Caring for Ballina with Modern, Compassionate Healthcare

This medical practice has zero tolerance for abusive and/or threatening behaviour towards our team members. This includes shouting, swearing, aggressive actions, threats, inappropriate gestures and name calling.

Please treat us as you would like to be treated yourself. If you are abusive or threatening, you will be required to leave the clinic and transfer your care to another practice. Refusal to leave will result in the police being called.

Our reception staff will ask you at the time of booking which doctor you would prefer to see and discuss the length of appointment you require. Please note a standard appointment is 15 minutes long and allows for the discussion of one to two simple issues.

If you require completion of forms, have complex or multiple issues to discuss then please ask for a double appointment. This ensures there is minimal delay for other patients who are waiting. Advising our reception staff will ensure they book the most efficient and cost effective appointment for you. Please note, not all of our doctors undertake all procedures.

After-hour care: For non urgent medical care after hours, phone the after-hours GP helpline on 13SICK. This is a telehealth service. They will provide your doctor with a record of your consult keeping our records up to date and allowing for follow-up care. They will also advise if you need to attend Ballina Hospital.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY PLEASE PHONE 000 FOR AN AMBULANCE.

If you require reports or any kind of paperwork completed you will need to make a double appointment with the doctor and attend in person. We will not complete any forms, including driver's licence forms unless you attend a consultation. These consultations may not be subject to a Medicare rebate — please check with reception.

Medical examinations for your driver's licence and other purposes require special bookings with the Doctor and/or Nurse. Please ensure that you select the appropriate option when booking online (or if booking over the phone, explain the type of medical exam to our receptionist).

Please bring any forms required with all relevant sections completed beforehand. You will also need to bring a form of identification such as your driver's licence and, if you wear them, your glasses. If you wear glasses to drive you will need to attend your Optometrist prior to attending the Doctor, for an eye check.

Several doctors at this practice perform minor procedures. Procedure appointments may be deferred to another time based on the doctor's assessment. Your doctor will advise if this is necessary, and will advise of any fees that may be incurred.

While the practice is committed to scheduling appointments at realistic intervals, there may be an increased waiting time due to one of the following:

• More complex problems than anticipated, which cannot be dealt with within a standard appointment of 15 minutes. For this reason, we suggest all patients book a longer consultation when they have a list of issues.
• Unplanned appointments: Despite the best planning, the nature of general practice is that sometimes patients require immediate attention and an "unplanned" appointment. We will ask for your patience or, if the wait time would be too long or you prefer, staff will re-schedule the appointment.
• Emergency calls: The GP on stand-by to a nursing home or hospital may be called in case of an emergency. In this event, staff will make every effort to re-schedule your appointment.

If you are running late, please ring to see whether it is possible to fit you in or to arrange another suitable time. Staff will do their best to help you and accommodate your needs. But being late may be unfair to other patients who would be made to wait.

Cancellations: If you are unable to attend your scheduled appointment, we would appreciate that you give us as much notice as possible (minimum 2 hours). Failure to attend appointments or give a minimum of 2 hours notice causes inconvenience for the doctors and patients who miss out on appointments. A $50 cancellation fee applies. Please note that this fee is not eligible for the Medicare rebate.

The same charge is applied for phone and video consultations as for in-person consultations because they require the same amount of the doctor's time. Doctors practising at Ballina West Medical Centre always aim for patients to get the same level of care and value from all of their appointments, whether they are in-person or by phone.

Childhood and other government funded vaccinations are available at the clinic and provided at no cost. Non government funded vaccinations will require a script to be written by the doctor, this script can then be filled at the pharmacy and administered by one of our nurses when you return.