Know the facts: Where do I go if I don’t need to visit Emergency?

When you wake up in the middle of the night with shortness of breath, or have a rash that just won’t go away, how do you know when you should seek emergency care?

Knowing when to visit the Emergency Department versus seeking appropriate healthcare elsewhere, not only helps ensure you receive timely treatment, but also reduces the pressure on emergency services.

While our Emergency Departments are always available for people who need them, there are other healthcare options available to those with less urgent symptoms.

By turning to satellite health centres, urgent care clinics, your local GP or telehealth services, patients can receive timely treatment while also helping to reduce overcrowding in emergency rooms.

As Queenslanders, we are lucky enough to have ready access to high-quality free healthcare and anyone who attends a hospital needing emergency care will receive it.

A hospital staff’s primary responsibility and number one priority is delivering high-quality care to their patients.

However, appropriate health care is not always found in an Emergency Department.

How can I find out where to go to get the right treatment for my condition?

Most of us aren’t experts in assessing our health conditions which can make it tricky when choosing where to go to get treatment.

In addition to hospital emergency departments, you can access healthcare advice and treatment close to home, or even without leaving your home!

So how do you know what's right for you?

If you’re unsure, Queenslanders can call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) to access free health advice from a registered nurse or jump online and use the healthdirect online symptom checker.

What happens when I call 13 HEALTH?

When you’re feeling sick, even if you’re not sure about your symptoms, calling 13 HEALTH is a great alternative to visiting your local GP or hospital.

The confidential phone service provides health advice 24 hours, 7 days a week to all Queenslanders from a registered nurse.

Qualified health staff can give you health-related advice over the phone and an assessment of symptoms, a recommendation of a time and place of care, and how quickly you should act. The advice is confidential, professional and supportive.

The service provides immediate, evidence-based healthcare information and referral to other health care providers which is targeted to the appropriate level and location of care.

Registered Nurses importantly educate callers and guide them to appropriate care and estimate symptom urgency, rather than diagnose the cause of the symptoms.

While 13 HEALTH provides qualified health advice, it is not a diagnostic service and should not replace medical consultation. It is always important to remember that in an emergency always call Triple Zero (000).

What is the healthdirect online symptom checker?

If you’re not up for talking on the phone, you can go online and use the healthdirect online symptom checker.

The symptom checker asks simple questions about your condition before directing to the service that’s right for you.

It can include recommending services such as going to you nearest emergency department, local GP, nearby urgent care clinic or the Virtual Emergency Care Service.

Should I just wait until I can get an appointment with my GP?

A great first point of contact for your non-urgent medical needs is your local GP.

This option has proven health advantages, including the ability for your doctor to treat a whole range of illnesses, provide health screening and give health advice.

GPs also get to know you and your family over time and can provide care that's right for you, so it is important to chose one you are comfortable with and trust.

You can see your GP to treat you for:

• illnesses
• minor injuries
• ongoing care if you have a chronic condition
• care during pregnancy
• health care for children

You can also see your GP for preventative health and wellbeing services, such as:

• health advice
• prescriptions for medicines
• health screening, such as cervical screening or blood pressure checks
• vaccinations
• care if you're feeling overwhelmed or anxious

If you need, your GP can also give you a medical certificate, a certified medical document or report an injury.

If my GP is closed, can I go to my local pharmacist?

Your local pharmacist is qualified to do a lot more than just fill your prescription; they can also answer questions about your medications, give you advice about minor health problems, help promote your health and wellbeing, and tell you if you need to see a doctor.

Community pharmacists can offer you a range of services beyond dispensing medication, such as offering:

• vaccination programs
• screening for some health conditions
• wound care
• treating urinary tract infections
• witness signing of some documents

Good communication with your pharmacist can also improve your health and ensure that your medical conditions are well-managed.

What is a satellite health centre? Is it a hospital?

Satellite health centres are not hospitals.

While they both provide urgent healthcare, Minor Injury and Illness Clinics which are located at satellite health centres are for urgent treatment of conditions not anticipated to be life-threatening.

Deciding whether to visit a Minor Injury and Illness Clinic or an Emergency Department will depend on how severe your injury or illness is.

You can visit a Minor Injury and Illness Clinic at a satellite health centre if your condition is non-life-threatening, this may include:

• fever, coughs, cold
• earache
• infections
• rashes
• minor eye issues
• broken bones
• minor head injury
• minor burns

Open every day with no appointment needed, Minor Injury and Illness Clinics provide walk-in urgent care for illnesses and injuries not anticipated to be life-threatening in nature. This service is free for Medicare Card holders.

The clinic is run by a team of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals experienced in treating urgent medical needs who can assess, diagnose and treat a wide range of minor injuries in adults, adolescents and babies older than three months of age.

Minor Injury and Illness Clinic’s also provide services including:

• onsite x-ray
• ECG
• wound care
• plastering and limb immobilisation.

Minor Injury and Illness Clinic teams also work closely with the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS), so if your illness or injury can be cared for at the clinic, the QAS can take you there.

What counts as a life-threatening condition?

Emergency or life-threatening illnesses and injuries require immediate medical attention and management by an emergency department or hospital.

Symptoms include:

• chest pain or tightness
• breathing difficulties
• uncontrollable bleeding
• severe burns
• poisoning
• numbness or paralysis
• unconsciousness
• unresponsiveness
• seizures
• ongoing fever in infants.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should call Triple Zero (000) or go straight to your nearest emergency department.

What is considered urgent care but doesn’t require emergency care?

Urgent care is when you need medical attention for an illness or injury that can be managed without a trip to the emergency department but cannot wait for a regular appointment with a GP.

Urgent Care Clinics provide acute episodic care and treatment that does not require a hospital admission, including:

• minor infections
• minor fractures, sprains, sports injuries and neck and back pain
• urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
• minor cuts
• insect bites and rashes
• minor eye and ear problems
• respiratory illness
• gastroenteritis
• mild burns.

Where else can I go to access healthcare without an appointment?

Walk-in nurse led clinics

Nurse-led walk-in clinics cater for adults and children over two years of age who need treatment for minor injuries and illnesses. They’re free and you don’t need a Medicare card.

These clinics include nurse practitioners, clinical nurse consultants and clinical nurses who can assess, diagnose and treat people, and also manage acute and chronic health conditions.

Nurses treat a range of conditions, including:

• fevers, coughs and colds
• earache, tonsils and sore throats
• infections and rashes
• minor eye issues
• minor cuts and burns
• minor head injuries
• strains and sprains
• gastro and UTIs.

If further care is needed, the clinic will refer you other services including an emergency department, GP or mental health service.

Virtual Emergency Care Service

The Virtual Emergency Care Service, or Queensland Virtual Hospital, provides immediate care online for Queensland residents and visitors by telephone or video conferencing.

It is free and no Medicare card is required, so is great for those visiting the sunshine state or if you can’t make an urgent appointment with your GP.

Available from 8am to 10pm, seven days a week, the online service encourages users to try the virtual service first and to use a checklist to see if the service can help, or whether a visit to emergency is warranted.

This online service allows you to access care for conditions that require immediate attention but are not life threatening, such as:

• acute respiratory illnesses
• allergic reactions
• infections
• burns
• fevers
• gastro
• vertigo
• other conditions

Telehealth provides access to virtual unplanned and emergency care from the comfort of your home, providing an alternative to physically attending an emergency department.

Medicare Urgent Care Clinic

You can visit a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic for bulk-billed treatment for illnesses and injuries that are urgent, but not life-threatening.

The federally-funded clinics provide urgent health care in a GP setting, so you don’t need to wait at your local emergency department.

When to go to Emergency

While it is important to know where you should go when you have urgent and non-urgent health care needs, it is equally as important to know when you should call triple zero (000) or go to the Emergency Department.

In all of the state’s emergency departments, patients are seen in order of medical priority, ensuring that those with the most critical needs are treated first, regardless of arrival time.

Emergency or life-threatening illnesses and injuries require immediate medical attention and management by an emergency department or hospital.

Symptoms include:

• chest pain or tightness
• breathing difficulties
• uncontrollable bleeding
• severe burns
• poisoning
• numbness or paralysis
• unconsciousness
• unresponsiveness
• seizures
• ongoing fever in infants.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should call Triple Zero (000) or go straight to your nearest emergency department.

Deciding whether to go to an emergency department depends on how serious your injury or illness is.

You don’t need to go to an emergency department for things like removing stitches, sprains and strains or bites and stings.

If you're not sure you can call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) and speak to a registered nurse 24 hours a day. They’ll help you decide what care you need.

How is my local emergency department or Minor Injury and Illness Clinic is performing?

The Queensland Government’s new Open Hospitals website enables Queenslanders to see median wait times and performance of the state’s major emergency departments and satellite health centres.

The data is updated every 15 to 30 minutes to ensure the latest wait time information is available.

The easy-to-understand information on the website also helps people if they are not sure what health service they need, and if they should be going to an emergency department.

People can now find information on the website about when to go to emergency, or when to call 13 HEALTH.

The median wait time listed on the Open Hospital website is a standard measure used to report on performance and is calculated on the time between a patient being triaged to when a patient commences treatment.

It is not indicative of the total time a patient may spend being treated at an emergency department or Minor Injury and Illness Clinic and should not be relied on in an emergency or life-threatening situation. In these circumstances, Queenslanders should always call Triple Zero (000).

It is important to recognise that the Queensland Health Open Hospitals website is not intended to provide guidance on which facility a consumer should attend in an emergency; consumers should always call Triple Zero (000) in an emergency and ask for an ambulance.

To go to Emergency or not go to Emergency? That is the question

Queensland’s Emergency Departments are always there for those in urgent need.

However, choosing the right healthcare option for you not only ensures you receive essential and timely treatment, it also helps maintain the efficiency of our healthcare system.

By considering alternatives like clinics, GPs, urgent care centres, and telehealth services for non-emergencies, you not only ensure appropriate care for yourself but also help reduce pressure on busy emergency rooms.

Because at the end of the day, understanding your options empowers you to get the right care, at the right place, at the right time.

If you or the person with symptoms has any of the following, call Triple Zero (000) immediately: