Christopher Carter, chief executive, North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network
Autumn is a season beloved by sports fans. It’s football time. It’s netball time. It’s soccer time.
And that means it’s also injury time.
Cuts, sprains and fractures are all part and parcel of Australia’s shared love of getting out on a sports field to kick, throw or hit a ball around.
Unfortunately, getting hurt is a fact of life for the thousands of kids and adults who turn out every week for training and matches.
And let’s not forget all those who kick the footy or bounce the basketball in the driveway, only to take a tumble in the heat of the moment.
It used to be that a sprained ankle or wrist mid-game resulted in one of two outcomes: an uncomfortable day or two waiting to see a GP, or several hours sitting in a hospital emergency department.
These days, thankfully, there is a third option: urgent care clinics, or UCCs.
UCCs give you more options to see a GP or nurse when you need care for urgent, but not life-threatening, injuries and illnesses.
Exact details may vary from clinic to clinic, but in general they are open seven days a week across extended hours.
Treatment is free, and there is no need to make an appointment, nor to have a Medicare card.
All UCCs have services such as pathology and imaging either in the same building or nearby. (There might be charges for these.) Each, too, is linked up to a nearby hospital and the ambulance service – so if it turns out you need really serious care really quickly, they can get you there really fast.
The majority of sporting injuries, though, can hurt a bit, but are relatively minor in the scheme of things.
In most cases, the ideal thing to do after a spill on the field (or the driveway) is to go and see your regular doctor or medical centre.
Sometimes, however, that’s not an option because appointments aren’t available as soon as you’d like. So, the next best option is to head for your nearest UCC.
You should think about doing this if you’ve torn a muscle, suspect a minor fracture, or copped an errant elbow.
In our region there are UCCs in Craigieburn, Carlton, Maribyrnong, Melton, Moonee Ponds, Richmond, Sunbury, Sunshine and Werribee.
There are also plenty of others across Victoria – so they are still an option if you get hurt during an away game.
For full details, and to find the UCC nearest to you wherever you are, check out this webpage: betterhealth.vic.gov.au/urgent-care-clinics
The other good options for urgent care are to ring Nurse-on-Call on 1300 60 60 24 or visit the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department at vved.org.au on your computer or smart phone.
And, of course, if it’s a serious injury, don’t delay. Call triple-0 straight away.
And one last message: good luck to you and your team!
