CTP doctors for people hurt on Port Macquarie-Hastings roads, by telehealth from Kendall to Comboyne or in person, with Certificates of Fitness and treatment plans.
Mid North Coast
Car accident doctor for the Port Macquarie-Hastings area: CTP injury care
Last updated , 9 min read
Seeing a CTP doctor in Port Macquarie-Hastings usually starts with a telehealth call at home, whether home is central Port Macquarie, Lake Cathie or Long Flat. Some injuries, such as a suspected fracture after a motorbike crash, need examining in person, and we arrange that care. A CTP consultation records what the crash did to you, sets out a treatment plan and covers the Certificate of Fitness, which forms part of the claim. We'll also talk you through the funding side. The CTP insurer generally pays for treatment that is reasonable and necessary for your accident injuries; it decides what's approved, and its decisions can be reviewed.
Port Macquarie's population is older than the NSW average, and holiday periods add visitors to the beaches and to the Camden Haven towns of Laurieton and North Haven. Older drivers and passengers can take longer to settle after even a modest crash, and neck, back and shoulder pain may build over the days that follow. Much of the local driving happens on the Oxley and Pacific highways and along Ocean Drive. For people inland at Ellenborough, Rollands Plains or Beechwood, a telehealth assessment saves a long drive while you're sore.
On this page8 sections
Local road safety
Where people are hurt on the roads in the Port Macquarie-Hastings area
Transport for NSW crash records for 2020 to 2024 count roughly 750 people hurt or killed on roads from Dunbogan up to Telegraph Point and west into the hills. The Oxley Highway, which joins the city to Wauchope before heading into the ranges, had the most crashes, ahead of the Pacific Highway, with Ocean Drive third and Hastings River Drive fourth. Motorbike riders were involved in over a fifth of crashes, and their injuries often include fractures, shoulder and knee damage and gravel rash. Pedestrians and cyclists turn up less often in the figures but are more exposed when they do. Around one crash in four was in a 90 km/h or faster zone. Many of the rest were lower-speed knocks on town streets, the sort that can leave whiplash which stiffens later.
| Year | Crashes where someone was hurt | Killed | Seriously injured | All casualties | All recorded crashes (including tow-away crashes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 110 | 2 | 56 | 147 | 151 |
| 2021 | 133 | 9 | 52 | 170 | 178 |
| 2022 | 99 | 1 | 37 | 124 | 158 |
| 2023 | 127 | 6 | 68 | 167 | 169 |
| 2024 | 114 | 2 | 55 | 146 | 153 |
| 2020 to 2024 | 583 | 20 | 268 | 754 | 809 |
Roads and streets with the most crashes where someone was hurt
- 1.Oxley Highway104 crashes
- 2.Pacific Highway75 crashes
- 3.Ocean Drive59 crashes
- 4.Hastings River Drive35 crashes
- 5.Comboyne Road15 crashes
Localities where people were hurt most often
Localities as recorded by Transport for NSW. A crash near the council boundary can carry the name of a locality next door.
- 1.Port Macquarie218 crashes
- 2.Wauchope38 crashes
- 3.Sancrox31 crashes
- 4.Lake Innes28 crashes
- 5.Lake Cathie19 crashes
Road-user mix. Of the 583 crashes where someone was hurt in 2020 to 2024, 22% involved a motorcycle, 6% a pedestrian, 4% a bicycle, 3% a heavy vehicle and under 1% an e-scooter (a crash can involve more than one). Crashes in speed zones of 90 km/h or more made up 25% of the total.
Main roads through the Port Macquarie-Hastings area
- Pacific Highway
- Oxley Highway
- Hastings River Drive
- Ocean Drive
Source: Transport for NSW, NSW Road Crash Data 2020 to 2024 (open data). Casualty crashes by LGA of crash. View the dataset (opens in a new tab)
First steps
After a crash in the Port Macquarie-Hastings area: getting checked and recorded
Call 000 straight away if anyone is seriously hurt. When it's safe, note the other vehicle's rego, the driver's name and their insurer, and take a few photos. If police didn't come out, report the crash so the claim has a police event number. Then have your injuries checked and written down, even ones that seem minor, because early notes carry weight with the insurer. Whoever insures the at-fault vehicle for CTP handles the claim. A video call with one of our doctors works from home, be it a North Haven unit or a farm past Wauchope.
Get safe, then get help
Call 000 if anyone is seriously hurt or in danger. For police attendance when it isn't an emergency, the Police Assistance Line is 131 444.
Report it and keep the event number
Report the crash to police if anyone was hurt, a driver left the scene or a car was towed. Keep the event number: the claim form asks for it.
Swap details and take photos
Get names, phone numbers, licence details and registration plates from every driver, and witnesses' details before they leave. Photograph the scene when it's safe.
See a doctor early
Ideally within a day or two, even if you feel fine. Pain often builds over the following days. An early appointment records your injuries and starts your Certificate of Fitness.
Which CTP insurer handles your claim
You claim with the CTP (green slip) insurer of the vehicle most at fault, worked out from its registration. If that vehicle can't be identified, the claim may go to the Nominal Defendant.
Lodge the claim form
The form is the Application for Personal Injury Benefits, backed by your Certificate of Fitness. Our step-by-step lodging guide walks through it.
Time limits
A claim served within 28 days of the accident can have benefits backdated to the accident date. A common reference point for lodging is three months from the accident. Your circumstances can change the dates, so confirm yours with SIRA or a solicitor.
CTP injury care
Car accident injury care for the Port Macquarie-Hastings area: your first appointment
Early assessment matters because the insurer relies on medical records to connect your injuries to the crash, and pain first mentioned much later is harder to link. Your first visit with one of our doctors covers an examination, a treatment plan, notes for the insurer and the Certificate of Fitness. The injuries we see follow the local crash pattern. Whiplash and lower back strain are common after rear-end crashes in town traffic on Hastings River Drive and Ocean Drive. Riders hurt on the Oxley Highway often need care for fractures and joint injuries, and injuries to pedestrians can be more complex. Across a council area that runs from the coast to the ranges, telehealth suits most people, with in-person care arranged where it's appropriate. Physio, psychology and exercise physiology with our team can come next. If your claim runs into a dispute, we can point you to independent legal help.
Our CTP doctors see people injured in motor vehicle accidents across NSW. The first appointment does four jobs, and each one feeds the claim:
A proper assessment
The doctor takes a history of the crash, examines you and records a diagnosis for each injured area, including the ones that seem minor today.
Your Certificate of Fitness
The main medical document in a NSW CTP claim. It records your injuries, your capacity for work and what you can and can't do. The first one must come from a medical practitioner, and each one generally covers up to 28 days, so it's renewed as you recover. See what a Certificate of Fitness should include.
A treatment plan
What you need next, such as physiotherapy, psychology or exercise physiology, with clear reasons the insurer can act on.
The records the insurer asks for
Dated notes, referrals and reports that link your symptoms to the crash. Insurer decisions lean on them, so they need to be specific.
More detail: the CTP medical assessment, and physiotherapy, psychology and exercise physiology under CTP.
CTP injury care
Common injuries after crashes in the Port Macquarie-Hastings area
Every crash is different, but some injuries come up again and again after car crashes. Many don't show their full extent on the day:
- Whiplash and other neck injuries, common after rear-end collisions.
- Back injuries and other soft-tissue injuries: sprains and strains that stiffen over the following days.
- Fractures: most are obvious, but some in the wrist, foot or ribs are subtle and need imaging to confirm.
- Concussion and headaches, which can happen without a direct blow to the head.
- Psychological injury, such as anxiety about driving, poor sleep or flashbacks.
Our guide to car accident injuries and their symptoms covers the warning signs.
The road-user mix above shows who else gets hurt on the roads in the Port Macquarie-Hastings area. Each of these groups has its own injury pattern:
Motorcycles
Riders have little protection, so fractures and wrist, knee and ankle injuries are more common. See motorcycle accidents in NSW.
Pedestrians
A person struck by a vehicle can have leg, pelvic and head injuries, often more than one at once. See pedestrian hit by a car.
Bicycles
Cyclists often land on a shoulder, wrist or hip. See shoulder injuries and cyclist hit by a car.
Been in an accident?
Book an appointment with one of our CTP doctors. We coordinate your care and handle the paperwork.
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Book an AppointmentCTP benefits
What CTP pays for, and weekly payments
Approved treatment is generally arranged through the CTP scheme rather than paid by you directly. Depending on your injuries, it can include:
- Appointments with our CTP doctors, and specialist care where it's needed.
- Physiotherapy, psychology and exercise physiology with our allied health team.
- X-rays, scans and other imaging when they're clinically justified.
- Medication prescribed for your accident injuries.
- Reasonable travel to approved treatment, where the insurer agrees. Check its process first.
If your injuries stop you working, or cut your hours, weekly payments may be paid where the scheme rules allow. The amount is based on your pre-accident earnings, it steps down at set points, and there's a cap. Your Certificate of Fitness records your capacity for work, so keep it current. Being mostly at fault, or having an injury classified as minor, shortens how long some benefits run. See CTP weekly payments, minor vs non-minor injury and CTP benefits in NSW.
Booking
Telehealth or in person: how to book
Telehealth makes it simpler to see a CTP doctor from the Port Macquarie-Hastings area without a long drive while you're sore. Where an in-person examination is needed, we'll talk through the options when you book.
Book online or call
Use the booking form or call (02) 7238 7379.
We confirm by phone
We call to confirm the time, whether it's telehealth or in person, and what to bring.
Bring what you have
Photo ID, the police event number, a claim number if you already have one, any scans or hospital letters, and a list of your medications.
New to telehealth? Here's what to expect from a telehealth CTP appointment.
Around the area
Suburbs and towns across the Port Macquarie-Hastings area
These are some of the suburbs and towns in the Port Macquarie-Hastings area. We see people from all of them. Where we have a local page, the name is linked.
- Port Macquarie
- Wauchope
- Lake Cathie
- Laurieton
- Bonny Hills
- North Haven
- Lake Innes
- Thrumster
- Kendall
- Dunbogan
- Camden Head
- West Haven
- Telegraph Point
- Kew
- Sancrox
- Beechwood
- Long Flat
- Comboyne
- King Creek
- Herons Creek
- Rollands Plains
- Ellenborough
Neighbouring council areas: Kempsey, Mid-Coast, Walcha.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Most of our consultations are by telehealth, so you can be assessed at home in Wauchope, Beechwood or anywhere else up the valley. The doctor takes a history of the crash, reviews your symptoms, completes the Certificate of Fitness and sets out a treatment plan. If you need imaging or a physical examination, we set up in-person care, so you only make the trip when it adds something.
Yes. Neck pain that shows up later is common after rear-end crashes, because soft tissue can stiffen and ache over the following hours and days. See a doctor soon so the injury and its link to the crash are on record. Our doctors can assess you, complete the Certificate of Fitness and plan treatment such as physio. Hastings River Drive is among the roads with the most crashes where someone was hurt in the area, so this is a familiar story.
Passengers can generally claim under CTP, and your age doesn't change that. Cover for physio or other care hinges on the insurer accepting it as needed for what the Ocean Drive crash did, and a knock-back is open to review. Older passengers sometimes have existing conditions such as arthritis, so a clear record of what changed after the crash helps. Without leaving Bonny Hills, you can have a video consult where a doctor assesses you, fills in your Certificate of Fitness and sets down what treatment comes next.
No. You can book before you've lodged a claim. The Certificate of Fitness from your first appointment is one of the documents your claim needs, so the appointment often comes first.
Sources
- Transport for NSW: NSW Road Crash Data (open data) (opens in a new tab)
- SIRA: Motor accidents and CTP (green slip) information (opens in a new tab)
- SIRA: Certificates of fitness for motor crash injuries (opens in a new tab)
- SIRA: What you can claim, medical expenses (opens in a new tab)
- NSW Legislation: Motor Accident Injuries Act 2017 (opens in a new tab)
About the area
- Wikipedia: Port Macquarie-Hastings Council (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia: Port Macquarie (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia: Port Macquarie Airport (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia: Wauchope railway station (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia: Kendall railway station (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia: North Shore, New South Wales (opens in a new tab)
- Port Macquarie-Hastings Council website: Ocean Drive Duplication (opens in a new tab)
- Port Macquarie-Hastings Council website: Hastings River Drive Pedestrian Crossing Signalisation (opens in a new tab)
- ABS 2021 Census QuickStats (opens in a new tab)
Last checked:
General information, not legal advice. CTP Doctor is a medical clinic, not a law firm or an insurer, and this page isn't medical advice for your situation. For the scheme rules, see SIRA.
Keep reading
Guides for every stage of a CTP claim
CTP claims
Who can claim, how to lodge, and what happens after — in plain English.
Read the guide
CTP treatment
Our doctors assess you, write the Certificate of Fitness and plan the rest of your care.
Read the guide
Car accident injuries
What's common, what can show up days later, and when to get checked.
Read the guide
CTP benefits
The kinds of support the scheme provides, and what they depend on.
Read the guide
Legal help & disputes
When the claim gets difficult — and how to get independent legal advice.
Read the guide
Next step
See a CTP doctor after a crash in the Port Macquarie-Hastings area
Often seen within the week. Telehealth across NSW, or in person where appropriate. No claim number needed to start.