Reopening of Mount Gambier Urgent Care Clinic announced
07 Oct 2025
Relief may be coming for the South Australian town of Mount Gambier, where GP staff faced increased abuse linked to pressures on local healthcare services.
The town’s Urgent Care Clinic (UCC) will reopen, Federal Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing Mark Butler confirmed last week.
The previous UCC closed in June, and following the closure, staff reported a spike in abuse from patients, according to employees speaking to newsGP in August.
The reopened clinic will be operated by the local Hawkins Medical Clinic after a tender process managed by Country South Australia Primary Health Network. The UCC is expected to start seeing patients in the coming months, once building works are completed.
Minister Butler said the clinic will help reduce pressure on Mount Gambier and Districts Health Service, noting that more than 47% of emergency presentations in 2023–24 were for semi-urgent or non-urgent conditions.
Jessica Bilal, practice manager at Village Medical Centre, said the announcement is “a welcome development for our community.” She added that the reopening should ease the burden on local emergency departments and general practices by allowing patients to access care more quickly.
“We have strong confidence that Hawkins will make it a success,” she said.
The reopening aims to restore local access to urgent care and improve working conditions for GP staff.
Source: newsGP
