24/7 emergency care available at St John of God Geelong Hospital

4 Feb 2020

4 February 2020

The hospital’s emergency department is now open 24/7, offering local patients an alternative to the public emergency department when they need urgent care.

St John of God Geelong Hospital Chief Executive Officer Stephen Roberts said extending the emergency department’s opening hours would enable the hospital to provide more care to the region.

“The extended opening hours will offer the community more choice and access to urgent healthcare when they need it and help reduce the pressure on the busy public emergency department," he said.

Mr Roberts said the emergency department offered a premium service for those looking for urgent care with rapid access to high quality onsite diagnostics and, if needed, admission to hospital.

“We provide expert, experienced care from senior doctors for emergencies, including chest pain, sports and orthopaedic injuries, pregnancy complications and paediatric conditions,” he said.

The hospital’s emergency department, which is located in central Geelong off Myers Street, has been providing emergency care to the community since it opened in 2014.

“We are excited that we are now able to extend this care to provide more healthcare options no matter what time of the day and night, on weekdays and weekends alike,” he said.

“Extending our opening hours is another demonstration of our commitment to continue providing healthcare services in Geelong.”

Accessing St John of God Geelong Hospital’s Emergency Department

• Patients do not need a referral to access the emergency department, and they can ask to be taken to the hospital by ambulance.
• The private emergency department enables patients to choose to be seen and sorted sooner by experienced emergency doctors for $210. Additional fees for pathology and radiology tests may apply.
• The private ED provides care for all medical emergencies, excluding major trauma, mental health care and acute strokes which continues to be provided by Barwon Health.
• Patients do not need to have private health insurance to access our emergency department.