MEDIA RELEASE

5th February 2022

Private emergency care first for Central Coast Residents

In a Central Coast first, Spring Emergency Centre is now offering access to private emergency medicine care for adults and paediatrics.

The service will mean that patients seen through the adult or paediatric emergency centre located on Henry Parry Drive in Gosford, can then be admitted to Tuggerah Lakes or Gosford Private Hospitals for ongoing in-patient care.

According to Emergency Specialist/Consultant and CEO of Spring Medical Group Dr Gabriel Akra, this service mean locals can seek rapid urgent care with minimal wait times.

“Emergency care is a field of practice based on knowledge and skills required for the prevention, diagnosis and management of acute and urgent aspects of illness and injury,” he said.

“I’m thrilled to be able to then admit patients into our local private hospitals for ongoing care” “This is critically important, especially in the current climate as public health emergency departments continue to experience pressure.

“Patients who come through the Spring Emergency Centre won’t need to wait in an Emergency Department for hours for a bed or to be admitted if their care requires it, we can arrange for their admission to either hospital so they can continue to receive medical care in a private setting.”

The Spring Emergency Centre is classed as an outpatient clinic and there are fees for service. Private health insurance is not required for treatment at the Spring Emergency Centre but it is relevant for ongoing care at the Private Hospitals if and when applicable.

Tuggerah Lakes Private Hospital CEO and Director of Clinical Services (DCS) Jennifer McNamara said this marked a new frontier in the provision of urgent and non-life threatening emergency care for residents of the Central Coast.

“As Tuggerah Lakes continues to grow in the services and volume of procedures available, we are focused on improving accessibility to high quality, personalised care for the community on the Northern end of the Central Coast,” Ms McNamara said.

“Supporting providers like Spring Medical Group ensure that health care is accessible for the entire community, which includes offering different ways to access the right care, when people need it most.”

According to Healthe Care Head of Regional Operations – North, Matt Kelly, this is an important step forward in providing the broader Central Coast community with access to the right care, where and when they need it most.

“By supporting the team at Spring Medical Group, who manage the centre, we are able to provide residents with ongoing care in the private health care setting,” Mr Kelly said.

“This arrangement is one of a number of exciting steps we are taking in 2022 to ensure that our local community can access the exceptional care they deserve locally.

To learn more about Spring Emergency Centre visit: www.springemergency.com.au . If you require urgent or emergency non-life threatening care, contact Spring Emergency Centre via 02 4307 8488.

About Dr Gabriel Akra

Dr Akra is a FACEM - Fellow of the Australian College of Emergency Medicine. He has qualifications in Paediatric Emergency Medicine and has extensive Emergency Medicine/Trauma experience, previously fulfilling roles in Hospital Emergency Departments in the UK and Australia including Mount Gambier, Kalgoorlie and Bunbury Hospitals in Western Australia as well as Albury Wodonga Health, Gosford and Wyong Public and Westmead Children's Hospital.

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