Patient Information

We are continuing to monitor the recommendations from SA Health and the State and Federal Government.

We continue to serve all of our patients with the same level of care and excellence during this difficult time maintaining services albeit provision is slightly differently.

Rest assured, we have all measures in place to keep our patients, our staff and our doctors as safe as possible.

Some important information for our patients:

Appointments on site are still available where face-to-face consultations are

necessary. Please attend these appointments alone unless you require a Carer.

On occasion you may be required to come to the clinic for examinations. For instance, a sore ear may not be suitable for phone consult.

We are registered for Escripts, any scripts issued from a phone consult can be sent to you via SMS or Email. Scripts can also be faxed to your nominated Pharmacy direct from our practice.

All patients who have recently travelled interstate/overseas, travelled through a covid19 hotspot, in ordered isolation or quarantine must phone the surgery, please do not  present without notice.

Any patients who have respiratory symptoms/or Clinical Criteria for COVID 19 must call the surgery, please do not present without notice.

There are a lot of cold and flu symptoms going around at the moment. This does not necessarily mean that you have COVID 19. If you are feeling unwell with a runny nose, sore throat, fever, cough or aches and pains please stay home as per Government Guidelines and call us to request a Telehealth Consult.

It is really crucial to declare honestly any travel or contacts that you have had when asked. These triaging questions are precautions which we need to undertake to maintain the health of others, our support staff and General Practitioners.

As a team we are prioritising:

• Triage and screening protocols
• Our patient flow measures to separate patients with different health issues
• Our environmental cleaning and infection control measures
• Personal Protective measures being used

We intend to look after all of our patients through this time as best we can. Information changes regularly and we will do our best to advise you of any changes but you can refer to the SA Health website https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/ and Australian Department of Health https://www.health.gov.au/ for the most up to date information.

FIRST APPOINTMENT:

New patients should arrive 10 minutes early to their appointment to fill in the new patient forms.

Please bring your Medicare card and any concession cards, if you have them, to your appointment.

TELEPHONE ACCESS:

GP’s in this practice may be contacted during normal opening hours. If the GP is with a patient, a message will be taken and the reception staff will advise you when it is likely that the GP will return your call. In an emergency your call will always be put through to the GP. We do not communicate via SMS or email.

RESULTS:

It is the policy of this practice for all patients to return to see their doctor for all test results. Please make an appointment after your test has been performed.

RECALLS / REMINDERS:

Our practice is committed to preventative care. Your doctor will seek your permission to be included on our reminder system. We may issue you with a reminder notice from time to time offering you preventative health services appropriate to your care. If you do not wish to be a part of this system please let your doctor or receptionist know.

REFERRALS / SICK CERTIFICATES /PRESCRIPTIONS:

Patients need to make an appointment to see a doctor for any of the above.

EMAILS:

Emails are checked periodically throughout the day and should not be used for urgent communication. If your communication is urgent, please contact our reception staff via telephone: (08) 8166 0466.

Welland Medical Centre is a mixed billing clinic. Patients who hold a current pension or health care card, or children under 16 years of age will be bulk billed for their consultations.

All other patients will need to pay for their visit at the time of consultation.

FEES

Standard Appointment - $71.40 (Medicare rebate $41.40)

Long Appointment - $110.10 (Medicare rebate $80.10)

Telephone Appointment - $71.40 (Medicare rebate $44.20)

Fees apply to all patients for procedures, certain vaccines and other consumables regardless of whether they hold a concession card.

Please speak to our reception staff for full fee information.

COVID-19

Welland Medical Centre follows the guidelines set out by SA Health. For the latest information please click on this link

GENERAL INFECTION CONTROL

Welland Medical Centre follows the guidelines recommended by the Australian Medical Association and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners regarding infection control and sterilizing techniques.

DIRECT FEEDBACK:

Our practice operates according to the Australian Medical Association Code of Ethics. From time to time we may ask you to complete a confidential questionnaire giving your thoughts on the clinic and the services we offer.

COMPLAINT COMMISSIONER

If you feel that improvements can be made, we are keen to hear your suggestions. While we believe that problems are best handled within the practice, you may choose to address your concerns to:

Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner (HCSCC)

P O Box 199

Rundle Mall SA 5000

Ph 8226 8666 – or Toll Free 1800 232 007

Introduction

This privacy policy is to provide information to you, our patient, on how your personal information (which includes your health information) is collected and used within our practice, and the circumstances in which we may share it with third parties.

Why and when your consent is necessary

When you register as a patient of our practice, you provide consent for our GPs and practice staff to access and use your personal information so they can provide you with the best possible healthcare. Only staff who need to see your personal information will have access to it. If we need to use your information for anything else, we will seek additional consent from you to do this.

Why do we collect, use, hold and share your personal information?

Our practice will need to collect your personal information to provide healthcare services to you. Our main purpose for collecting, using, holding and sharing your personal information is to manage your health. We also use it for directly related business activities, such as financial claims and payments, practice audits and accreditation, and business processes (eg staff training).

What personal information do we collect?

The information we will collect about you includes your:

• names, date of birth, addresses, contact details
• medical information including medical history, medications, allergies, adverse events, immunisations, social history, family history and risk factors
• Medicare number (where available) for identification and claiming purposes
• healthcare identifiers
• health fund details.

Dealing with us anonymously

You have the right to deal with us anonymously or under a pseudonym unless it is impracticable for us to do so or unless we are required or authorised by law to only deal with identified individuals.

How do we collect your personal information?

Our practice may collect your personal information in several different ways.

1. When you make your first appointment our practice staff will collect your personal and demographic information via your registration.
2. During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further personal information. E.g. information can also be collected through electronic transfer of prescriptions (eTP), My Health Record.
3. We may also collect your personal information when you visit our website, send us an email or SMS, telephone us, make an online appointment or communicate with us using social media.
4. In some circumstances personal information may also be collected from other sources. Often this is because it is not practical or reasonable to collect it from you directly. This may include information from:

• your guardian or responsible person
• other involved healthcare providers, such as specialists, allied health professionals, hospitals, community health services and pathology and diagnostic imaging services
• your health fund, Medicare, or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (as necessary).

When, why and with whom do we share your personal information?

We sometimes share your personal information:

• with third parties who work with our practice for business purposes, such as accreditation agencies or information technology providers – these third parties are required to comply with APPs and this policy
• with other healthcare providers
• when it is required or authorised by law (eg court subpoenas)
• when it is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to a patient’s life, health or safety or public health or safety, or it is impractical to obtain the patient’s consent
• to assist in locating a missing person
• to establish, exercise or defend an equitable claim
• for the purpose of confidential dispute resolution process
• when there is a statutory requirement to share certain personal information (eg some diseases require mandatory notification)
• during the course of providing medical services, through eTP, My Health Record (eg via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary).

Only people who need to access your information will be able to do so. Other than in the course of providing medical services or as otherwise described in this policy, our practice will not share personal information with any third party without your consent.

We will not share your personal information with anyone outside Australia (unless under exceptional circumstances that are permitted by law) without your consent.

Our practice will not use your personal information for marketing any of our goods or services directly to you without your express consent. If you do consent, you may opt out of direct marketing at any time by notifying our practice in writing.

Our practice may use your personal information to improve the quality of the services we offer to our patients through research and analysis of our patient data.

We may provide de-identified data to other organisations to improve population health outcomes. The information is secure, patients cannot be identified and the information is stored within Australia. You can let our reception staff know if you do not want your information included.

How do we store and protect your personal information?

Your personal information may be stored at our practice in various forms, such as paper records, electronic records, visual records (X-rays, CT scans, videos and photos), audio recordings.

Our practice stores all personal information securely. All computers are password protected, all paper records are stored in secure cabinets, confidentiality agreements are in place for all staff and contractors.

How can you access and correct your personal information at our practice?

You have the right to request access to, and correction of, your personal information.

Our practice acknowledges patients may request access to their medical records. We require you to put this request in writing: ATT Practice Manager, 500 Port Road, Welland, SA, 5007, and our practice will respond within 30 days. Fees may apply.

Our practice will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information where the information is not accurate or up to date. From time to time, we will ask you to verify that your personal information held by our practice is correct and current. You may also request that we correct or update your information, and you should make such requests in writing: ATT Practice Manager, 500 Port Road, Welland, SA, 5007.

How can you lodge a privacy-related complaint, and how will the complaint be handled at our practice?

We take complaints and concerns regarding privacy seriously. You should express any privacy concerns you may have in writing. We will then attempt to resolve it in accordance with our resolution procedure. ATT Practice Manager, 500 Port Road, Welland, SA, 5007. Ph: (08) 8166 0466, and our practice will respond within 30 days.

You may also contact the OAIC. Generally, the OAIC will require you to give them time to respond before they will investigate. For further information visit www.oaic.gov.au or call the OAIC on 1300 363 992.

Privacy and our website.

Cookies are pieces of information that a website transfers to your computer's hard disk for record-keeping purposes, website usage statistics or to provide enhanced functionality on the site. Our cookies may do some or all of these depending on the particular page and its functionality. Generally, the information obtained by cookies is de-identified and does not constitute personal information, but may include the IP address of your computer. We may use this information for additional functionality or to analyse usage patterns.

You are ultimately in control of your browser’s dealings with cookies. Most browsers are by default set to accept cookies, but have the capacity to block or delete them. However, if you do not wish to receive any cookies you should set your browser to refuse cookies. In some instances this may mean you will not be able to take full advantage of parts of our website.

By using our website, you accept the use and installation of these cookies to provide you with these services.

Policy review statement

This privacy policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is in accordance with any changes that may occur. We will advise our patients of any amendments through our website and through signage in the clinic.