How things work at this practice.

Book online through HotDoc or ring reception on (03) 8391 7025. A standard consultation is about fifteen minutes and suits one clear issue.

If you have several things to discuss, need a procedure, a care plan, a mental health appointment, an insurance or employment medical, or it is your first visit, ask for a long appointment. There is no extra cost, and it is far better than raising the real reason as the door is closing.

Walk-ins are welcome. You may wait, and how long depends on what else is happening that day, so ringing first usually means less waiting. Urgency — not arrival time — determines the order in which people are seen.

If you cannot attend, please let us know as early as you can so the appointment can be offered to another patient. Same-day capacity is limited, and an unused slot is a slot somebody else needed.

Repeated non-attendance may be discussed with you. Ask reception about the practice’s current arrangements for missed appointments so you know where you stand.

Consultations are bulk billed for patients with a valid Medicare card, which means no out-of-pocket cost to you. Bring your Medicare card, and any concession or DVA card, to every visit.

Some services are not covered by Medicare at all and attract a fee — pre-employment, insurance and commercial driver medicals, some third-party reports and forms, and certain vaccines and consumables. Reception will tell you the cost before anything goes ahead.

If you do not have a valid Medicare card, ring before booking and reception will explain what the visit will cost and what identification to bring.

Results come back to the doctor who ordered them and are reviewed by a GP before anything is said to you. If something needs attention, the practice will contact you — but do not treat silence as confirmation that all is well.

The reliable approach is to book a follow-up appointment when your test is ordered. Reception cannot give clinical results over the phone, because interpreting a result is a medical act and identity is difficult to confirm by phone.

There is a pathology collection centre in this building, so most blood tests can be done straight after your appointment.

Prescriptions are a clinical decision, not paperwork. Your GP needs to check the medicine is still right for you, that the dose still suits, and that any monitoring is up to date — so scripts are not issued without a consultation.

Book while you still have about a week’s supply, and especially before a public holiday or a trip away. Bring the boxes or a photo of the labels. Certain medicines require a face-to-face review.

A referral carries your history, medications and results to the specialist, and it is what allows Medicare to pay a rebate on their fee — so it needs a consultation to prepare.

Standard GP referrals run for twelve months from your first appointment with that specialist. Referrals cannot be backdated, so if yours has expired you need a new one before the next appointment, not after it.

A medical certificate is a legal document in which a practitioner states that they assessed you and formed an opinion about your capacity. It cannot be backdated.

If your employer, school or Centrelink will require a certificate, be seen while you are unwell. We are open seven days, including weekends and public holidays, which makes that realistic. A certificate does not have to name your diagnosis — just say so.

Phone and video consultations are available where you meet the Medicare eligibility criteria — generally a face-to-face visit at this practice within the previous twelve months, with specific exemptions. Reception checks this when you book.

Telehealth suits results, stable medications, mental health reviews and follow-ups. Anything needing examination — and any unwell baby or young child — needs an in-person appointment, and your GP will say so rather than guess.

We are open Monday to Friday 8am–8pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am–5pm, and public holidays 9am–4pm.

Outside those hours, National Home Doctor Service on 13 74 25 can attend at home and bulk bills eligible patients, and Healthdirect on 1800 022 222 gives free registered-nurse advice at any hour. Your GP receives a report afterwards so your record stays complete.

In an emergency call 000. Grampians Health Ballarat (Ballarat Base Hospital), 1 Drummond Street North, Ballarat Central, has a 24-hour emergency department — (03) 5320 4000.

Your health information is confidential and handled under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic). It is not shared with family, employers or insurers without your consent.

You can ask to see or correct your record, or have it transferred to another practice, by writing to the Practice Manager. Full detail is in our Privacy Policy.

A free interpreter can be arranged through the national service for any appointment — ask reception when you book, as it needs organising in advance. Several of our doctors speak languages other than English.

The clinic is on the ground floor with level access from the car park and free parking at the door. You are welcome to bring a family member, friend, carer or support person into the consultation. If communication takes more time, ask for a longer appointment.

You may ask for a chaperone to be present during any examination, for any reason, and you do not need to explain why. Tell reception when you book, or the doctor at the start of the appointment.

Your doctor will explain any examination before it begins, and you can stop it at any point.

The practice participates in reminder and recall systems for preventive health, screening, immunisation and care plan reviews, and sends appointment reminders and confirmations.

Tell reception if you would rather not receive them. If you opt out we will still contact you about anything clinically important, and you may stop receiving screening reminders that would otherwise have been sent.

If something has gone wrong, we would rather hear it. Speak to reception, ask for the practice manager, or write to info@ballaratdoctors.com.au. Complaints are taken seriously, investigated and used to improve how we work.

If you would rather raise it outside the practice, the Health Complaints Commissioner (Victoria) takes complaints on 1300 582 113, and AHPRA handles concerns about a practitioner’s conduct or performance on 1300 419 495.

Everyone here — patients, families and staff — is entitled to be treated with respect. Aggressive, threatening or abusive behaviour, whether in person, by phone or in writing, is not accepted and may result in care being transferred to another practice.

Please also keep phone conversations and reception discussions discreet, as the waiting room is a shared space.