Patient Information

New Patients

You are welcome here whether this is your first visit or your fiftieth. New patients fill in a short registration form, so come about ten minutes early and you will not have to rush it. Bring your Medicare card, photo identification, and any concession, pension or health care card. A list of anything you take regularly helps too, and if the names are hard to keep straight, bring the boxes.

Appointments

Standard appointments are 15 minutes, and if you need longer you can have longer: cervical screening, a skin check, a minor procedure, a care plan, or a visit where you have more than one thing on your mind. Tell reception when you book and they will set the time aside, so nothing has to be left unsaid because the clock ran out.

We bulk bill every patient who holds a valid Medicare card, so there is nothing to pay for a standard consultation and nothing to claim back afterwards. Please bring your Medicare card each time you come. We bill the Department of Veterans' Affairs directly for veterans.

A few things sit outside Medicare and cannot be bulk billed. Consultations for anyone without a valid Medicare card fall outside it, as do medicals and reports written for an insurer or an employer, and vaccines that are not on the National Immunisation Program. Our physiotherapist, podiatrist and dietitian work from the same address as the doctors, but they set their own fees and bill for themselves. Where a charge applies we will tell you what it is before your appointment, not after it.

After Hours

Being unwell after we close should not leave you guessing. Please phone healthdirect on 1800 022 222, staffed around the clock by registered nurses who can advise you and arrange for you to be seen if you need to be. In an emergency, call 000 or go to your nearest emergency department. Please tell us at your next visit if you were treated after hours or went to hospital, so that we can keep your record up to date and pick up where they left off.

Monday to Friday

8:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Saturday

9:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Sunday

Closed

We are closed on Sundays and public holidays. Saturday mornings book out quickly, so please phone early in the week if the weekend is the only time you can get here.

Cancellations

Please phone us as soon as you know you cannot make your appointment. There is no fee for a missed one, and nobody here will make you feel bad about it. All we ask is as much notice as you can give, so the time can go to another patient who is unwell. On a Saturday morning that is usually somebody who needs it.

Medical Certificates

We cannot write a medical certificate without seeing you, and we cannot write one for a day that has already passed. If you are unwell enough to need one, we would rather have you in front of us anyway.

Privacy

What you tell your doctor stays in this practice. We follow the Australian Privacy Principles in handling your health information, and every member of staff is bound to keep it confidential. Our Privacy Policy covers this website, and the practice policy covering your medical record is available from reception. If you have a question about either, please speak to your doctor or the practice manager.

Specialist Referrals

Please make an appointment for a referral. This one is not us being difficult: Medicare requires that a referral be written at a consultation, and it cannot be backdated to cover a specialist visit you have already been to. A referral is not needed to see a specialist, but it is needed to claim from Medicare. One written by a general practitioner lasts 12 months from your first specialist appointment, and one written by a specialist lasts three.

Test Results

Waiting on a result is hard, and we would rather sit down and go through it with you than leave you reading a number on your own. Please make an appointment for your test results. Your doctor will usually tell you when to expect them, and unless you are told otherwise you should book a follow-up to go through them. We do not give results over the telephone unless your doctor has decided there is good reason to. That is partly your privacy, and partly because a result read out without the explanation that goes with it is easy to misread.

Blood tests and other samples can usually be collected here rather than sending you elsewhere in Epping for them. If something in your results needs attention we will contact you and ask you to come in, so please keep your telephone number and address up to date with reception. A recall is only as good as the number in your file.

Medical Records

Your medical record is yours. If you are joining us from another practice we can request your records for you, and if you are moving on we will send a summary to your new doctor. There is no charge for either. Requests to transfer records have to be made in writing, with your full name, date of birth and address, marked to the attention of the practice manager. You can also ask for a copy of your own record at any time without giving a reason, and we will answer within 30 days.

Repeat Prescriptions

Please make an appointment for repeat prescriptions. Our doctors usually put enough repeats on a prescription to last you until your next visit, and anything new needs a consultation. We do not prescribe pain medication or sleeping tablets without seeing you. A replacement for a prescription you have lost can sometimes be arranged by telephone, but the doctor will not get to the request until the end of the day, so please book an appointment if you need it sooner.

Your Rights and Telling Us When Something Is Wrong

We would rather hear it from you than not hear it at all. If you have a suggestion, a problem or a complaint, please speak to your doctor or to one of our reception staff. You may prefer to raise it with our practice manager, and you are welcome to ask for them at the desk or on (02) 9717 1888.

You can also put it in writing to us at G01, 12-14 Bridge Street, Epping NSW 2121. We will acknowledge a complaint within five working days and answer it within 30 days. Most things are settled well before that.