Appointments
An appointment is required if you have a non-urgent condition or routine problem to consult with your doctor. We request that you make a longer appointment if you have a complex or multiple problems to attend to or require detailed forms to complete. This assists the doctors to attend to your needs adequately and helps prevent lengthy waiting times by running late.
Booking Appointments Online
You can book your appointments online 24/7 via our website. Simply use the ‘Make a Booking’ button on any page of our website and follow the prompts.
Telehealth Appointments
Under certain circumstances, telehealth appointments are appropriate and will be billed in the same manner as face-to -ace consults. To be eligible for telehealth, a patient needs to have seen a GP in the practice (face to face) in the previous 12 months.
Cancellations & Missed Appointments
Please advise our reception staff as early as possible if you need to cancel or change your appointment as this will allow other patients access to a doctor. This is especially important during busy peak times such as winter cold and flu season and busy periods at the start and the end of the week.
We reserve the right to charge a cancellation fee for missed appointments. We reserve the right to not allow future appointments to be made if more than 3 are missed without notification.
To avoid incurring a cancellation fee of $40, please ensure that you cancel your appointment at least 2 hours in advance if you are unable to keep it. If you are experiencing financial hardship, please discuss this with your doctor.
Recalls & Reminder Service
As a commitment to providing a quality preventative medical service, we have an electronic reminder system that helps patients to attend and confirm their appointments. Our practice will from time to time send out an invitation to participate in a preventative health screening appointment or activity appropriate to your care.
After Hours Care
In the event our centre is closed, your call will be diverted to Hello Home Doctor Locum service. The direct number for this service is 13 41 00.
Fees
Please see our Fee Schedule for full details. Please Note: Suggested fee schedule is only a guide and actual gaps charged are at the discretion of the practitioner.
Referrals & Prescription Requests
We refer patients when necessary to a wide range of consultants and specialists. Your GP can give you a referral letter to any specialist of your choice during your consultation. An appointment is always required for referrals.
Requests for prescriptions over the phone are not appropriate if you have not been seen by a doctor within the last 12 months. Depending on the clinical situation and the length of time since last reviewed face to face by the doctor, it may be advisable to see your doctor for prescriptions if possible. Under some circumstances, a telehealth appointment appropriate. Otherwise please refer to our Fee Schedule.
Once a prescription or radiology/pathology referral is generated in your consultation with your doctor, it is your responsibility to keep these in a safe place until you need to use it.
Results
Please make an appointment to follow-up test results ordered by your doctor. This includes radiological tests such as X-rays and scans. Most routine test results are available 48 hours after they are requested. Some results require more time to be available and generally your doctor will advise you if a longer wait applies to your tests.
Results will generally not be provided over the telephone. Urgent abnormal test results will be brought to your attention by a doctor or one of our staff members. However, the follow-up of your test results is your responsibility and we recommend arranging your follow-up appointment at the time of your test being undertaken. Follow-up appointments for results are generally bulk billed.
COVID-19 Policy
If you have cold or flu like symptoms please get covid tested before making an appointment with the doctor. Once you have received your negative result and a booking has been made please remain in your car and ring the surgery on your arrival for instructions. If a family member is awaiting their test result you must not attend the clinic until they received their negative result.
Patients with respiratory symptoms attending the clinic must wear a mask. If you are unable to wear a mask, please wait in your car or wait outside the clinic and ring us for further advice. If you attend your appointment without a mask, a fee will apply to supply you with one!
Please also see our 'COVID-19 Information' page for further details about COVID-19.
Phone Policy
To give each patient the best consultation possible, doctors prefer not to be interrupted by phone calls. Practice staff are happy to take a message and the doctor or nurse will return your call as soon as they are available. Emergency calls will always be attended to immediately. In the case of a genuine emergency, please call 000.
Interpreter Service
Our staff are able to arrange an interpreter to assist you or a family member when attending your consultation. Please let our staff know if you require this service at the time you book your appointment. A longer appointment will generally be required if using this service.
Access to Medical Records
Transfer of medical records requires your written consent for release to another medical clinic or hospital. Your medical record is a confidential document. It is the policy of this practice to maintain the security of personal health information at all times and to ensure that this information is only available to authorised staff. We abide by the Australian Privacy Principles, available via the Australian Government Office of Australian Information Commissioner website.
Smoking Policy
This practice has a strict no smoking policy.
Your Rights
If you have a problem, we would like to hear about it. Please feel free to talk to your doctor, receptionist or Practice Manager. You may prefer to write to us or use the suggestion box. We take concerns, suggestions and complaints seriously.
Information & Complaints
Questions about privacy and our privacy policy may be discussed with your doctor or our Practice Manager. We welcome your feedback and hope that we can meet your privacy expectations. A copy of our complete Privacy Policy is available for your perusal if required. If you remain dissatisfied you may contact the Health & Community Services Complaints Commission at PO Box 199, Rundle Mall, SA, 5000 or ring them on (08) 8226 8666 or 1800 232 007.
Australian General Practice Accreditation Limited (AGPAL)
Total GP Care are AGPAL Accredited. The practice is accredited with AGPAL 4th Edition Standards. Patients, carers, referral network providers can be assured of high quality patient care and health services. AGPAL is the leading provider of national general practice accreditation which assesses and measures standards of delivering safe and quality health care developed by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).