Urgent Care Built for Veterans, When You Need It, Where You Need It.
Australian Veteran Health Services and SmartCare UrgentCare have partnered to give the Defence community in Greater Springfield and Ipswich direct access to Emergency Specialist-led urgent care, without the emergency department wait.
Call SmartCare UrgentCare: 1300 893 183
Emergency Specialist-Led Care
Two Services, One Mission: World-Class Healthcare for Those Who Served.
If you’re a veteran, a current serving member, or a Defence family member in the Greater Springfield and Ipswich region, your healthcare just got stronger.
Australian Veteran Health Services (AVHS), founded by veteran medical officers, provides comprehensive primary care, specialist treatment, mental health support, and DVA claims assistance for the Defence community. AVHS knows your service history, understands the system, and charges no fees to veterans.
Located in the Springfield Central precinct alongside AVHS, SmartCare UrgentCare provides Emergency Specialist-led care directed by Fellows of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine. Their team brings extensive experience from both public and private emergency departments, with several practitioners also offering direct expertise in Defence and military health.
Together, AVHS and SmartCare have formed a shared care partnership so that when something urgent comes up between your regular AVHS appointments, you have somewhere to go, right away, with the clinical depth to properly assess and treat you, and the communication pathways to keep your AVHS care team fully informed.
This is not a walk-in convenience clinic. This is Emergency Specialist-led urgent care, purpose-built for presentations that are genuinely time-sensitive, backed by same-day diagnostics, clear hospital escalation pathways, and a direct line back to your AVHS team.
When Should You Go to SmartCare UrgentCare?
Not every health concern can wait for your next AVHS appointment, but not every concern needs an emergency department either. SmartCare UrgentCare fills that critical gap.
SmartCare Is Right for You When:
- You’ve got a sudden flare-up of pain; back, joints, muscles, or an old service injury playing up badly
- You’ve had a fall, sprain, or possible fracture
- You’re experiencing non‑life‑threatening chest pain or heart‑related symptoms requiring same‑day assessment.
- You have an acute infection; respiratory, urinary, skin, or ear/throat
- You’ve sustained an eye injury or sudden vision change
- You need an urgent wound assessment; cuts, lacerations, or signs of infection
- You’re experiencing a severe migraine or sudden headache
- You have a fever that’s not settling or getting worse
- You need same-day imaging (X-ray, CT scan, or ultrasound) or blood tests to work out what’s going on
- You’re experiencing acute situational mental health concerns requiring same‑day clinical assessment
When to Call 000 Instead
SmartCare treats urgent presentations that are not immediately life-threatening. If you or someone you’re with is experiencing a medical emergency, loss of consciousness, severe chest pain with difficulty breathing, stroke symptoms, uncontrolled bleeding, or serious self-harm, call 000 immediately.
If you’re unsure, call SmartCare on 1300 893 183 and the team can help you decide the right level of care.
Why SmartCare Instead of the Emergency Department?
Emergency departments are designed for life-threatening emergencies. For presentations that are urgent but not life-threatening, an ED visit often means long waits, limited follow-up, and no communication back to your regular care team.
At SmartCare, you’ll be seen by an Emergency Specialist, the same calibre of doctor who leads emergency departments, but in a focused, efficient setting where your presentation gets dedicated attention. You’ll have access to CT scans, X-rays, ultrasound, and pathology on the same visit. And because of the AVHS partnership, your results and clinical summary go directly to your AVHS care team, so nothing falls through the cracks.
How to Access SmartCare UrgentCare as an AVHS Patient
Getting urgent care through SmartCare is straightforward. There are three ways in:
- Walk In Directly
SmartCare UrgentCare is a walk-in clinic, no appointment or referral needed. Simply present to the clinic during opening hours and let reception know you’re an AVHS patient. Bring your DVA card (Gold or White) if you have one.
SmartCare UrgentCare
Shop 8, 95 Southern Cross Cct
Springfield Central QLD 4300
Open 7 days a week, 10am – 8pm - Call SmartCare First
If you’re not sure whether your concern warrants urgent care, or you’d like to let the team know you’re coming, call ahead on 1300 893 183. SmartCare’s team can guide you on whether to come in or suggest the most appropriate level of care.
- Your AVHS Team Can Refer You
If your AVHS GP, nurse coordinator, or specialist identifies something during a consultation or health check that needs urgent investigation; a worrying blood result, an acute finding, or a sudden change in your condition, they can refer you directly to SmartCare for same-day or next-day assessment. Your AVHS team will contact SmartCare to brief them on your presentation, so the clinical handover starts before you even arrive.
Care That Understands The Defence Community
Both AVHS and SmartCare UrgentCare are located in Springfield Central, one of Australia’s fastest-growing communities and home to one of the country’s largest veteran populations. The Greater Ipswich region is home to more than 14,000 ex-serving ADF members, and RAAF Base Amberley, one of Australia’s most significant Defence bases, is just a short drive away.This isn’t a coincidence. AVHS chose Springfield Central because this is where the Defence community lives, works, and raises families.
AVHS was founded by veteran medical officers who served in the ADF. SmartCare’s Emergency Specialists include doctors with direct Defence and military health backgrounds. When you walk into either clinic, you’re not explaining your service from scratch. You’re speaking to people who understand the demands of military life, the injuries that accumulate, the mental health load, and the way the system works.
For serving members at RAAF Base Amberley, Defence families in Springfield, and veterans across the Ipswich corridor, this partnership means genuinely local, genuinely expert urgent care that connects seamlessly with your ongoing veteran health services.
DVA Cards, Fees, & What You Need to Know
If you hold a DVA Gold Card, you are covered for all clinically necessary healthcare services. If you hold a DVA White Card, you are covered for treatment of your accepted conditions.
SmartCare UrgentCare is a private billing clinic. Fees may apply depending on your presentation and DVA card status. On-site pathology and imaging (X-ray, CT, ultrasound) are bulk-billed for eligible patients.
When in doubt, call SmartCare on 1300 893 183 and ask. The team is here to help you get the care you need without unnecessary barriers.
Emergency Specialist-Led Care
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a referral to go to SmartCare UrgentCare?
Is SmartCare covered by my DVA card?
Will my AVHS doctor know I went to SmartCare?
What if SmartCare finds something that needs hospital care?
What if SmartCare finds a condition that might be related to my service?
I'm at RAAF Base Amberley. How far is SmartCare?
SmartCare is in Springfield Central, approximately 20 minutes from RAAF Base Amberley by car. AVHS is in the same precinct.