Communication methods
There are multiple ways in which the practice communicates with patients and third parties. These include:
Telephone
As we are open 9:00am and 6:00pm Monday to Friday and close on Saturday & Sunday. Our reception staff may use a triage system to assess the urgency of the patients’ needs and concerns. They will also perform a three-point identifier check to ensure the correct patient record is matched to the patient on the phone.
Please note, it is often not possible to speak to the doctor at the time of calling. A secure message will be sent to the doctor who will return your call either between consultations if possible or by the end of the day, exceptions may be made if the matter is deemed to be urgent.
When correspondence is received from other healthcare providers, it is directly imported into the patient’s file and then sent through to the doctor to review. This includes results, emails, and specialist letters. If the addressed doctor is not available and the correspondence is urgent, another doctor will review and action, as necessary.
Email is not a secure form of communication and is not encouraged by Tarneit Doctors for this reason. If you do choose to contact the clinic via email, this is considered as patient consent for our staff to reply via email, Our staff endeavour to respond to email messages within 24 hours.
SMS
SMS messages are sent to remind patients of scheduled appointments, health reminders and health recalls. Please make sure you update the practice if there is a change to your mobile number. Please let us know if you would like to be removed from the SMS list.
Post
For patients who have opted out of SMS, a letter may be sent regarding reminders or recalls. Letters received by the practice are scanned into the patient chart and forwarded to the doctor to review.
Our website is updated regularly and contains the practice contact details, location, opening hours and information regarding fees and services offered.
Our after-hours doctor service details are also available, as is online booking for the practitioners during office hours.
Communicating with patients with special needs
A contact list of translator and interpreter services and services for patients with a disability is maintained, updated regularly and readily available to all staff at reception,These include:
Auslan services1300AUSLAN and the Translation and Interpreter Service (TIS) 131450
Privacy and Confidentiality
Your medical record and information are private and confidential. In line with privacy’ legislation, our clinic always maintains security of your personal health information and ensures that only authorised members of our staff have access to your information. Privacy brochures containing full details of our privacy policies are available on request. You have a right to access your personal health information and may request to view or obtain a copy of your medical records or test results at any time.
Patient feedback
At Tarneit Doctors, we welcome and value your feedback and are committed to continue to improve our practice. A suggestion box is in the waiting room. Our team will review your suggestions on a weekly basis.
Complaints
If you have a complaint, please discuss this with our practice staff and we will ensure that it is dealt with promptly and appropriately. If your complaint is not dealt with to your satisfaction, you may escalate it to the following responsible authority: Health services commissioner: PH: (03) 8601 5222 Free call: 1800 136 066