Appointments for standard consultations can be scheduled with your regular doctor or the next available doctor, depending on your preference and doctor availability. 

Extended consultations are available on request. If you anticipate that your consultation will be longer than usual, please advise our friendly reception staff when arranging your appointment time. 

Our appointments are classified and invoiced as follows: 

Short Consultation (Level A) 

A brief consultation for an obvious problem characterised by the straightforward nature of the task that requires only a short patient history and, if required, limited examination and management. 

Standard Consultation (Level B) 

A consultation during which the General Practitioner obtains a selective history and  examination of the patient to assess and manage the health issue. 

Long Consultation (Level C) 

A consultation during which more complex tasks are required of the General Practitioner and/or when he/she is presented with several alternative diagnoses  requiring a detailed history, examination, possible investigations, and management. 

Extended Consultation (Level D) 

A consultation involving the General Practitioner obtaining an exhaustive history, performing multiple system examinations, and the possible arrangement and evaluation of complex investigations to narrow down multiple alternative diagnoses and determine the best treatment going forward.

To book an appointment call 4152 2266.

Every effort will be made to accommodate your preferred time and GP. Emergencies will be given priority and our reception staff will attempt to contact you if there is any delay. Longer consultations are available if you have several issues to discuss or more than one family member to be seen. An interpreter service is available, please advise reception if you require this service. Telehealth is available for patients under certain circumstances. Please call reception to discuss your eligibility and book these appointments..

Telephone (Telehealth) Consultations are available for patients under certain circumstances.  Please call reception to discuss your eligibility and book these appointments.

Our vision is to provide exceptional healthcare without compromise.

Our mission is to provide the highest standard of patient care whilst incorporating a holistic approach toward diagnosis and management of illness.
We are committed to promoting health, wellbeing and disease prevention to all patients. We do not discriminate in the provision of excellent care, and we aim to treat all patients with dignity and respect. We aim to provide a safe and congenial
workplace for Doctors and Staff. We ensure confidentiality is maintained by staff regarding patient, business and staff information. We endeavour through good practice to provide an environment which is pleasant to work in and patients to feel
comfortable in when they attend their doctor to seek advice or care.

Our values guide our behaviour and our decisions every day. Our staff are recruited
because they share the values of:

•  Positivity
• Kindness
• Teamwork
• Integrity
• Professional Excellence
• Sustainability

Please contact us when there are any changes to your home address, landline/ mobile phone number, medicare number, concessions card such as Pension or Health Care Cards and next of kin.

It is important that we have your updated details in case of an emergency or to notify you of the availability of test results.

Accreditation

West Bundaberg Medical Centre is an accredited medical practice having met the standards as set by QPA.

Waiting Times

Every effort is made to keep to appointment times but this is difficult due to emergencies or unexpected longer consultations.  To help us schedule appropriately, please tell our reception staff if your consultation is likely to be long (e.g. new patients, insurance medicals, cervical smear, skin checks, mental health, etc) and if more than one member of the family is to be seen.  We try to be comprehensive in providing medical care and each case may vary when it comes to waiting times.

Our receptionist will inform you of any wait times.

Continuity of Care and Doctor or your Choice 

 We endeavour to help you see the doctor of your choice.  All evidence suggests that communication between doctor and patient is improved when a good relationship exists between both parties.  We recognise it is not always possible to see the same doctor, so our system recording notes takes this into account.

Test Results

Patients are required to return for a consultation to obtain test results, preferably with the doctor who ordered your tests.  If any results are abnormal and/or require urgent attention we will contact you.  To facilitate this, please make sure reception have your current phone number and address details when booking.  Please allow 2-3 days for routine pathology results to be processed.  Urgent tests are usually available within 24 hours.

We don’t give results over the phone for confidentiality reasons.

Home Visits

For regular patients of the Medical Centre who are too ill or frail to attend, home visits can be provided.  A home visit can be arranged at a convenient time, usually during the Doctor’s lunch break or at the end of the day.  Please discuss this further with the reception staff.

Onsite Pathology

QML Pathology – Hours – Monday to Friday – 7.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. (Closed for Lunch 11.00 a.m. to 11.30 a.m.)

After Hours Care for Patients    

If you call our Medical Centre outside normal opening hours – Hello Home Doctor Service will answer on our behalf to assist where they can. They will advise:-

• Details for the on-call Doctor and the fee payable;
• If you decline to pay the on-call fee, you will be given a choice of a telehealth consultation by a Third Party Doctor.

Patients can also phone or proceed to the:-

• Emergency Department, Bundaberg Base Hospital, 271 Bourbong Street – phone 41502222; 
• Urgent Care Clinic at Central Medical, 53 Commercial Street, Kensington – phone 5316 3245 (Bulk Billing); or
• Emergency Department, Friendly Society Private Hospital, Woondooma Street Entrance – phone 4331 1777 (Private Fee).

We also recommend you access Healthdirect, either by phone on 1800 022 222 or by accessing their website at https://healthdirect.gov.au .  Healthdirect is a government-funded service, providing quality, approved health information.  You can either check your symptoms online as well as accessing health information or access advice over the phone.  This can help you decide if you need to go to hospital or if you can wait to see your GP in the morning.  If you need to see your GP the following day, please be sure to call us at 8.00 a.m. and we will do our best to get you in to see your usual GP, if this is not possible, to see one of our other GPs.

Telephone Calls / Email  

It is a policy of our Medical Centre that reception staff will take a message on your behalf and forward this to your treating GP.  The GP will then make the decision to return your call (during either their lunch break or after hours) or ask our reception staff to relay a message.  If you have an urgent matter please notify this to the receptionist and you will be transferred to the practice nurse to be triaged or to your GP.  Please do not send any correspondence or urgent matters by email – please phone the medical centre.

Taxis

Please do not hesitate to ask our team to order a taxi from the Medical Centre should you require one.

Reminder System

Our Medical Centre is committed to providing continuing care and preventative care.  We operate a reminder system for preventative health services.  If you do not wish to be part of this system, please advise reception staff.  Our Practice participates in the National, State and Territory Reminder System.  Please advise Staff if you do not wish to participate. 

Suggestions or Complaints 

If you have any concerns, complaints or suggestions about any aspect of our Service, we would appreciate hearing about them and we will take them seriously.  Please discuss them with your Doctor, Practice Manager or add a comment to the Suggestion Box located in the patient’s waiting area.   If you wish to discuss this with a party outside the practice, contact the Office of the Health Ombudsman, P.O. Box 13281, George Street, Brisbane   Qld  4003.  Phone:  133646 (Monday to Friday – 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.) (Email: info@oho.qld.gov.au)

Management of Personal Health Information  

 Your medical record is a confidential document.  All staff at West Bundaberg Medical Centre respects the privacy and confidentiality of your health information.  It is the policy of this Medical Centre to maintain security of personal health information at all times and to ensure that this information is only available to authorised members of the staff.  We have a comprehensive policy on the management of personal health information and a brochure ‘Privacy and Your Rights’.  Please ask reception staff for a copy of this brochure at any time.  All information at West Bundaberg Medical Centre is managed in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles (Office of the Australian Information Commission)  available at www.oaic.gov.au/

Patients who require communication services

 To help our General Practitioners ensure they fully understand the nature of their patient’s problem and patient’s fully understand the outcome of the consultation we use an interpreter service where necessary.  Please advise Reception Staff if you require this Service to enable a booking to be placed.

Chronic Disease Prevention 

 We are committed to helping our patients prevent the development of chronic disease.  We encourage you to take advantage of our practice nurses and the time you spend with your doctor to “measure up” and have your modifiable lifestyle factors assessed.  We can also offer Cardiovascular risk and Diabetes risk assessments.  Please look for these tools in the waiting room or ask at Reception.  Once filled in please give this to your doctor or the nurse.

Health Assessments 

For our patients over 75 we recommend a yearly health assessment which is a comprehensive review of a wide range of health issues.  Patients aged 45-49 are also eligible and encouraged to have a detailed health check to help identify chronic diseases for which you may be at risk.

Transfer of Medical Records  

If you wish your information to be transferred to another doctor, it is necessary for you to first sign a release declaration from the other doctor and then a summary will be sent to your new doctor.  If you require a full copy of your records a $50 fee will apply to prepare these records.