One million patients and counting for St John Urgent Care

St John Health is celebrating a major milestone in October, with its Urgent Care centres hitting one million patients.  

The milestone marks a significant moment for a service that began a decade ago and has grown to six Urgent Care centres across the metropolitan area. 

From sporting injuries and broken bones to cuts, burns and infections, St John Urgent Care provides an alternative for people who need unplanned medical care that cannot wait for a routine appointment but does not require an emergency department. 

St John’s Medical Director – Community, Dr Jamie Stewart, said reaching one million patients was an opportunity to recognise the many people who had helped build and grow the service. 

“I hope our people feel a real sense of pride in the quality of care we provide and what we’ve built over the years,” Jamie said. 

“We’ve been in this space for a long time, and we’ve continued to refine and develop the way we work to provide safe, high-quality care.” 

Urgent Care also plays an important role in the broader health system by providing another pathway for lower-acuity injuries and illnesses and helping reduce pressure on busy hospital emergency departments. 

An innovative new public-facing online dashboard gives patients an indicative wait time for each St John location, too. 

St John Health’s Head of Urgent Care, Dr Mo Ashfaq, said the model offered patients convenient access to treatment while helping many avoid a trip to hospital. 

“For patients, Urgent Care is incredibly convenient and can save them hours waiting in an emergency department,” Mo said. 

“Every day we see patients who we can treat safely and effectively, without them needing to go to hospital.” 

The service has changed significantly since St John’s first Urgent Care centres opened in 2016. 

What began with GPs and nurses has evolved into a unique, broader clinical model incorporating specialist urgent care nurses, nurse practitioners and emergency physicians. 

And with on-site radiology, patients can access imaging for a range of injuries and illnesses without having to go elsewhere for an X-ray. 

“When we started, it was just a handful of people working together to get the service up and running,” Jamie said. 

“Today there’s an entire team and support network behind St John Urgent Care.  

“When you look at how far the service has come, it’s pretty impressive.” 

With locations in Cannington, Cockburn, Joondalup, Kelmscott, Midland, and Osborne Park, St John Urgent Care is also expanding into Perth’s western suburbs, with a new centre in Claremont set to open in July 2027. 

And while one million patients is worth celebrating, the team is already thinking about what comes next. 

“One million patients is an incredible milestone, but we’re already looking ahead to the next million,” Jamie said. 

“Urgent Care is now an established part of the healthcare landscape in Western Australia, and we want St John Health to continue to be a trusted part of that.” 

Mo said the growth of the service over the past decade showed just how far it had come. 

“It’s taken us 10 years to care for one million patients,” he said. 

“Hopefully, we’ll reach the next million in half that time.” 

Learn more about St John Urgent Care.