GP Helpline:
Last updated on 31 May 2023
The GPFirst programme encourages patients with non-urgent conditions to first seek treatment at GPs rather than at the acute hospital's Accident & Emergency Department (ED). Should the GPs assess that patients require onward referral to either an Urgent Care Clinic (UCC) or an ED for acute interventions, patients will be referred to the nearest appropriate UCC/ED. Upon arrival at the UCC/ED, patients will be given queue priority over other less urgent cases and $50 off the prevailing UCC/ED fees to offset the charges they had incurred at the GP clinic.
In this way, the programme seeks to shift care from the hospitals to the community and reduce the demand for acute hospital services for non-urgent conditions. GPFirst also aims to foster closer cluster-GP relationships and empower GPs to manage a wider variety of non-urgent medical conditions through continuing professional development in acute care, further enabling the appropriate siting of acute care within the community.
For general administrative or clinical enquiries, GPs may reach out to the participating acute hospitals through the channels found here .
Examples (non-exhaustive) of conditions that generally do not need urgent laboratory, radiological investigations, or emergency procedures/treatment
Minor Trauma/Mild Orthopaedic/Mild Musculoskeletal Conditions:
Stable Exacerbations of Chronic Disease:
To determine if a referral is appropriate and eligible for $50 off the prevailing UCC/ED fee, UCCs/EDs will utilise the following appropriateness algorithm.
Under GPFirst, patients will pay the prevailing hospital ED fees less $50 if referred through the GPFirst Programme.
As an existing scheme offering patients a discount on their ED bill, GPFirst will be applicable to both enrolees and non-enrolees, with no differentiable benefits between them.