There are multiple ways in which this practice communicates with patients and third parties.
Face to Face – This can be via consultation with your doctor or nurse or interactions with other practice staff. i.e.: Practice Manager or reception staff.
Telephone– Patients can contact the practice via telephone between 8.00am – 5.30pm Monday to Friday and Saturday 8.30am – 1.00pm.
Our reception staff may use a triage system to assess the urgency of the patients’ needs and concerns. Receptionists will often need to ask questions to determine that the patient receives the most appropriate care, at the most appropriate time. At times you may also be referred to speak to one of our practice nurses to determine the urgency or best course of action for your issue or concern.
Our reception staff will also perform a three-point identifier check to ensure the correct patient file is matched to the patient on the phone. Please note, it is often not possible to speak to the doctor at the time of calling. A secure message via Best Practice Medical Software will be sent to the doctor who will return your call, when possible, exceptions may be made if the matter is deemed to be urgent. Where clinically significant information is discussed, a note will be made in the patient’s file.
When correspondence is received from other healthcare providers, it is directly imported into the patients file and then sent through to the doctor to review. This includes results, email, and specialist letters. If the addressed doctor is not available and the correspondence is urgent, another doctor will review and action as necessary.
Fax– Faxes received that are patient related are imported directly into the patient’s file. These are then reviewed and actioned by the doctor. Any urgent patient related faxes are immediately handed to the doctor or if that doctor is not available another doctor in the practice will review the fax. All non-patient related faxes are given to the relevant staff member.
All outgoing faxes will be accompanied with a practice cover sheet advising details of who the fax is addressed to, fax number, number of pages and confidentiality and privacy notice.
Email & Internet Policy- Email is not a secure form of communication and we do not use this to communicate personal information to patients without their consent. Whilst we make every effort to keep your information secure it is important for patients to be aware of the risks associated with electronic communication, in that the information could potentially be compromised and accessed by someone other than the intended recipient. Patients must be aware that any communication they direct to the practice via email is also NOT secure and confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. Patients communicating through email do so at their own risk. Communication with patients via email is not encouraged by this practice.
If you do choose to contact the practice via email this will be considered as patient consent to reply via email. We endeavor to reply to all emails within 1 business day. Our emails are checked on a regular basis, however they are not constantly monitored. If you have an issue that requires urgent attention, we request that you contact the practice via telephone.
No images, content, or confidential information from within Clovercrest Family Practice is to be sent via email without express permission from Management.
Employees will not respond to requests for personal and/or clinical information via the internet and will refer these requests directly to management.
Computer and internet usage assigned to an employee’s computer are solely for the purpose of conducting company business. No personal use of computers or internet is allowed within the business.
Patient information may only be sent via email if it is securely encrypted according to industry and best practice standards.
SMS– SMS messages are sent to remind patients of scheduled appointments, health reminders and health recalls. Please make sure you update the practice if there is a change to your mobile number. Please let us know if you would like to be removed from the SMS list. Patients must be aware that if another person can access their mobile phone, then the confidentiality of these communications cannot be protected by the practice.
Post– For patients who have opted out of SMS, or do not have a mobile phone number, a letter may be sent regarding reminders or recalls.
Incoming mail is collected and opened each day. Letters received by the practice that are patient related are scanned into the patient’s medical record and forwarded to the doctor to review and action. All remaining letters are provided to the addressee.
Website– Our website is updated regularly and contains the practice contact details, location, opening hours and information regarding fees and services offered. You can also view our doctor’s profile, book appointments and details regarding after-hours doctor service is also available.
Social Media– No social media is used.
Communicating with patients with special needs– A contact list of translator and interpreter services and services for patients with a disability is maintained, updated regularly and readily available to all staff at reception. These include:
- National Relay Service (NRS) for hearing impaired
- Translation and Interpreter Service (TIS) Doctors Priority Line 1300 131 450