Medical Centre Hours:
Closed Weekends & Public Holidays.
Appointments are required for consultations. Patients who present without an appointment will be triaged depending on their clinical needs and the availability of appointments. We will always respond quickly to urgent medical issues. Please "check-in" with our staff when you arrive to minimise any needless wait.
Please cancel appointments if no longer required before the scheduled time.
Although every attempt is made to keep appointments on schedule, emergencies, walk-in patients, or unexpectedly prolonged consultations can make this challenging.
Some consultation types require time with our practice nurses and the doctor. This includes minor surgical procedures (removal of skin lesions, insertion/removal of Implanon), wound care, immunisations, and health checks such as Cervical Screening and RMS Fitness to Drive medical assessment. A longer appointment is required for these, so please inform reception when making your appointment.
We endeavour to help you see the doctor of your choice. All evidence suggests that communication between doctor and patient is improved when a good relationship exists between both parties. We recognise it is not always possible to see the same doctor, so our system of recording notes takes this into account.
We provide home visits for patients of the Practice, when necessary, on request.
It is usually better to attend the surgery as this is better equipped for examination and treatment.
If you require urgent medical attention after hours, please phone "000" or attend Port Macquarie Base Hospital.
For after-hours medical phone advice, you may call Health Direct on 1800 022 222, or for currently registered patients on our-call Practice Doctor is available for advice on 0402 896 337.
PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THERE IS A NON-REFUNDABLE FEE OF $80.00 FOR THIS SERVICE.
Our doctors will take calls when time permits. If busy or involved with another patient, they may elect to call you back. Our practice nurses can help to determine the urgency of your call. Most problems are best dealt with in a face-to-face consultation.
Currently, we can offer telephone consultations for select current patients until 31/12/2022.
This service is available if:
- You are COVID-positive.
- You are self-isolating
- You have arranged this between you and your doctor.
- At the discretion of the doctor.
Within the practice, our nurses and doctors can provide some investigations such as ECG, INR, and Glucose monitoring.
NSW Health Pathology has collection rooms within our centre that operate Monday-Friday 8 am-2:30 pm.
Radiology services such as X-ray, MRI and Ultrasound can be organised through local radiology facilities.
Patients are advised to return for follow-up appointments with their doctors, ideally with the doctor who ordered the tests. The practice will get in touch with you if any results are out of the ordinary or need immediate attention. Please make sure your contact details are up to date.
We have put in place a Patient Register for Preventative Health to further enhance the services we provide to you. This is a strategy for contacting patients to remind them to follow up on preventative measures like cervical screening, skin checks, blood pressure checks, etc. We may do this by a phone call or via Medi2Apps text messaging service. Our clinic also participates in National and State registers for Preventative Health e.g., the Australian Immunisation Register and National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.
We are committed to helping our patients prevent the development of and manage chronic disease. We encourage you to take advantage of the practice nurse and the time you spend with your doctor to have your modifiable lifestyle factors assessed.
For our patients over 75yrs, we recommend a yearly health assessment which is a comprehensive review of a wide range of health issues. Home assessments can be arranged. Patients aged 45-49 yrs. are also eligible & encouraged to have a detailed health check to help identify chronic diseases for which they may be at risk.
If you are wishing to transfer your medical information to another practice, we can send your Patient Health Summary for free.
This includes an overview of your health history, medications prescribed and any immunisations you have received.
If you require your complete medical record held by our practice, there will be a fee of $50.00.
It is a practice policy to cater for people with special needs and disabilities. If you are experiencing difficulties, please approach our staff who will be more than happy to assist you.
To help ensure our doctors fully understand the nature of the patient's problem and the patient fully understand the outcome of their consultation, we can use an interpreter service where necessary.
To deliver & maintain the high quality of health care provided by Lighthouse Medical Centre, we cannot bulk bill all consultations. Initial consultations are not bulk billed for all patients, however, there is a Medicare Rebate applicable.
Payment is required at the time of consultation via Eftpos, Credit Card or Cash.
We then submit these to Medicare online for fast claiming.
DVA Gold Card Holders and children under the age of 18 will be Bulk Billed.
We have a select number of vaccinations available for purchase and administration from the practice, such as Whooping Cough and Influenza.
If you require your doctor to complete any paperwork such as Medical Reports, Insurance Paperwork etc., these services may incur a fee that is unable to be claimed through Medicare.
Doctors at this practice use computerised medical files to record information, order tests, provide prescriptions and file specialist reports.
Our computers are password protected and backed up daily. All information at the practice is confidential & we follow the National Privacy Principles.
To help our GPs ensure they fully understand the nature of their patient's problem and the patient to fully understand the outcome of their consultation we use an interpreter service where necessary.
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we are located; the Birpai People.
Our practice participates in the Close the Gap Government Incentive. To allow us to tailor the appropriate care & assistance with this government health initiative please tell wither the reception staff, practice nurse or your doctor if you identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin.
We recognise that patients have certain rights & we will endeavour to support these rights. If you are unhappy with any aspect of the service, we provide to you or you feel your rights are not supported or recognised, we would appreciate your comments.
Your doctor, the practice manager or the receptionist on duty are available to discuss any problems you may have.
Should you wish to take any complaint further, you can contact The Healthcare Complaints Commission of NSW.
The Health Care Complaints Commission of NSW.
© 2021 Copyrights - Hermitage Hastings Medical Centre. All Rights Reserved.