Patient safety
When to seek urgent care
This page is here to help you know what to do if you become more unwell — whether that means calling 000, seeing your GP today, or visiting an urgent care clinic.
Call 000 now if any of these happen
These are medical emergencies. Call Triple Zero (000) for an ambulance, or go to the nearest emergency department — even if you have one of these conditions and are used to feeling unwell, because these signs are different:
- Chest pain or pressure, or pain spreading to the arm, jaw or back
- Severe difficulty breathing, gasping, or blue lips
- A severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis): swelling of the tongue, throat or lips, difficulty swallowing, noisy or difficult breathing, wheeze, or sudden collapse — use your adrenaline auto-injector (EpiPen) first if you have one, then call 000
- Signs of stroke — FAST: Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, Time to call 000
- Fainting with injury, a faint different from your usual, or being unable to be roused
- A sudden severe headache unlike any before, a first-ever seizure, or new confusion
- Coughing up blood, vomiting blood, or black/tarry stools
- A calf that is painful, swollen and warm, especially with breathlessness or chest pain (possible clot)
- Thoughts of harming yourself, or feeling you may not be safe
If you are not sure whether it is an emergency, treat it as one. It is always okay to call 000.
If it is urgent but not a 000 emergency
Sometimes you are more unwell than usual and need advice or to be seen today, but it is not immediately life-threatening. Please know that our clinic is usually not the right place for urgent problems — we run a long waitlist, we do not admit patients to hospital, and we do not provide urgent or after-hours consultations. The everyday urgent-care services below are staffed around the clock and can examine you, run tests and prescribe.
Who to contact, and when:
| Service | Best for |
|---|---|
| Triple Zero — 000 | Life-threatening emergencies and the red flags above. Ambulance. |
| healthdirect — 1800 022 222 | Free 24/7 advice from a registered nurse — call any time you are unsure what you need or where to go. (South Australia is covered by healthdirect.) |
| A GP | First contact for most new or worsening problems — infections, medication issues, new pain, mental health, referrals, sick certificates. Not all practices can offer same-day appointments, so call ahead; if your usual GP cannot fit you in today, another practice or a bulk-billing urgent care clinic may be faster. |
| Medicare Urgent Care Clinic | Walk-in, bulk-billed care for problems that can't wait for a GP but aren't emergencies (infections, minor injuries, suspected minor fractures). No appointment or referral; longer hours. |
| Emergency Department | Serious or worsening symptoms needing urgent assessment or tests — including any red flag. |
| After-hours GP / pharmacist | After-hours doctor services can visit or call in the evenings and on weekends. Your pharmacist can advise on medicines and minor ailments. |
Reasons to seek same-day care even without a red flag
- A fever with shaking, a productive cough, burning or bloody urine, or any sign of infection — infections can be more serious and slower to clear with these conditions.
- New or much worse shortness of breath, or a racing/irregular heartbeat that is different from your usual.
- Unable to keep any fluids down for many hours, or signs of dehydration (very little urine, dizziness lying flat, confusion).
- A joint that has dislocated and will not go back, or a dislocation with numbness, coldness or loss of colour in the limb.
- A crash so severe you cannot get to the toilet, drink or care for yourself and there is no one to help.
- A new symptom that frightens you or that you cannot explain — being unsure is reason enough to get advice.
What our clinic can and cannot help with during a flare
- We cannot provide urgent, same-day or after-hours care, and we do not see patients in hospital. For anything urgent, use the pathways above (GP, healthdirect, urgent care clinic, or ED / 000).
- For emergencies, always call 000 rather than the clinic — even in business hours, an ambulance will reach you far faster than we can.
- Non-urgent questions about your ongoing care with us — planning, results we have ordered, or reviewing your management once a flare has settled — are exactly what we are here for. You are welcome to contact the clinic to request a sooner appointment, or send an enquiry via the website contact form or directly to [email protected]. Please allow up to 7 days for a response.