Useful Patient Information
Recalls and Results
If you have had any blood tests or x-rays that need follow up, we will ring you and get you in for an appointment depending on the urgency of the result. If you already have a follow up appointment or the results came back all clear then you may not hear from us. On average results take about 3 days from the time of test to a report being generated for us. We encourage you to book an appointment with your GP to discuss your results. Even if the results are normal you will often have questions about the next directions.
We don't routinely follow up results that are marked off as normal by our GPs. You are more than welcome to phone through to our administration/nursing staff to inquire about your results but please be aware, we may ask you to book an appointment if you require significant information regarding your results, so when possible, always book an appointment for follow up.
Scripts
While a script might take 30 seconds to print and signs, its not the only requisite for a prescription renewal. Our doctors are trained with a holistic approach, so when you think you are only due for a repeat script, you might also be due for a Blood Pressure check, ECG or some general checks to ensure your script is working for you! We like to book a standard 15m appointment for script, and prefer not to do scripts outside of appointments when possible. We encourage all patients to book in when they are given their script up to a month before it will run out.
Emergencies - Out of Hours
For all life threatening Emergencies please call an Ambulance on 000. Please do not drive yourself to the hospital in any possible life threatening situations.
Should you require an emergency consult after hours (i.e. week nights after 6pm, Saturday after 12 noon, and any time Sunday) you will need to present at the Port Lincoln Accident & Emergency department and be seen by the doctor who is on call.
If your are admitted into hospital your regular doctor will be advised the following day and take over your care. The doctor on call will advise of any follow up you may need with your regular GP.
To speak to the A & E dept regarding after hours consults & home visit, call the Hospital Switchboard on 86832282.
There may be Charges associated with Afterhours service's, this is at the on call doctors discretion.
Confidentiality and Privacy
When you call to check results or obtain specific information we will require you name & DOB and another patient identifier. We cannot discuss your medical information with anyone but you, unless you give us permission to do so first. We understand this is sometimes inconvenient, but to protect the patient, we practice the highest level of confidentiality.
Patient confidentiality extends to young adults who have turned 16. The Consent to Medical Treatment and Palliative Care Act 1995 states that people over the age of 16 with decision making capacity have the right to consent or refuse to consent to their own medical treatment and/or healthcare.
If a support person is coming to the appointment but is running late—PLEASE advise reception so we know that you are comfortable with this.
Our clinic staff all ahdere to a strict confidentiality agreement and privacy policy. Its the name of the game as far as we are concerned & its not a privilege for our patients, it is a right!
Some patients are here to See Kris and our Midwives and might be in the early stages of their pregnancy, but Kris also see's women's health, contraception and follows up complex cases. So dont assume just because a young female is here that they are pregnant.
Unfortunately, 1% of the time it doesn't go without saying, but we would please ask you to also respect each others privacy - we sometimes endure sensitive circumstances that bring us to the Doctor's - no need to be asking someone "why they are here" in a waiting room full of people.
If you have any concerns about confidentiality, please contact Sal Redden to discuss, or the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
Making an Appointment
Where possible you will always be given an appointment with your regular GP, however, wait times for some GPs are longer than others, because of this urgent appointments cannot always be given with your regular GP.
The standard appointment for this practice is 15 minutes. If you think you will need a longer time please let the reception staff know when you ring. Some of the appointments that may need longer bookings are…
- First Antenatal Bookings
- Mental Health Care
- Chronic Health Care Planning such as Diabetes, Heart Disease
- Employment Medicals
These appointments will usually be given a double booking.
Other Services which are available:
- Translating Service for non-fluent English speaking patients
- Hearing Impaired Interpretation Service
- Health Reminder Services
- Appointment SMS reminders
- Extensive Health Information brochures
- Costs of Referred Services
Please talk to our friendly Administration staff for more information, or see our brochures in the waiting room.
Vaccinations
Our practice has all vaccinations available including routine childhood, whooping cough/tetanus and seasonal influenza vaccinations.
Seasonal flu vaccines are free to some people, please ask the reception or nursing staff to check your eligibility. If ineligible, you are able to purchase the seasonal flu vaccine from this practice for $22 - no need for an appointment for a script, or chasing the chemist - just book in with the nurse.
If you are receiving a vaccination where you have picked a script up from the Chemist, it will need refrigerating. We recommend you collect it just prior to receiving your vaccination. Or if this is not possible we recommend you bring it to our practice and we can store in our vaccine fridge until your appointment.
Also please remember we require you to stay 15 minutes after a vaccination just to make sure you don’t have a reaction.
Access to your Medical Records
You are more than welcome to have access to you medical records, however it is a requirement that you have discussed this with your GP & you make your request in writing.
Please read our privacy policy for details about how to access you medical records.
Full medical records need to be transferred from practice to practice with an authority request signed. If you would like to have a copy of your records from your previous doctor sent to the practice please talk to the reception staff and they will arrange this for you. However if you are wanting your records sent from BBFHP sent to a new doctor the request will need to come from your new practice. Depending on the length and complexity of your file, there may be associated charges.
Home Visits
Please speak to reception girls regarding home visits, these are generally conducted at the doctors discretion.
Telephone Calls
Generally, where possible, we prefer patients to book an appointment if there is a need to speak to a Doctor. If one of our Doctors has indicated that they will call you, we will put a message through to them & usually return phone calls during their lunch hour, or at the end of a consulting day.
We encourage you to discuss your queries with the reception staff or practice nurse, who may be able assist you more conveniently. The more information given, the more they can help.
Alternatively, make an appointment. There are usually appointments to see the doctor of your choice within a few days, this enables you to ask all your questions and a few others invariable crop up.
Our practice endevours not discuss any medical information via email however it is becoming more and more apparant that this is far more convenient that fielding a phone call in our ever busy lives. As we cannot guarantee the confidentiality of information in the email, & consent is implied when patient makes the first contact via email. At all times we will ensure we have patient consent before we email confidential documents.
We find booking appointments via email fraught with confusion and dissatisfaction, and as such offer this services via our online booking page.
Important Information
Have you changed your details recently? Please check with reception Staff to make sure we have the correct details in case we need to contact you.
At all times we endevour to use 3 identifiers to confirm we have the correct patient. While it may seem a bit strange to have people, who see and speak to you all the time, continually ask for your name, address, date of birth and phone number, but its the rules according to the RACGP Standards of General Practice.
To ensure we can provide you with the best health care, here are some helpful pieces of information you can provide your GP with:
- Allergies
- Cultural Background
- Family medical history
- Emergency Contact details
We are asking all patients to present their medicare card, and to update any contact details when coming in for appointment, So please check i with reception staff prior to your appointment.
Non Smoking
This is a non smoking Medical Practice. We would appreciate if you do smoke, that you do so off of the practice grounds. We thank you for your cooperation with this.
Patient Feedback
Your feedback is important to us as we are committed to quality improvement. We would love you to fill out our practice survey, or If you would like to leave specific feedback there is a suggestion box located at the entrance to the practice. Or you are more than welcome to advise any of our helpful staff of any comments or concerns.