An appointment is required for non-urgent problems and every effort will be made to accommodate your preferred time.  Emergencies will always be given priority.  If you are experiencing chest pain, severe shortness of breath or you think you may be having a stroke, you should call 000 for an Ambulance and be seen in a hospital Emergency Department; it is inappropriate to present to a General Practice first.

Standard Consultation are of 12 minutes. Longer consultations are available and recommended if you have a complex problem or more than 2 issues to discuss, This allows adequate time to attend to your concerns and time for the Doctor to incorporate preventative care. We appreciate your help in keeping to time as punctuality is important to us and our patients.

If you or family members require an interpreter service, we can organise this for you. Please let us know when you make your appointment.

Please make an appointment with your GP for these. They will not be provided by phone request or via family members. Medicare requires that the Doctor sees you in person to address the problem for which you are being referred. Referrals are ideally obtained from your usual GP as correspondence from the specialist is returned to the referring Doctor. Forms should be completed during your appointment and may not be left for the Doctor.

Results (pathology, imaging, biopsies, etc) should be followed up in person with the Doctor who initiated the investigations as the subsequent actions are as important as the results obtained. Courtesy recall letters are sent for results not yet addressed, however the follow up of your results are your responsibility. It is recommended that you organise a follow up consult at the time of initiating investigations.

If you can’t keep your appointment please inform us as early as possible, to enable another person to access the Doctor. If you have missed 3 or more appointments with any of our doctors without adequate notice, we reserve the right to refuse an appointment

Any patient requesting phone contact with their doctor will be asked to leave the doctor a message to return your call at the earliest convenience. The urgency of the matter will be determined by the Doctor.

At present, we do not communicate with individual patients by email as we cannot ensure your privacy.

Our practice is committed to preventative care.  You  may receive a reminder notice from us from time to time offering you preventative health services appropriate to your care. Please remember this is a courtesy reminder, it is your responsibility to follow up any recommended actions in a timely manner.

Your feedback is important to us – Please feel free to talk to your doctor or receptionist. We take your concerns, suggestions or complaints seriously.  However, if you wish to take the matter further and feel that you need to discuss the matter outside the surgery you can contact Complaints Commissioner, Health & Community Services;

PO Box 199, Rundle Mall, Adelaide, SA 5000

Phone: 08 8226 8666

Your medical record is a confidential document. It is practice policy to maintain security of your personal health information at all times. Access is limited to authorised staff only.

Montague Farm Medical Centre Privacy Policy

Current as of 1.1.2021

Introduction

This privacy policy is to provide information to you, our patient, on how your personal information ( which includes your health information) is collected and used within out practice, and the circumstances in which we may share it with third parties.

Why and when your consent is necessary

When you register as a patient of our practice, you provide consent for our GPs and practice staff to access and use your personal information so they can provide you with the best possible healthcare. Only staff who need to see your personal information will have access to it. If we need to use your information for anything else we will seek additional consent from you to do this.

Why do we collect, use, hold and share your personal information?

Our practice will need to collect your personal information to provide healthcare services to you. Our main purpose for collecting, using, holding and sharing your personal information is to manage your health. We also use it for directly related business activities such as financial claims and payments, practice audits and accreditation, and business processes (e.g. staff training)

What personal information do we collect?

The information we will collect about you includes your:

• Name, date of birth, address and contact details
• Medical information including medical history, medications, allergies, adverse events, immunizations, social history, family history and risk factors
• Medicare number (where available) for identification and claiming purposes.
• Healthcare identifiers
• Health fund details

Dealing with us anonymously

You have the right to deal with us anonymously or under a pseudonym unless it is impracticable for us to do so or unless we are required or authorized by law to only deal with identified individuals.

How do we collect your personal information?

Our practice may collect your personal information in several different ways.

When you make your first appointment our practice staff will collect your personal and demographic information via your registration.

During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further personal information.

We may also collect your personal information when you send us an email, telephone us or make an online appointment

In some circumstances personal information may also be collected from other sources. Often this is because it is not practical or reasonable to collect it from you directly. This may include information from:

• Your guardian or responsible person
• Other involved healthcare providers, such as specialists, allied health professionals, hospitals, community health services and pathology and diagnostic imaging service
• Your health fund, Medicare or the Department of Veterans Affairs (as necessary)

When, why and with whom do we share your personal information

We sometime share your personal information:

• With third parties who work with our practice for business purposes, such as accreditation agents and information technology providers – these third parties are required to comply with APPs and this policy.
• With other healthcare providers
• When it is required or authorized by law (e.g. court subpoenas)
• When it is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to a patient’s life, health or safety or public health or safety, or it is impractical to obtain the patient’s consent
• To assist in locating a missing person
• To establish, exercise or defend an equitable claim
• For the purpose of confidential dispute resolution process
• When there is a statutory requirement to share certain personal information (e.g. some diseases require mandatory notification)
• During the course of providing medical services or My Health Record ( e.g. via Shared Health Summary)

Only people who need to access your information will be able to do so. Other than in the course of providing medical services or as otherwise described in this policy, our practice will not share personal information with any third party without your consent.

We will not share your personal information with anyone outside Australia (unless under exceptional circumstances that are permitted by law) without your consent.

Our practice will not use your personal information for marketing any of our services directly to you without your express consent. 

We may provide de-identified data to other organizations to improve population health outcomes. The information is secure and patients cannot be identified and the information is stored within Australia. You can let our reception staff know if you do not want your information included.

How do we store and protect your personal information?

Your personal information may be stored at our practice in various forms eg as paper records, electronic records or visual records (X-rays, CT scans)

Our practice stores all personal information securely, we scan and save the paper records into the digital patient record and discard the paper records through secure shredding. All staff sign confidentiality agreements and have individual passwords for access to information.

How can you access and correct your personal information at our practice?

You have the right to request access to and correction of your personal information.

Our practice acknowledges that patients may request access to their medical records. We require you to put this in writing and our practice will respond within 30 days whenever possible.  There may be a fee for the costs of providing you with the information you request. Our practice will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information where the information is not accurate or up to date. From time to time, we will ask you to verify that your personal information held by our practice is correct and current. You may also request that we correct and update your information, and you should make such requests at the reception when you are present at the practice or in writing to our practice manager. 

How can you lodge a privacy-related complaint, and how will the complaint be handled at our practice?

We take complaints and concerns regarding privacy seriously.  You should express any privacy concerns you may have in writing to us at Montague Farm Medical Centre. We will attempt to resolve it in accordance with our resolution procedure. You may also contact the OAIC. Generally, the OAIC will require you to give them time to respond before they investigate. For further information visit www.oaic.gov.au or call 1300 363 992

It is well known that patients and families that attend one GP or General Practice most of the time, have better health outcomes than those who attend multiple medical practices. When you consult a Doctor outside your “medical home”, request the results of investigations be forwarded to your usual GP as well, to inform them of your care and for future reference.

An ongoing relationship with a GP that you trust, feel comfortable with and who has access to your complete medical history is crucial in ensuring you receive high quality healthcare. Even when you feel healthy, your GP can help you optimise your lifestyle, organise regular preventative health checks and initiate early treatment for ailments as they arise.

Your wellbeing underpins your ability to manage the priorities in your life. Looking after yourself, optimises your performance and positively influences those around you to also become healthier, especially those you care about.

The Australian Medical Association promotes a body of ethical principles to guide Doctors' conduct in their interactions with patients, colleagues and society. Doctors have a responsibility to improve and maintain the health of their patients who, either in a vulnerable state of illness or for the maintenance of their health, entrust themselves to medical care and prohibits Doctors from behaving in their own self-interest. Montague Farm Medical Centre abides by this code of ethics

We are proud to be teaching practices for medical students from Flinders & Adelaide Universities. We are also involved in training the next generation of Australian GPs through Adelaide to Outback GP Training. The benefits of being a teaching practice extend beyond trainees to patients and staff alike. It is beneficial for all staff as there is a greater focus on professional development, remaining up to date with medical advances in Australia, practicing and therefore teaching best practice approaches. This also means patients receive a higher standard of care. As a patient of our practice, we thank you for being involved in training your future Doctors. Of course you are free to sometimes decline a student/ trainee being present during your consultation, however we encourage trainee presence most times, for your benefit as well as the student’s.

 When we are closed need an after hours bulk billed doctor, you can call 13Sick,National Home Doctor Service on 13 74 25 who can provide our patients with after hours service.