When Should You Take Your Child to Urgent Care?

When is Urgent Care suitable for children?

Urgent care may be suitable when your child is unwell or injured and needs medical assessment today, but their symptoms are not life-threatening. Parents may seek medical assessment for concerns such as:

• Fever with discomfort, worsening symptoms or poor fluid intake
• Coughs, sore throats, ear pain or respiratory symptoms
• Vomiting, diarrhoea or signs of dehydration
• Cuts, wounds, minor burns, bites or rashes
• Sprains, strains, falls or suspected fractures
• Pain that is not settling with usual care
• Urinary symptoms or tummy pain that needs assessment

Seek medical advice promptly if your child has a fever with other concerning symptoms, such as vomiting and poor fluid intake, a rash, ongoing pain, a temperature above 40°C or symptoms that are getting worse.

When should I take my child to Emergency?

For life-threatening symptoms, call 000 or attend your nearest Emergency Department. Call 000 or seek Emergency care immediately if your child:

• Has severe or difficult breathing
• Is very drowsy, floppy, unresponsive or hard to wake
• Has pale, blotchy or blue skin, especially around the lips
• Has a seizure
• Has a rash that does not fade when pressed
• Is becoming seriously unwell very quickly
• Has major trauma or a severe burn

Severe dehydration also needs hospital assessment. Warning signs can include sunken eyes, cold hands, mottled skin, extreme tiredness or passing very little urine.

Urgent Care help for vomiting, diarrhoea & dehydration

Vomiting and diarrhoea can lead to dehydration quickly, especially in babies and young children. If your child is still drinking, passing urine and alert between episodes, small amounts of fluid given often may help keep them hydrated.

Medical assessment may be needed if your child cannot keep fluids down, is passing less urine than usual or is becoming more tired.

Go to the nearest Emergency Department if your child is under three months old and has vomiting with a fever, is vomiting frequently and cannot keep fluids down, has very reduced wet nappies, severe stomach pain, green vomit, blood in their vomit or poo, or severe head or neck pain.

SmartCare UrgentCare can assess children with vomiting, diarrhoea and possible dehydration when symptoms are urgent but not life-threatening.

What to expect when you bring your child to Urgent Care

Your child’s visit may include a health history, observations and an examination, with questions about symptoms such as pain, fluid intake, breathing, injury or fever.

Based on your child’s symptoms and assessment, the Emergency Specialist-led team may recommend treatment, wound care, medication, imaging, pathology or follow-up.

On-site X-ray, CT, ultrasound and pathology are available if needed during assessment, and these diagnostics are bulk billed for eligible Medicare card holders.

Walk-in Urgent Care for families in Springfield

SmartCare UrgentCare is located at Shop 8, 95 Southern Cross Cct, Springfield Central QLD 4300. Walk-ins are welcome, with no appointment necessary.

For families across Springfield, Ripley, Ipswich and surrounding South-West Brisbane communities, having walk-in urgent care nearby can help when your child needs medical assessment today but it is not an emergency.

Urgent Care FAQs about children