At Junction Road Family Practice, we are aware that there is a real need for prompt after hours medical care. Therefore, the Practice subscribes to the National Home Doctor Service for after hours home visits. Details of your visit will be conveyed back to this Practice, to ensure continuity of care. Please call 137 425.

To minimise waiting time, we operate by appointments of 15 minutes duration. We encourage our patients to book with the same doctor; if your doctor is unavailable an appointment with another doctor can be arranged. If a longer appointment is required (eg. cervical screening, medical etc.) please advise the receptionist at the time of your booking. If you are unable to keep an appointment – please notify the receptionist as soon as possible, so we can allocate that time to another patient.

The Doctors and staff at Junction Road Family Practice understand that there is always room for improvement in the medical service they provide, and welcome any suggestions you may have. Please feel free to discuss these issues with your Doctor or the Practice Manager. Grievances will be dealt with promptly and if you still feel unhappy with the resolution, you may contact the Health Quality and Complaints Commission on 07 3234 0272, or www.hqcc.qld.gov.au.

Junction Road Family Practice is a Private Billing Practice. Payment is required at the time of your consultation, by cash or eftpos. If there are financial difficulties, please discuss this with the Doctor at the time of your appointment.

Practice Fees are revised on 1st July each year. Once payment has been received, patients can claim their Medicare benefit and have it paid back into their bank account using the practice’s Tyro EFTPOS terminal (Savings or Cheque key card is required). Alternatively, the receptionist can send the claim online and Medicare will pay the benefit back into the patients nominated bank account. It is the patient’s responsibility to ensure that their contact details and bank details are up to date with Medicare.

Interpreter services are available through:

NABS (National Auslan Interpreter Booking & Payment Service) - Sign Language

NRS (National Relay Service) - For the Deaf

TIS (Translation and Interpreter Service) - Languages other than English

Arrangements can be made with these services prior to appointments – please inform the receptionist if needed.

Your medical record is a confidential document. It is the policy of this Practice to maintain security of personal health information at all times, and to ensure that this information is only available to authorised members of staff.

For Doctors to provide a “Medical Certificate”, it is necessary for the Doctor to consult the patient for that ailment. It is not possible to backdate medical certificates.

Our practice considers it very important to contribute to the training of medical students. From time to time we may have medical students sitting in on consultations and assisting the doctor. We appreciate your co-operation with this.

The Practice has a computerised recall and reminder system for follow-ups of immunisations, pap smears, blood tests, and health assessments. A reminder is sent to the patient when the recall is due. If you do not wish to be part of this system, please let your doctor or the receptionist know.

Most prescriptions provide sufficient medication to last until that condition needs to be reviewed. The policy of Junction Road Family Practice is that you consult with the doctor to have repeat prescriptions, however some prescriptions may be provided if the patient has been seen in the last three months in regard to this condition. 24 hours notice is needed for this request and a $25.00 charge will apply to be paid at the time of pick-up. It is illegal for doctors to write prescriptions for patients if they have not been seen for the condition within a 6 months period.

Your doctor will advise at the time of procedure when they expect the results to arrive at the Practice, or whether they require you to book another appointment for review and results.

Referrals for a Specialist are usually written at the time of consultation with the GP. With this in mind, all referrals will require an appointment to be made. However, if a duplicate referral is required – 24 hours notice is needed. A $25.00 fee will apply to be paid at the time of pick-up. Due to continuing changes in Specialist consultation fees, we advise our patients to contact the Specialist rooms for confirmation of any out-of-pocket costs. Under no circumstances can a Doctor backdate a referral.

To ensure all patients receive care and time during consultations, telephone calls to doctors are limited to emergencies. If it is impractical to speak directly with the doctor at that time, the reception staff will take a message and have the doctor contact you at a more convenient time.

This Practice will provide upon formal request from your new Doctor, a copy of your medical file as appropriate. This medical history will be posted by registered mail directly to the Doctors as required. This medical history is not given to the patient.

Vaccinations for travel are available through our Practice, but it is highly recommended that you speak with your Doctor at a prior consultation, to ensure the necessary vaccinations are on hand for your travel destinations.

Visits for a work related injury/illness are treated at the expense of the injured worker and payable at the time of consultation. It is also the injured worker’s responsibility to forward all medical and accounting paperwork to their employer or WorkCover Queensland. Please inform the Doctor at the time of consultation that it is a WorkCover related visit, and provide the doctor with all relevant information and necessary paperwork.