Appointments
Our Doctors work various days and hours: please contact our Receptionists on (07) 3620 8111 to make an appointment with your preferred Doctor.
Payment and Fees
We are a fully bulk-billing clinic for Medicare eligible patients. Please bring your Medicare card with you when you visit the clinic. However, payment of fees may be incurred in the following circumstances:
Non-Medicare card holders (such as international visitors);
Pre-employment medicals;
WorkCover claims; and,
Any other circumstances where your care is not covered under the Medicare Schedule and certain procedures, such as the insertion of Mirena® contraceptive device is required.
For non-Medicare consultations, payment methods include; cash, Visa, Master Card or EFTPOS. We do not accept cheques or accounts. Our fee structure is subject to change, we encourage you to contact our clinic to discuss current fees prior to your appointment.
Walk-ins
Limited same day appointments are available; please call us to enquire about an appointment. We will try our best to accommodate walk-ins, however an appointment may not always be available.
Appointments
Our appointment system caters for urgent, non urgent, complex, planned chronic care and preventative healthcare. If you need more time with your GP, please book a long consultation. Urgent appointments will be seen by the next available GP. Please advise reception if you believe you require an urgent appointment. Urgent appointments will be triaged by the nurse on duty.
Appointments with our G.P.’s are usually 15 minutes in duration. All new patients are required to complete a New Patient Registration Form, please arrive 10 minutes before your appointment to complete this.
After-Hours Doctors Service
Patients are eligible to access the Hello Home Doctor Service by calling 134 100. The service provides bulk billed GP visits at home: Monday to Friday 6pm to 8am and weekends 12pm Saturday to 8am Monday.
For care on Saturday’s between 8am-12pm, please call Stonewall Medical Centre on 07 3857 1222. Stonewall Medical Centre is located at 52 Newmarket Rd, Windsor.
** Please be aware that there will be a consultation fee payable for your appointment there.
Fees range from $75 to $155, depending on the type of consultation. You will receive a Medicare rebate between $39.10 to $111.50 if you hold a current Medicare Card for these consultations.
Should you have a medical emergency, you should contact emergency services on 000.
Home Visits
If you are a regular patient and can’t travel to the medical clinic, your GP may be able to visit you at your home. This is at the discretion of your GP.
Emergencies
Please call Triple Zero (000) or go to your nearest hospital.
The closest hospital to our clinic is;
Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital
Cnr Butterfield St and Bowen Bridge Road
Herston, QLD 4029
07 3646 8111
Recalls and Reminders
Better Access uses an automated recall and reminder system. Please advise our reception staff if you have received a recall letter when making your appointment.
Keeping in Contact
To allow our clinic to keep in touch with you and maintain your privacy, please let us know if your personal details (such as your address or phone number(s)) change.
Parking & Access
Limited on-site car parking is available for the duration of your appointment at the Bowen Hills Clinic (the large area to the right of the building). Paid street parking is available outside the clinic.
Test Results
Results are not provided by our reception staff.: All results are reviewed by a clinical staff member prior to being released. You may be required to come into the clinic to obtain your test results.
Medical Certificates
You must make an appointment to see a Doctor for a medical certificate. This includes Centrelink and WorkCover certificates. Please specify who the certificate is for as some Government/other institutions require specific documentation. “Back-dating” of medical certificates and referrals is not possible under any circumstances.
Prescriptions and Repeat Prescriptions
Better Access has a policy of not prescribing drugs of dependence on the first patient appointment. The Dr’s of the practice refer to the ‘Drugs of Dependence’ Unit prior to the supply of any prescriptions for narcotics and benzodiazepines.
Most prescriptions provide enough medication (repeats included) to last until the condition needs to be reviewed. PBS prescriptions can only be written to last a maximum of six months (i.e. one month + five repeats). For your safety and in order to adhere to prescribing guidelines, we strongly encourage you to plan ahead and to make an appointment to see a doctor to have your condition reviewed and repeat prescriptions written prior to the expiry of your current prescription.
Translator Services
If you require any translator services, please let reception know when booking your appointment.
Telephone translation 131 450
Auslan interpreter 1300 287 526
Telephone Contact with Doctors
To limit the number of interruptions to Doctors and patients, phone calls are received and managed by reception staff. Please discuss the requirement for follow up appointments with your Doctor and book with our reception staff. Appointments are required in order to consult with our Doctors.
Violence, Aggression & Unacceptable Behaviour
Please note that for the safety and consideration of our staff and patients that Better Access cannot tolerate any behaviour that is threatening, abusive, violent or aggressive towards staff, other patients, or visitors to our practice. Any person conducting themselves in such a manner will be asked to leave immediately.
Privacy and Your Personal Health Information
Better Access is committed to maintaining the security of your personal health information and at all times will ensure that this information is only available to authorised members of staff unless where disclosure is required by law or where you provide your consent. You may also request access to your own health information. Please note that our practice retains records for all interactions. For more information please refer to our website.
Compliments, Feedback and Complaints
We welcome compliments, feedback and complaints, please speak with one of our staff to provide, or access a feedback or complaints form from our staff or reception areas. Concerns can be discussed with your Doctor, the Practice Manager or other staff. We encourage you to speak with us regarding your concerns as it is the quickest and easiest way to address concerns or fix a problem. For more information about our complaints process please refer to our Clinic Information and Collection Statement. This can be requested from our Reception staff.
If you feel the concern cannot be effectively resolved through our complaints process you can access the Office of the Health Ombudsman.
133 OHO (133 646)
complaints@oho.qld.gov.au
PO Box 13281 George Street
Brisbane Qld 4003