Gwelup Medical Centre is a privately billing practice. Our fees will vary according to the services provided. For a standard consultation, our fee is $88 and you will receive a rebate of $39.95 from Medicare. It is certainly not our intention that people miss out on care because of a lack of ability to pay. Please let your doctor know if you are experiencing financial difficulty and arrangements can be made to suit you. Pensioners, healthcare cardholders and children under 16 years may qualify for bulk billing. We expect payment at the time of the consultation. You can pay with cash, credit card or EFTPOS. We can process this rebate immediately via our EFTPOS terminal to your Cheque or Savings account.

Sometimes circumstances change and you may not be able to keep an appointment. Please let us know as far ahead as possible, so that appointment can be allocated to another patient. We send Text Message reminders the day before your appointment, please ring reception and cancel if you no longer require the appointment.
Patients who repeatedly make an appointment and then do not arrive will be required to pay a fee before they attend their next appointment.

There are times when patients require urgent access to a GP and our practice holds some book-on-the-day appointments to accommodate such requests. Additionally, in times when a doctor is booked out, we will keep a waiting list for cancellations

A standard appointment is usually between 10-15 minutes. Please ask the receptionist to book a long consultation if you need a general check-up, have more than one problem to be dealt with or need a consultation that will include counselling. If the Doctor has asked you to arrange an appointment for a procedure, they will indicate how long will be needed for that procedure.

Medicare requires that you have a referral letter from your GP to see a specialist. It is illegal for referrals to be backdated. Please make an appointment at least one week prior to your specialist appointment so that your GP can write a letter containing all the relevant information. If your request is for a renewal of a referral, i.e. you have seen the specialist previously, please contact the surgery in advance to confirm the GP will write a further referral.
Prescriptions usually last 6 months, so necessary checks can be done before you continue on. It is important that when you fill the last repeat, you contact Reception to see if you need a further appointment or if your doctor can write you a further script without an appointment. Fees are charged for this service.
A Medical Certificate states that the doctor has seen you and that you are fit/unfit. So you do need to be seen if you need a certificate. However, you may be eligible for a Telehealth consultation.

We try to keep on time, however, injured and unexpectedly ill patients can, and do, cause delays. You can help too. Please ask the receptionist to book a long consultation if you need a general check-up, have more than one problem to be dealt with or need a consultation that will include counselling.

It is important that you ring reception for your results, usually about 48 hours after the test has been collected. It helps if you ring in the afternoon. The Doctor will write whether you need to be seen or not. If you need further information, you may need to make an appointment to discuss the result with your Doctor.
Privacy laws make it illegal for us to disclose any information about a patient, even to family members, without their prior consent. If you want a family member to have access to your results, please let our receptionists know to make a note of this in your record.
As it is important to keep interruptions to a minimum, it will not generally be possible for the doctor to take a patient’s phone calls during a consultation. The doctor will return your call as soon as is practicable. If the matter is urgent, please let staff know the nature of the urgency so that your call can be dealt with appropriately. Many things are best discussed in person, especially as an examination may be needed to sort the problem out.
If you need to be seen urgently, please let our receptionists know and tell them the general nature of the problem. If necessary, they can direct you to our treatment area for assessment by our trained nursing staff under the direction of the doctor.
All requests for repeat prescriptions and re-referrals require a phone consultation.

Our medical record is kept electronically, so that whichever doctor or nurse you see, can find what they need to know to help you manage your health. Results of blood and X-Rays tests are sent to the Practice electronically, so they can be added accurately to the file. Many specialists’ letters are now also sent this way. Paper letters are scanned so they can be stored electronically too.

A system for reminders for ongoing health checks/preventative activities and reviews of chronic conditions. We may not recall for routine vaccination, however always recall for pap smears. Discuss this with your doctor. If your doctor thinks it’s useful, your name will be included in the system.

Medicare requirements for the visits are that you have:
– a chronic medical condition that has complex care needs
– care needs that require 3 or more care providers with ongoing responsibility for your care
If you fulfil both of these conditions, a GP management plan, team care arrangement and referral can be created. Please note that these arrangements may require more than one consultation.

We are constantly reviewing our service. If you have had any problems with our care, our after-hours emergency cover, the hospital or our specialist colleagues or wish to comment on any other matter, please contact us.
Experience has shown us that if you have a problem with one of our doctors, it is best to speak to her or him first. If you are still unhappy, please direct a letter or email to:

The Practice Manager
Gwelup Medical Centre
698 North Beach Road
GWELUP, WA 6018

gmc1@westent.com.au

We take all complaints seriously and your feedback is important to us, so please write.