Rural urgent care centres are a key entry point into the Victorian healthcare system for people living in small rural communities. Patients may receive definitive care at a rural urgent care centre, whereby all treatment required at the time has occurred. That is, care that meets their clinical needs and is within scope of the clinician and the rural health service is provided. Alternatively their healthcare needs may require referral to their general practitioner or transfer to a higher level of care at a larger health service or a specialist/tertiary metropolitan health service.
Urgent care centres: Models of care toolkit
The Models of care toolkit informs the ongoing development of rural urgent care centre models of care and the way health care is delivered in the rural urgent care setting. The models of care are multidisciplinary and multifaceted. All models are required to meet the Victorian Government’s performance standards and clinical governance framework, which incorporate both quality and safety standards.
This resource will assist rural health services in the development and review process of urgent care by providing a description of the current models of care operating in rural urgent care centres and the issues that must be considered when implementing these models in a rural health service setting.
Regional trauma services
Victorian regional and rural trauma services are categorised into three descending levels of care that service rural and remote communities.
These are:
• regional trauma services
• urgent care services
• primary care services.
Regional and rural trauma services also provide patient transfer to a major trauma service (MTS) through Adult Retrieval Victoria.
Regional trauma services (RTS) are located in major regional centres and receive appropriate referrals from surrounding catchment areas, providing a regional focus in trauma management.
RTS provide resuscitation and stabilisation of major trauma patients prior to their transfer to an MTS. They also provide definitive care for a limited number of major trauma patients where their injuries are assessed, in agreement with an MTS, as not requiring a transfer.
Urgent care services - trauma
Urgent care services (UCS) are located in small rural communities where higher levels of trauma care are not available.
UCS provides initial resuscitation and a limited stabilisation capacity prior to early transfer to an RTS or MTS.
Primary care services - trauma
Primary care services (PCS) are located in small rural communities and provide limited resuscitation prior to early transfer to an RTS or MTS.