALMs but i read the website and thought they would help. Basically waited 1.5 hours with a sick kid to be given a “harden up princess” and a pamphlet saying that it should go away in a month (and you might vomit a bit or suffer permanent hearing damage). That sorted out the 3 year old right away.

All they can do at the walk in center is pretty much what advice you can get from a chemist. Blood pressure, temperature, general list of Q & A……”well, I think you need to see a doctor about that!”
Considering they can’t give prescriptions and can’t give sick certificates, they are pretty much as useful as the health first phone line. Not to mention, it’s a long way to go from Gunners or Belco.
3/10 for results.

I’ve used the Walk-In Centre a few times. Usually a 20 minute wait, with one or two other people in the waiting room.
Has been mostly for advice re sporting injury or similar, however my partner has been told to go see a Dr as the nurse couldn’t help. We didn’t go to ED – we walked that little bit further and went to CALMS.

The problem with ED is that people go there that should be seen by a nurse or GP – not that people who can’t be ‘sorted’ by a nurse go there.