Patient Information
Making Appointments
I am currently a co-director at Newmarket Family Doctors where I also consult. Further information can be found at this link
Appointments can be made on the phone but you are also able to make appointments through Hotdocs online booking service which is found at this link. Phone 07 3356 3435
Please see my Fees page for all consultation costs.
A standard appointment to see me is 15 mins. But I also encourage my patients to make a longer booking of 30,45 or 60 minutes if needed.
All mental health appointments need to be booked as 45 minutes.
All biomechanical assessments need to be booked as 30 minutes.
All chronic or complex diseases initial consultations need to be booked as 30-45 minutes dependent on your history.
All neurodiversity appointments need to be booked as 45 minutes.
All second opinion appointments need to be booked as 45 minutes.
VERY IMPORTANT - BRING YOUR TESTS WITH YOU
It is important to note that if you are a new patient and you have had radiology and pathology tests done elsewhere, I cannot simply access them. You need to get a copy of these from the doctor who ordered them and bring them with you otherwise you will be wasting your appointment as I will need to have the tests sent to me before I can manage you.
What if I have closed my books or am booked out?
It is an unfortunate and well recognised fact that the more popular a doctor is, the more busy they will get, and this can cause frustration for patients and doctors alike when there are no available appointments.
Even though I am an independent contractor I am happy for my patients to consult other doctors at the practice that I work at if I am booked out.
Unfortunately there will be times when I will need to close my books to give the best care to my existing patients.
If you still wish to see me then please feel free to leave your name and contact details on my waiting list as I tend to open and close my books dependent on how busy I am.
Other Appointment Tips
Hate waiting? We know it happens, and us doctors hate to keep you waiting too. But unfortunately emergencies can occur which can cause a doctor to fall behind. I thank you in your understanding of this and I suggest that it is a good principle to prepare for delays as our days can be very unpredictable.
My reception staff will try and inform you if there are any delays. If I am delayed, please feel free to leave a mobile number at reception if you wish to browse around the shopping centre and we can call you back in when I become available. It can also pay to phone us ahead of time to see if I am running on time.
If you are short on time, the best appointments are first thing in the morning and just after lunch, as it is unlikely any delays would have built up.
Winter is certainly our busiest months and summer and school holidays are our quietest times. I do encourage you to book non-urgent appointments such as routine health checks for the quieter months.
Results, Recalls and Reminders
Test Results
I predominantly use SMS to communicate to my patients about results. It is important that you keep your mobile phone number up to date on my system for this reason.
If I have not communicated to you about your result, you should contact my practice as it may have gone missing and it helps me know that I have to track it down.
Test results ordered by other doctors and sent to me as copies is not my responsibility to follow up and I strictly advise that these are followed up with the ordering doctor.
Patient Reminders and Recalls
I have a computerised reminder system to remind patients for any routine follow ups such as colonoscopies or blood checks.
I also have a recall system to ask patients to book back in.
These are sent as an SMS.
Paperwork Requests
Prescriptions & Referrals
For a small fee, my online booking system allows patients to request a repeat prescription or referral as long as you have been seen within 12 months at my practice.
It is illegal for a GP to backdate a referral.
Communicating with me
Telephone Calls
Unfortunately due to how busy I get, I cannot always guarantee that I can call my patients back and I would ask you to direct any phone concerns to my reception staff to triage your call.
I do not use email as a form of communication.
Reading and writing emails is extremely time consuming so please do not try and communicate me for medical concerns via email unless otherwise advised, as I will not respond to your email.
If there is a need to send something by email, you will need to clear this with my reception staff prior to sending it.
Facebook and Social Media
I do not use social media to communicate to patients and I do not run a social media presence for my medical business.
Google Reviews and Online Reviews
I have a strict policy to not answer or respond to Google and Online Reviews as I am bound by confidentiality and cannot make comments about patients or respond to criticism in public.
Despite online reviews becoming a modern day tool for customers, medical practices are unfairly disadvantaged as we cannot respond online to defend ourselves against negative experiences due to privacy laws.
Like all businesses I am open to feedback and eager to manage negative experiences but I encourage our patients to do this in a constructive way.
Although I understand the consumer's right to post online reviews, it is my policy that any negative Google or online review will mean that I must ask the patient and their dependents to not attend our practice in the future. Good medical care relies upon mutual respect for a good doctor patient rapport and leaving negative reviews damages the doctor patient rapport for future interactions.
If you have a complaint I encourage you to take it up with myself or my manager so I can manage it in a constructive way.
Abusive Behaviour
Since COVID I have noticed an increase in abusive and demanding behaviour from some patients. Abusive behaviour towards my staff is not tolerated and any patient engaging in abusive behaviour will be asked to leave my practice.
Privacy and Confidentiality
I follow strict privacy and confidentiality policies. Your medical record is a confidential document. It is the policy of myself and the practice that I work at to maintain security of personal health information at all times and to ensure that this information is only available to authorised members of my staff. A full document of my privacy policy is available on request.
Your record remains confidential even from family members, and is only accessible by my staff and fellow doctors at the practice that I work at and it is accessed only for the purposes of your medical care.
Please be aware that I often receive requests to divulge patient information for insurance reasons, Workcover reports, and legal reasons such as car accident compensation claims. These are accessed by the respective companies when you sign certain documents allowing these companies to contact us for information.
Unfortunately patients aren't always aware that they have signed for the release of information when dealing with these companies. I ask you to be aware of what you are signing and contact us if you have any concerns about information being handed over these companies.