Save the Emergency Department for emergencies.
Urgent care services are:
Life threatening emergency
If your condition is serious, or you are experiencing chest pain, call 000 (Triple Zero) for an ambulance.
Urgent, but not an emergency
Go to your closest Urgent Care Clinic or select from other options listed below:
Name of service |
Cost of service |
Opening hours |
Contact details |
|
Urgent Care Clinics |
Free |
Check site for opening times |
||
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 |
24 hours, 7 days |
||
Health Direct |
Free |
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 |
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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:
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.
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.
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:
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.