The Australian Government has chosen a provider for the Gold Coast Medicare Urgent Care Clinic (UCC), which will begin serving patients on 13 November.

The Medical Home Gold Coast in Oxenford, Queensland, will open as a Medicare UCC, operating seven days a week with extended hours.

It will provide fully bulk-billed walk-in care in an effort to ease the burden on the Gold Coast University Hospital, where more than 40% of patients require non-urgent or semi-urgent treatment.

The selection of the Medicare UCC's provider came after an expression of interest.

The Gold Coast clinic is part of a network of 11 Medicare UCCs spread throughout Queensland.

The other clinics are located in Bundaberg, Cairns, Ipswich, Logan, Northern Brisbane, Murrumba Downs (Redcliffe), Rockhampton, Southern Brisbane, Toowoomba and Townsville.

The Australian Government will continue working with Primary Health Networks and the Queensland government to ensure the remaining Medicare UCCs can all open by the end of this year.

Australia's Health and Aged Care Minister Hon Mark Butler said: “The Gold Coast Medicare UCC is going to make a big difference to patients across the Coast.

“This clinic means Gold Coast residents who need urgent but not acute care, can get it quickly even if it’s outside standard hours – and all they’ll need is their Medicare card.

“We’re committed to strengthening Medicare and making it easier and cheaper to get quality healthcare, by tripling the bulk billing incentive and making medicines cheaper.”

Earlier this week, the Australian Government announced it had chosen a provider for the Bundaberg Medicare UCC following an expression of interest process.

This came after the opening of Medicare UCCs in Tamworth, Hobart, Elizabeth and South Brisbane.

The government has also combined the Medicare UCC network with Canberra Health Services’ Walk-in centres in an effort to address a wider range of medical conditions.