All Medicare-eligible consultations are bulk billed for patients with a valid Medicare card. Some items, including privately purchased vaccines and consumables, attract a fee.
The policies our practice works to, published in full. Four are available to download, and printed copies are at reception.
Contents
These are the written policies our practice works to, in line with the RACGP Standards for general practices. They are published here so you can read them before you attend, or take a copy away with you.
Printed copies are available at reception, and any member of our team can talk them through with you. If you would like a policy in large print, or explained through an interpreter, just ask.
No patient is refused clinical assessment or treatment on the basis of gender, race, disability, Aboriginality, age, religion, ethnicity, beliefs, sexual preference or medical condition.
As a patient of this practice you have the right to:
We ask, in return, that you treat our team and other patients with the same respect, give us accurate information, and let us know as early as you can if you cannot attend an appointment.
Your record is confidential. It is accessed only by team members involved in your care, every access is logged, and every person who works here signs a confidentiality agreement that continues after they leave.
We do not discuss your care with family members without your consent — including a spouse, a parent of an adult child, or an adult child of an older parent. If you would like someone to be able to speak with us on your behalf, tell us and we will record that authority on your file.
The full detail is on our privacy policy page, and in the downloadable policy above. If you have a privacy concern, ring the practice manager on (02) 6530 7404.
If you are more comfortable in a language other than English, tell reception when you book and we will arrange an interpreter through the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National). This is arranged by us and is free to you.
Family members and friends are not used as interpreters for clinical discussions. That is not about trust — it is because clinical language is difficult to translate accurately, and because you may not want to say everything in front of the person who brought you.
If you have a hearing or speech impairment, you can reach us through the National Relay Service on 133 677. Tell us about any communication, mobility or access need and we will accommodate it. Our rooms are on the ground floor of Muswellbrook Fair, with level access and parking at the door.
Every result is reviewed by a doctor before it is filed. We contact you directly if something needs urgent attention, which is why reception needs a current phone number for you.
For everything else, results are given at an appointment — in person or by telehealth — so they can be explained rather than read out. Reception can tell you whether a result has arrived, but cannot interpret it for you.
No news is not good news. Always follow up on a test you have had. Results can be delayed, and a normal result is still worth understanding in the context of why the test was ordered.
We use a reminder system for preventive care — cervical screening, immunisations, chronic disease reviews, health assessments — and a recall system for results that need following up.
Reminders may reach you by SMS, phone call or letter, according to the preference recorded on your file. They are kept brief and never contain clinical detail, because we cannot be sure who else can see your phone or your letterbox.
If you would prefer not to receive reminders, tell reception and we will note it. It will not affect your care, but it does mean we will not prompt you when something is due.
Standard appointments are booked in ten-minute slots. If you have several things to discuss, a complex problem, or you need a procedure, a form completed or a care plan, please ask for a longer appointment when you book.
We keep time aside each day for people who become unwell suddenly. Ring early on (02) 6530 7404 if you need to be seen the same day.
We run to time as well as any practice can, but general practice is unpredictable — an earlier patient may need more than was booked, and urgent cases are prioritised. Reception will tell you if we are running behind so you can decide whether to wait.
If you cannot attend, please let us know as early as you can so the time can go to someone else.
We are open Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, and closed on weekends and NSW public holidays.
Outside our hours:
Our phone message repeats these numbers when we are closed. There is no on-call doctor at the practice outside opening hours.
Standard consultations are bulk billed for everyone with a valid Medicare card. That means no out-of-pocket cost to you for a standard GP appointment.
Some services fall outside Medicare and are privately billed — ADHD assessments, pre-employment and insurance medicals, and reports prepared for a third party such as an employer or an insurer. Reception will tell you the amount before you book, and payment is taken on the day.
Full detail is on our patient info and fees page. If cost is a barrier to care you need, talk to us — it is a conversation worth having.
We would rather hear from you than not. If something has not gone well, telling us is how it gets fixed for you and for the next person.
Feedback can be given to any team member, left at reception, or put in writing to the Practice Manager, Muswellbrook Doctors, Tenancy 16–17, Muswellbrook Fair, 19–29 Rutherford Road, Muswellbrook NSW 2333. We will acknowledge it, look into it, and respond to you. Raising a concern will never affect the care you receive.
If you would prefer to raise it outside the practice, or you are not satisfied with our response:
Muswellbrook Doctors works to the RACGP Standards for general practices, which cover clinical governance, infection control, record keeping, staff training, equipment maintenance and patient rights.
Every doctor and nurse here is registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), holds professional indemnity insurance, and completes continuing professional development each year. You can check any practitioner’s registration yourself at ahpra.gov.au.
Our policies are reviewed regularly and updated when the standards, the law or our own practice changes. The review date at the top of this page shows when it was last checked.
These policies describe how the practice operates. How we handle your information is set out in our privacy policy; the terms that apply to this website are in our terms of use. In an emergency, call 000.
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Social media
Our team does not give clinical advice through social media, and does not discuss individual patients there.
Please do not use social media to report a symptom, ask about a result, or request a prescription — ring us on (02) 6530 7404 or book an appointment. A message sent through a social platform may not be seen for days, and it is held by that platform under its terms rather than by us.
We do not accept friend or follow requests from current patients on personal accounts. This is not unfriendliness; it is the boundary AHPRA and the RACGP expect practitioners to keep, and it protects your privacy as much as theirs.