Patient Information – St Kilda Medical Group

We are committed to promoting health, wellbeing and disease prevention to all patients. We do not discriminate in the provision of excellent care and aim to treat all patients with dignity and respect.

Recall and Reminder System

As part of our ongoing medical service, St Kilda Medical Group is committed to preventative care. From time to time we may send you a reminder notice either by SMS or letter offering you preventative health services appropriate to your care.

If you have received an SMS, you will be directed to a link to complete an identity check. Once you have verified this, the details of the reminder will appear. You can book an appointment instantly! If you do not wish to be a part of this system, please advise our receptionist or your doctor.

Test Results

Your GP will advise when they expect your results to be available. In the event of a clinically significant result, you will be contacted to make a follow up appointment with your GP.

Swift Clinics

For the convenience of existing patients, St Kilda Medical Group is pleased to offer SWIFT clinics. These will be short appointments available several times per week for quick, single issue matters such as:

Providing results
Repeat prescriptions and repeat/ongoing referrals
Some vaccinations, such as influenza or subsequent vaccinations required as part of a course, such as Hepatitis A or B
Blood pressure checks
Desensitisation injections
Arranging routine follow up blood tests, eg for cholesterol

Each appointment is for 5 minutes only, and the consultation will be bulk-billed. Please note that SWIFT clinic appointments cannot be used for more complex matters such as cervical screening tests, referrals to new specialists, episodes of illness etc. These require a regular appointment, which can be made online via HotDoc or by contacting reception on 9525 5200.

To book a Swift Clinic appointment please ring reception on 9525 5200.

*These appointments are available only to existing patients of our practice, as new patients require a longer appointment.

Medical Certificates

If you require a certificate, please ask the doctor during the consultation. Medical certificates are legal documents and doctors are not permitted to backdate them.

Non-English Speaking patients

Patients who do not speak English are encouraged to use the services of an interpreter or friend during the consultation. A free interpreter service is available, but does require some notice to arrange.

Confidentiality

Your medical record is a confidential document. St Kilda Medical Group maintains security of health information at all times to ensure information is only available to authorised staff members. The practice complies with the Health Privacy Principles and National Privacy Principles as set out in the Health Records Act (Victoria 2001) and the Privacy Act (Commonwealth 1988).Click here to view our Privacy Policy.

Drug Policy

It is the general policy of this practice not to prescribe drugs of dependence. This includes benzodiazepines such as Valium, and opiate medications such as Panadeine Forte and Oxycodone.

Feedback

A box is available on the reception desk for written feedback. Please feel free to leave any suggestions, and please do not hesitate to tell us if you think we have done a good job – we think our staff are fantastic! If on the other hand you have some concerns, please tell our practice manager. If you feel there is a problem you wish to take up outside the Practice, you may prefer to contact the Victorian Government Centre for handling complaints:

Health Services Commissioner
Level 26, 570 Bourke Street
Melbourne. 3000 Victoria, Australia
Call: 1300 582 113
Fax: (61 3) 9032 3111
E-mail: hsc@dhhs.vic.gov.au

Telephone Enquiries

Phone calls are not generally put through to doctors during consultations. Our receptionists can take a message and pass it on to your doctor. If the matter is urgent please let them know. Your call will be transferred to one of the practice nurses for assistance. Our practice nurses are available to receive patient calls or queries and liaise with a doctor if the enquiry is of a clinical nature.

Contacting you Doctor by Email

The doctors do not have access to receive or send unsecured email. Due to security and privacy concerns doctors will not send email to patients and patients should not try to send an email to their doctor. Only in exceptional circumstances regarding an emergency or where there is absolutely no other communication method available will the clinic send or receive an external email involving a patient.