Capestone Village 67 Capestone Boulevard, Mango Hill QLD 4509

Communication

There are multiple ways in which the practice communicates with patients and third parties. Communication can occur through the following channels:

Telephone

N

Patients can contact the practice via telephone between 8:00am and 6:00pm Monday to Friday and 8:00am to 12:00pm on Saturday. The switchboard is very busy early in the mornings, it would be appreciated if you have a non-urgent matter to discuss if you could please call later in the day.

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The reception staff may use a triage system to assess the urgency of the patients’ needs and concerns. Reception staff will also perform a three-point identity check to ensure the correct patient file is matched to the patient on the phone.

N

Doctors are unavailable by phone unless you have booked a telephone appointment or in the event of an emergency. Doctors are consulting during surgery hours and interruptions must be kept to a minimum as a courtesy to other patients. You can leave your query with reception who will send the doctor a secure message or ask the doctor between patients. Where clinically significant information is discussed, a note will be made in the patient’s file.

Email

N

Email is not a secure form of communication and it will not be used this to communicate personal information to patients without their consent. Patients must be aware that any communication they direct to the surgery via email is also NOT secure and confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. If you do choose to contact the surgery via email, this is considered as patient consent for staff to reply via email.

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Please DO NOT use e-mail to book or cancel appointments. Please do this via the online booking system Automed or by calling reception.

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Only appropriate non-clinical matters will be dealt with via e-mail, no consulting or advice will be conducted by e-mail.

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If you have an issue that requires urgent attention, it is requested that you contact the practice via telephone.

SMS

N

SMS messages are sent to inform and remind patients of scheduled appointments, health reminders, health recalls and results. Please make sure you update the practice if there is a change to your mobile number. Please inform staff if you would like to be removed from the SMS list.

Results

N

Once you’ve had the tests, scans, x-rays or procedure at the practice, the imaging, pathology or histology providers will send the results through to the practice. Your doctor checks for results each day they are in the practice (please note some doctors work part time). There are run computerised systems to ensure results are always checked by your doctor in a timely fashion (or by another doctor if your usual GP is away for an extended period).

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You will generally need to make a follow-up appointment to discuss results.

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Time frames vary depending on the type of test.

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You will hear from the practice if your results are abnormal

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In limited cases you may be called directly by your doctor or the practice nurse to be advised of your result

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If your tests reveal an urgent or serious issue, the test provider will usually call your GP directly to flag the result and we will contact you as a matter of urgency

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If your results are normal your doctor will mark them off in our system as ‘checked’ and you will receive an SMS stating “no action is required”

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If for some reason you have not heard from the practice, please contact reception 1 week after the test was performed (exception: normal cervical screening results usually take 2-3 weeks).

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For privacy and safety reasons your results will not be communicated to you over the phone by reception staff. They do not have full access to your chart. The reception staff are brilliant administrators, but they are not clinically trained to interpret your results or to provide you with medical advice.

Website

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Whilst every effort is made to update the website regularly, social media is also a useful source of up to date information.

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Whilst every effort is made to update the website regularly, social media is also a useful source of up to date information.

Communicating with patients with special needs

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A contact list of translator and interpreter services and services for patients with a disability is maintained, updated regularly and readily available to all staff and doctors. These include:

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Auslan services; “Deaf Connect” 1300 773 803

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Translation and Interpreter Service (TIS) Doctors Priority Line 1300 131 450

Non-attendance and cancellations

    N

    The practice takes pride in delivering high-quality healthcare, which is why your appointment time is booked and held especially for you.

    N

    Please notify the reception no later than 4-hours prior to your appointment if you are unable to attend.

    N

    Finite time and practice resources are reserved especially for you. We are fully booked each day and resource our practice accordingly, so giving appropriate notice of your cancellation is not only the respectful thing to do, but it also allows us to offer your appointment to other patients on our waiting list.

    N

    Patients who fail to attend a confirmed appointment without adequate notice will incur a $50 non-attendance fee which is not eligible for a Medicare rebate. No further appointments will be made until the fee has been paid.

    N

    Repeated non-attendance may result in the inability to book further appointments.

    Privacy and Confidentiality 

    This practice adheres to the provisions under the Privacy Act 1988 with Amendments (Private Sector) Act and in line with the APP replacing the current National Privacy Principles (NPPs) from March 2014, therefore it is the policy of this practice to always maintain security and confidentiality of personal health information and to ensure that this information is only available to authorised members of staff.  The practice also respects that patients have the right to access their own health information and medical records. The guidelines are available at https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/applying-privacy-law/app-guidelines

    If you would like further information about this practices’ information handling procedures, please talk to your doctor or a receptionist.

     

    Feedback and Complaints

    Your feedback in important to or practice. We welcome your suggestions on how we can improve our service to you, and we aim to provide you with quality care. We take your concerns and complaints seriously and endeavour to resolve these to the best of our ability.

    If you are not happy with any aspect of service provided to you there is an option to make a formal complaint through the Office of Ombudsman (OHO) if you feel the matter has not been dealt with by the practice to your satisfaction.

    The Health Ombudsman of Queensland is a statutory position that oversees the Office of the Health Ombudsman and acts independently, impartially and in the public interest.

    The Health Ombudsman is responsible for:

    • LISTEN  – Will listen carefully to your complaint.
    • RESPOND – Respond to complaints quickly and thoroughly and communicate clearly.
    • RESOLVE – Aim to resolve all complaints in the most timely and appropriate way.

    Website: www.oho.qld.gov.au

    Email: info@oho.qld.gov.au

    Phone: 133 OHO (133 646)

     

    Better Health Care is the Promise

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    Shop T11 Capestone Village

    67 Capestone Boulevard,

    Mango Hill QLD 4509