A paediatric clinic at the Monash Children’s Hospital will open next month.
The clinic will reduce demand on the hospital system by preventing avoidable visits to the emergency department.
The state government announced on Thursday 25 August the opening of the Monash Clinic alongside a clinic near Royal Chikdren’s Hospital, which started taking patients on 29 August.
The two clinics will see a combined 150 patients per week, according to a state government media release.
While children can continue to be seen at any of Victoria’s GP respiratory clinics, these two new paediatric-focused
clinics will allow kids with low to moderate symptoms to receive free and immediate treatment for a range of
respiratory conditions in a more child-friendly environment.
The clinics will be free, with or without a Medicare card. They will be open seven days a week, with weekday opening hours running from approximately 6pm to 11pm and weekend hours to be confirmed.
Telehealth options will be available for COVID positive patients or those unable to travel to a clinic, and children are still able to be seen at existing respiratory clinics – many of which are open seven days a week with extended operating hours.
The clinics will be staffed by qualified clinicians, including GPs and nurses, who are highly experienced in working with children and providing immediate support to their patients.
Hospital emergency departments are still seeing a high number of respiratory illnesses among children, which can be expected to continue as spring approaches, when cases of hay fever will be on the rise and the risk of thunderstorm asthma increases.
“Kids with respiratory illnesses are presenting to emergency departments in record numbers, and with spring just
around the corner, we know demand for these services will continue,” premier Dan Andrews said.
“These clinics are part of our plan to ease pressure on Victoria’s health system and ensure that all Victorians can
access the care they need, sooner, and closer to home.”
