Flu or cold symptoms? When to go to a GP, urgent care clinic or emergency department

That's the message the government is sending this flu season, a time when experts say hospitals tend to be the busiest, and wait times blow out. While managing cold and flu cases is a national health concern, one state is taking a particularly strong stance, urging people to avoid the emergency room unless their lives are at risk. On Monday, just under 10,000 people presented to emergency departments in Sydney, which the NSW health minister has described as the "biggest ever recorded winter day in history". Professor Paul Griffin from the University of Queensland School of Medicine told SBS News that while numbers will vary between states, this time of year is often busy nationwide. Across Australia, Griffin said healthcare services were seeing presentations of flu and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), as well as an increase in COVID-19 cases. While these can be concerning conditions, an emergency room will always prioritise the most severe health conditions first, Griffin explained. "If you don't need to go to your emergency department, it does free up valuable resources for them to be able to deal with more emerging cases," he said. "There are a number of viable options for people that have conditions that are a little bit less urgent, and that's why we want people to make sure that they understand where the best place for them to go really is." It can depend on your symptoms and any underlying health conditions. The Australian government has outlined three broad categories of care — routine, urgent and emergency — each with varying symptom severity, encompassing flu symptoms as well as broader conditions. Most health issues can be addressed through routine care, which for many people means their GP. Griffin said GPs are not only a good touchpoint for receiving care when sick but can also help you prepare a plan ahead of potential illness. They can provide health checks, vaccinations and offer family and individual health advice. "If it's something that you're not feeling needs urgent attention, then your GP is often the best place to start to get the care that you need," Griffin said. If you start experiencing symptoms like chest pain or feel like a respiratory illness is worsening, you may want to consider going to an urgent care clinic (UCC) or the hospital. "If you're breathing okay, even drinking okay, not systemically unwell, your GP is a really good place to start. If any of those things aren't the case, then I'd have a very low threshold for presenting to hospital," Griffin said. "Whereas those urgent care clinics are really good for handling things that aren't imminently life-threatening and unlikely to require an admission to hospital." Since 2023, the government has launched 137 urgent care clinics across the country. "Medicare UCCs help reduce pressure on our hospitals and emergency departments, allowing them to focus on higher urgency and life-threatening conditions," a spokesperson for the Department of Health told SBS News. Groups of people who are at highest risk for severe disease with respiratory viruses are Australians at the extremes of age: young children and older adults. Griffin said that people who also have other medical conditions can be at further risk of illness. "If you have a number of medical problems and you're an older adult and you get one of these respiratory viruses, it can certainly fairly rapidly progress to severe disease," he said. Chronic heart conditions, lung conditions, metabolic conditions, diabetes and kidney problems can all contribute to a worsening illness. "So understanding that risk, being proactive in having seen your GP or specialist before and having a plan is a really good way of managing the winter," Griffin said. If you're not sure what kind of care is best for you, Griffin advised contacting a service such as Queensland's 13 HEALTH hotline or an after-hours GP for advice on the best escalation plan at the time. The Australian government — through its free 1800MEDICARE service — also provides 24/7 health advice from registered nurses and connection to the right care, such as your regular GP, the local hospital or a Medicare UCC. "In the after-hours period, and if clinically appropriate, callers may be offered a phone or video consultation with a 1800MEDICARE GP," the health department spokesperson said. Griffin said planning ahead with your GP is a great way to prepare for the winter flu season, as navigating complicated health services when you're sick can feel like an insurmountable task. It's also not too late to vaccinate against common viruses. "That includes influenza, and everyone should have one of those every year," Griffin said. "For COVID, if you're high risk, it's probably every six to 12 months. But most people should get a COVID-19 vaccine once a year. "And now with RSV vaccines being available, I'd certainly encourage anyone over 50 with medical problems or everyone over 70 to have had an RSV vaccine." <b><i>download our app</i></b> <b><i>subscribe to our newsletter</i></b>