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Patient Information
Privacy Policy
This practice is bound by the Federal Privacy Act (1988) and National Privacy Principles and complies with the Health Records and Information Privacy Act NSW 2002 when handling your personal information. Your personal and medical information collected will be used for administrative, billing (Medicare) and health care purposes. By signing to our practice, you will consent your information to be shared with other organisations or individuals (allied health, hospital, specialists, and other health care services as deemed necessary by our clinicians and administration team). If you want to access to your health information, please see section access to medical records section of this leaflet.
Communication Policy
We communicate with you via phone, secure text or and email. It is your responsibility to keep your phone number and email up to date. Your preference for communication can be recorded in your medical notes.All communication we receive for you in email, fax or post will be scanned into your file and deleted or shredded securely.We do not receive text message from patients. Please do not email us for emergencies, please call 000. If you email us clinical question, we delete email and reception will ring you to offer an appointment. We believe that email is not the best medium to treat a patient.You can send us administration requests in email however prescriptions, referrals and medical certificates are clinical matters and will not be dealt by email, instead you will receive a phone call to offer you an appointment.
Appointments
Every effort will be made to accommodate your preferred time and GP. Emergencies will always be given priority and our reception staff will attempt to contact you if there is any unforeseen delay. Longer consultation times are available, please ask our receptionists if you require some extra time. If you or a family member requires an interpreter service, we can organise this for you. Please let us know when you make an appointment.
After Hours Access
For advice and healthcare after hours, please call 13SICK on 137425. They provides telephone advice to help you to decide what to do, and if you need to see a GP after hours, you will be directed to the nearest clinic which is situated at Belmont Hospital.
Home Visits
Home visit can be requested by calling our reception and will be offered only in exceptional circumstances. Home visits are not bulk billed. Our receptionist will inform you of charges on booking.
Walk-in Patients
Walk-in patients will be offered an appointment if available. If we are unable to see you in timely manner, our receptionist will discuss with you services available to you int the area.
Reminders
We use reminder system to offer preventative health services e.g., breast cancer screening, cervical cancer screening, bowel cancer screening and many more. You will receive these reminders via text, phone, or letter. If you do not wish to be contact, please discuss with reception staff.
Test Results
You are requested to ring the surgery to obtain results of any tests that have been organised for you. If results are abnormal, you will receive a text message on your mobile phone advising you to make appointment with your doctor. If you do not have the facility, we will call on your telephone or write you a letter. For your safety, our reception staff has been advised not to discuss any results over phone apart from doctors’ comments.
Telephone Access
All phone calls are answered by our receptionists who have received complete training in triage. Emergency calls might be transferred to nurse. If you wish to speak to your GP on telephone, please ask for telephone appointment. There will be charge for such service. Our receptionist will inform you of charges when booking your appointment.
Access to Medical Records
You have the right to access health information about yourself that we hold in our medical records. A charge of 50$ applies to any request to copy of full medical record regardless of purpose. If you want part of your medical record transferred your doctor will charge you for their time. Please speak to our reception staff for more information.
Repeat Prescriptions
We do not believe that it is in the best interests of your health to issue repeat prescriptions and referrals without consultation. Please ensure that all your prescriptions and referrals are up to date when consulting your doctor. If you are unable to attend, please book a telephone appointment with you GP.
Children
- A responsible adult should accompany children. The practice reserve right to ask for identification e.g.
- Medicare care card to ascertain such. Please supervise your children all the time during your visit.
Zero Tolerance
Unacceptable behaviours will result in ban from this practice and premises• Using bad language or swearing at practice staff in person or over telephone• Any physical violence (or gestures of physical violence) towards any staff members• Verbal abuse towards the staff in any form including insults and threats• Smoking inside practice• Failure to leave consultation room when asked.
Patient Feedback
Our aim is to continually improve our services. From time to time we will invite patients to complete a questionnaire on how this can be done. These surveys will be confidential and voluntary. There is a suggestion box located at reception where you can put your suggestions for us.
Complaints Procedure
If you are unhappy with any aspect of your care, please discuss it with your doctor or put your comments in the suggestion box. We believe that problems are best dealt with in the practice. However if you feel there is a problem you wish to take up outside our practice, you may refer to contact the NSW Government Centre for handling complaints