Communication Policy
Receiving and returning phone calls
General enquiries can be made with our reception staff who will provide the best possible service and information for you. If the matter is urgent, please inform so the matter will be directed accordingly.
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If you phone the Clinic requesting to speak to your doctor, you may be asked to leave a number on which you can be contacted, if your call is a matter of urgency your doctor or the practice nurse will be able to take your call immediately.
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Please understand that in many instances, the doctor or nurse will be unable to provide advice over the telephone. Eric Street Medical is very conscious of the risk of providing incorrect advice over the phone, and wherever possible, patients are encouraged to attend the clinic in person.
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Email correspondence
Eric Street Medical does not encourage the use of email to provide personal or confidential information as we do not use an encrypted email service. For this reason, we discourage health providers from sending emails to us with personal information about patients with out software protected pin numbers. Eric Street Medical also discourage patients from sending emails to us with their own personal information.
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Results and Correspondence
Call us anytime to check if your test results or other clinical correspondence has been received by us. Please allow 3 to 5 days for routine test results unless marked urgent by your doctor.
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A follow-up appointment will be needed to discuss abnormal results or some types of clinical correspondence. We will recall patients either by phone or by letters for all abnormal results. Please be aware that you will not be contacted if your results are normal unless decided otherwise by your treating practitioner.
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Reminder Recalls
From time to time to perform preventative health assessments and to educate patients of the need to undergo certain tests as recommended by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), your doctor may choose to include a reminder in your medical record.
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Our practice nurse will speak to you over telephone to discuss these appointments. If you change your telephone or address, or if you prefer not to receive this reminder, please advise our practice nurse.
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Patient feedback
Our practice respects the rights of patients to have an accessible and confidential channel to provide positive or negative feedback. Suggestions to improve the practice services are welcome. Our practice encourages to complete suggestions or complaints form available at the front desk. For matters unresolved by the practice, patients can pursue such matters externally. The appropriate body to raise complaints externally is the Health Complaints Commissioner and their contact details are 1300 582 113.