The ACT’s network of nurse-led walk-in centres has not been independently evaluated in 15 years, with the Australian Medical Association saying a long-awaited review must examine their true cost and whether they are easing pressure on hospitals.

While welcoming the ACT Government’s announcement that it will review its nurse-led walk-in centre model, AMA ACT president Dr Kerrie Aust said the model had not been independently assessed since 2011, when Canberra’s first walk-in centre had been operating for just one year.

“Doctors in the ACT have been calling for this review for many years, so it is encouraging to finally see the government commit to examining the model in detail,” Dr Aust said.

The 2011 review, conducted by the Australian National University, found the first walk-in centre achieved high patient satisfaction but did not reduce demand on emergency departments. It also raised questions about the service’s cost-effectiveness and supported the model only within a narrow, protocol-driven scope.

There are now five walk-in centres operating across Canberra and the role of nurses working in them has expanded to include prescribing medication, imaging-supported assessments and broader urgent care, including treatment for very young children.

Dr Aust said the current model was significantly different from the one examined more than a decade ago.

“The model operating today is very different from the one reviewed in 2011,” she said.

“Any assessment must take account of how both the scale and scope of walk-in centres have changed, and what that means for patient safety, continuity of care, and overall health system costs.”

AMA ACT has called for transparent reporting on the cost of operating the centres, including the cost per episode of care and how that compares with treatment delivered in general practice.

Dr Aust said the review should also examine concerns about fragmented care when patients receive episodic treatment outside an ongoing relationship with a general practitioner.

“There are legitimate concerns about what happens when patients receive episodic treatment outside an ongoing relationship with a general practitioner, and how this may contribute to missed diagnoses, duplication and inappropriate prescribing,” she said.

She said the review must go beyond patient satisfaction and provide clear evidence about whether the model was cost-effective and delivering value for the ACT health system.