Today, we were pleased to officially open the newest Commonwealth-funded Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Penrith, together with Federal Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman, representing Federal Health and Aged Care Minister, The Honourable Mark Butler.

Kate Tye - Executive Manager Primary Care Development, Wentworth Healthcare; Lizz Reay - CEO, Wentworth Healthcare; Kyle Gibbs - Head of Nursing, Cornerstone Health (UCC Project Lead); Susan Templeman MP Member for Macquarie (Representing The Hon Mark Butler) and Henry Bateman - CEO, Cornerstone Health. 

After an open tender process, we commissioned Cornerstone Health to establish the service in Our Medical Penrith, 2227 Wolseley Street, Jamisontown, located at the Penrith Homemaker Centre.

This new service will offer an additional layer of healthcare support to our community, bridging the gap between primary and acute care for people with urgent, non-life-threatening illnesses or injuries that can’t wait for their usual GP. It will provide timely access to healthcare without the need for an appointment, leaving emergency departments for those who need it most.

The Clinic will accept walk-ins (with no need to call ahead) from 8:00am - 8:00pm, seven days a week, 365 days a year, and will treat minor illnesses and injuries such as fractures, wounds (or injuries requiring stitching) burns, leg ulcers, gastro, conditions requiring IV treatment, urinary tract infections (UTIs), ear, nose and throat infections, flu, bronchitis, rashes, small abscess needing drainage and more. All services are free for Medicare cardholders, and patients will have access to a team of healthcare professionals.

However, it is important to stress that Urgent Care Clinics do not replace the need for people to have a regular GP, who should always be the first point of contact for urgent care, if available, and ongoing healthcare needs, including vaccinations, preventative health screening, mental health care plans and chronic disease management.

Having a regular GP means that they get to know their patients, their medical history and their lifestyle over time, allowing them to better consider their overall health and preventative care needs. Developing an ongoing trusted relationship with a GP means that it can also make it easier for patients to discuss any concerns they have about their health.

While the launch of this new service is exciting, Urgent Care Clinics are only part of the solution to easing emergency department presentations and we believe that more improvements to the primary care system, aligning with the 10 Year Primary Health Care Plan, are needed.

As a PHN, we support models of care that preserve the relationship between a patient and their regular GP and continue to advocate for solutions that address primary healthcare workforce shortages, particularly in our region, and for further investment into new and innovative funding models, that will make general practice more sustainable.


Lerinda Gale - Urgent Care Nurse, Cornerstone Health; Dr Peyman Rasipouroskouie Urgent Care GP ( to see first urgent care patient today); Susan Templeman MP Member for Macquarie (Representing The Hon Mark Butler) and Henry Bateman - CEO, Cornerstone Health. 


Henry Bateman - CEO, Cornerstone Health, Susan Templeman MP Member for Macquarie (Representing The Hon Mark Butler), Kyle Gibbs - Head of Nursing, Cornerstone Health; Lizz Reay - CEO, Wentworth Healthcare and Lerinda Gale - Urgent Care Nurse, Our Medical Penrith.


Lizz Reay - CEO, Wentworth Healthcare; Henry Bateman - CEO, Cornerstone Health; Lerinda Gale - Urgent Care Nurse, Cornerstone Health; Dr Louise Armstrong - Clinical Lead GP, Our Medical Penrith; Kyle Gibbs - Head of Nursing, Cornerstone Health and Susan Templeman MP Member for Macquarie (Representing The Hon Mark Butler).