Updates

Nov 5, 2024 

Armidale Urgent Care Service Update

Despite extensive recruitment efforts by our team and the PHN over the past six months, the Armidale Urgent Care Service has been unable to secure the necessary healthcare staff to re-open and will therefore cease operations.

We recognise the ongoing challenge of attracting and retaining healthcare professionals. We remain committed to exploring future opportunities and models of care that could enhance access to healthcare services.

For urgent but non-life-threatening conditions, the Armidale community can continue to access primary healthcare services through Healthdirect, available 24/7 at 1800 022 222. Healthdirect’s specialist staff triage conditions and recommends the most appropriate options for care, including virtual and telehealth services.

Please note that our general practice UNE Life Healthcare Centre will continue operating as usual.

For more information about UNE Life Healthcare Centre, please contact:
Alahna Fiveash, UNE Life Marketing & Communications
Phone: 0497 846 319 | Email: afiveas2@une.edu.au

August 5, 2024 

Armidale Urgent Care Service Update

As announced by NSW Health, the Armidale Urgent Care Service (UCS) has temporarily paused from Monday 5 August 2024. This directly reflects ongoing workforce challenges in the availability of General Practitioners (GPs) within our region.

Attracting and retaining healthcare professionals in rural and regional areas is a well-documented challenge. We are actively recruiting to address these workforce issues and are committed to resuming the Service as soon as possible.

We recognise the inconvenience this temporary closure will cause and appreciate the community’s patience and understanding as we work towards reopening. In the interim, patients can continue to seek medical assistance via Healthdirect; please call 1800 022 222.

The Armidale UCS is delivered in partnership with the Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network (PHN). We will keep the community updated on our progress and plans for reopening.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding.

“We want to get the UCS back up and operating as soon as possible. The healthcare needs of our community are our top priority, and we are working diligently to overcome recruitment challenges and resume providing urgent care as soon as possible.” David Schmude – CEO UNE Life

For more information about Urgent Care Services, please contact:
Primary Health Network Phone: 1300 859 028 | Email: info@thephn.com.au

For more information about UNE Life Healthcare Centre, please contact:
Alahna Fiveash, UNE Life Marketing & Communications
Phone: 0497 846 319 | Email: afiveas2@une.edu.au

July 1, 2024 

UNE Life Introduces Armidale Urgent Care Service 

UNE Life is excited to announce the introduction of the Armidale Urgent Care Service at the UNE Life Healthcare Centre (formerly UNE Medical Centre). This service was officially announced on Friday, 28 June 2024, by the Minister for Regional Health as part of an Urgent Care Service rollout in NSW. 

The Armidale Urgent Care Service is an additional offering to our everyday General Practitioner services and is accessible by appointment.

The Armidale clinic is not a walk in service. Should you require urgent health care please call Healthdirect at 1800 022 222. A registered nurse will triage the call and determine the appropriate method of care. This may include an appointment at the Armidale Urgent Care Service, a telehealth appointment with the virtualKIDS or virtualGP services, or escalation to other services like NSW Ambulance if required. 

Healthcare provided at the Armidale Urgent Care Service is bulk billed. This service is available to Medicare cardholders and community-based asylum seekers. The service does not provide routine general practice service, or ongoing care, patients should see their regular GP for follow up. 

We are proud to be part of this initiative, working closely with the Hunter New England – Local Health Districts, Armidale Hospital, Laverty Pathology, Armidale Ultrasound, and other partners. This service aims to provide the Armidale community with timely access to non-emergency healthcare, helping to reduce unnecessary trips to the emergency department. 

We are beginning with a staged strategic rollout and may expand our hours as demand increases. 

The Armidale Urgent Care Service is delivered in partnership with the Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network. 

For more information about Urgent Care Services, please contact:
Primary Health Network Phone: 1300 859 028 | Email: info@thephn.com.au

June 25, 2024

UNE Medical Centre Transitioning to UNE Life Healthcare Centre

Over the past seven years, UNE Life has managed the UNE Medical Centre on behalf of the University. Starting from June 25, 2024, UNE Life is transitioning to full ownership of the Centre. This change will provide the Centre with more support and flexibility, allowing us to offer new and improved services to our community.

Rest assured, it will still be the same Centre with the same dedicated staff and the same high level of care, just with a fresh new look and enhanced capabilities.

For more information about UNE Life Healthcare Centre, please contact:
Alahna Fiveash, UNE Life Marketing & Communications
Phone: 0497 846 319 | Email: afiveas2@une.edu.au

August 14 2023

We’re pleased to announce the addition of three new general practitioners to our team

New doctors are set to join our practice by September, this will help to redress the workforce shortage that has been affecting the Armidale area for some time.

• Dr James Marshall – General Practitioner, Male, FRACGP, MBBS, FARGP
• Dr Jennifer Daws – General Practitioner, Female, FRACGP, MBBS, MRCGP(UK), DRCOG(UK)
• Dr Mandana Arshi – GP Registrar, Female, PhD, MD, FCPCA

“It’s a genuine pleasure to be able to share the news of arriving GPs to the community after months of recruitment challenges. I am immensely grateful to our staff, our patients, and our communities for their dedication and unwavering support during what has been an unprecedented challenge in regional health. We are fully committed to strengthening the rural workforce and ensuring that our community will have access to the critical healthcare services they need and deserve.” – David Schmude, CEO, UNE Life.

For more information about UNE Life Healthcare Centre, please contact:
Alahna Fiveash, UNE Life Marketing & Communications
Phone: 0497 846 319 | Email: afiveas2@une.edu.au

January 20, 2023

Departing staff

As you may know, the UNE Medical Centre is soon to see the departure of three of our valued team members, Dr Rajib Das and Dr Dipa Bhowmik, and Practice Nurse Tanya Alcorn, who will all be leaving from Friday January 20th, 2023.

Dr Das & Dr Bhowmik have been with the UNE Medical Centre since 2015 and in this time, have developed extraordinary relationships with both colleagues and patients alike. Their dedication to the Centre and to their patients has remained evident, perhaps at no greater time than throughout the exceptional challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic where it played a key role in the Centre recently being presented with two significant awards – the Primary Health Network’s “Patients First Award”, and the Australian Financial Review’s “Higher Education Award for Community Engagement”. Rajib & Dipa will be greatly missed, and we wish them and their family the very best in their new endeavours.

Tanya Alcorn has remained an invaluable part of the UNE Medical centre for over twenty years and has consistently delivered outstanding nursing service to UNE students, staff, and the wider community. Following her enormous contribution to the success of our COVID-19 vaccination clinics throughout 2021, Tanya has been between Armidale and central Australia where she has been pursuing her passion of working with remote communities. She will return to the Northern Territory later this month on a permanent basis, however with Armidale remaining “home”, we certainly hope to see her again in the future.

We owe Rajib, Dipa & Tanya a debt of gratitude for their contributions over the years.

Where to from here?

Over the past several months, the UNE Medical Centre has been actively attempting to recruit new doctors to meet existing and new patient needs.

As has been highly publicised, the current workforce shortages in the health sector remains a significant challenge and although will continue our vigorous search for new staff, we ask that you bear with us while we have reduced capacity.

Rest assured, we will provide further updates once we have information on new doctors coming on board.