Patient Information | Argyle Medical Centre

Our Practice Services

Dr. Ivan Wilden-Constantin MBBS (Syd), FACCRM, MLS (UNSW)

Dr. Tim Clancy MBBS

Dr. Sawsan Mtelej MBBS

CONSULTATIONS – BY APPOINTMENT

MONDAY to FRIDAY

9.00 am until 5.00 pm

RECEPTIONISTS: Tania Welch (Practice Manager), Allison, Sharon

OFFICE HOURS: 9.00 am until 5.00 pm Monday to Friday

CLOSED: Weekends and Public Holidays

OUR SERVICES:

Acute Illness Consultations
Adolescent Health
Aged Care
Ante Natal Shared Care
Child & Adult Immunisation & Assessments
Chronic Disease Management
Diabetes Assessment & Management
Driver Licence & Trotter Licence Medicals
Enhance Primary Care & Allied Health Referrals
Family Planning & Contraceptive Advice
General Health & Wellness Advice
Implanon Contraception & Fertility Medicine
Lung Function for Asthma & COPD
Menopause Medicine
Men’s Health
Minor Operative Procedures
Paediatric Care
Palliative Care Management
Q Fever Vaccinations
Skin Check & Cryotherapy
Yearly Health Assessments for over 75 years Medicare Funded
Yellow Fever Vaccinations
Workers Compensation Care
Women’s Health
Telehealth Consultation:
- Telephone Consultation Only

APPOINTMENT PROCEDURES

If you require urgent emergency medical attention, please call an ambulance on 000.

Consultations are by appointment and are at least 15 minutes in duration. For longer consultation please advise the receptionist when booking.

Please indicate if the appointment is URGENT, as a number of appointments are kept each day for emergencies.

In some instances, urgent appointments will need to be triaged by the practice.

AFTER HOURS

For any after-hours you will need to contact the Goulburn Base Hospital on 4825 4000 or attend in person.

Service is provided in collaboration with the duty Doctor at Goulburn Base Hospital, contact telephone – 4825 4000.

If you require medical advice after hours, you could call Health Direct 1800 022 222.

TELEPHONE CALLS

Calls are taken by reception and if necessary, put through to a Doctor. If the Doctor is unavailable, a message

will be taken, and the Doctor will return your call as soon as practical. Your call will always be put through to the Doctor in an emergency.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION – EMAILS

Our patients will be given the option of being contacted by electronic means via email. All patients in the

practice will be given information on our electronic communication policy via our registration form and are asked to provide signed consent to agree or disagree to be communicated with in this manner.

HOME VISITS

Home visits are available at Doctor’s discretion for those patients unable to access the surgery because of their disability or illness.

TELEPHONE CONSULTATIONS

Are available if appropriate.

BILLING PROCEDURES

Fees may apply for non-eligible services and for patients without a Medicare number. Payment for these services is required at the time of consultation by cash, cheque, credit card or EFTPOS.

PRESCRIPTIONS AND REFERRAL REQUESTS

We now have the facility to forward electronic scripts to your mobile phone with a QR Code attached.

If you telephone for a referral or script, the Doctor can only address one issue per telephone call and no repeats on scripts will be given.

For telephone calls requiring scripts, you must have been seen by one of our Doctor’s in person within a two-month period.

Please note: For S8 prescriptions you are required to be seen in person or at the Doctor’s discretion via telephone scripts need to be picked up in person. No exceptions.

Please note: Prescriptions are only to be collected from the practice by persons aged 16 or over.

MANAGEMENT OF YOUR PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION

Your medical record is a confidential document. It is the policy of this practice to always maintain security of personal health information and to ensure that this information is only available to authorised members of staff.

In complying with the Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2001 we have developed a Privacy Policy that governs the handling of personal information.

Please refer to Argyle Medical Centre Privacy Policy handout which is on the practice website https://www.argylemedicalcentre.com.au/ and also located in the waiting room and the reception counters.

Please take one to keep.

CONTINUITY OF CARE

All patients of this practice will be provided with continuity of care.

When a routine appointment request is made by a patient, it is the policy of this practice to ask which Doctor they would prefer to see. We will offer the next available appointment with that Doctor.

If this appointment is unsuitable, the patient will be given an alternative appointment with another Doctor at a time more suitable to the patient.

Patient Health information is available to other authorised members of staff through shared electronic medical records.

PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION AND TEST RESULTS

All personal health information is treated with utmost confidentiality by all staff. To ensure this, all results are communicated by the Doctor to the patient by mail as soon as possible, and if the Doctor deems necessary, by phone.

The transfer of test results from other medical organisations can sometimes be compromised, so patients will be requested to follow up with their Doctor if a result has not been advised to them within 2 weeks.

At times, our practice provides results via email. Our email system is only used to communicate normal results to our patients. Please bear in mind that email communication may be compromised if you have an email without encryption.

If you do not wish to receive communication from your Doctor via email, please advise Reception.

Please note this email system is a read only system and cannot be used to communicate with your Doctor.

TRANSFER OF MEDICAL RECORDS

If you wish to transfer your health records to another service provider, please ask your new provider to send Argyle Medical Centre a transfer application and consent form signed by you.

Alternatively, if you would like the Argyle Medical Centre to obtain records from another service provider, please see reception for a transfer application.

Depending on the method of transfer and postage a fee of $35.00 (inc. GST) may be charged to forward the complete patient file.

If this fee is payable, you will be contacted before the transfer is made.

REMINDER AND RECALL SYSTEMS

This Practice uses a ‘Recall and Reminder’ system to recall and remind patients about clinically significant results and preventative care issues.

All Doctors follow the guidelines for preventative care as outlined by the RACGP’s guidelines, which are in line with the recommendations of organisations such as the National Heart Foundation, National Cervical Screening and Breast Screen.

NATIONAL REGISTERS

Childhood immunisation records at this practice are registered with the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register as per government regulations.

EDUCATION OF OUR FUTURE MEDICAL WORKFORCE

This practice is committed to the education of our future medical workforce. Advanced Medical Registrars will be providing consultations and on occasions medical students may be observers.

Patients have the right to decline a student’s attendance.

COMMUNICATION IMPAIRMENT

No patient is refused access to clinical assessment or medical treatment based on gender, race, disability, Aboriginality, age, religion, ethnicity, beliefs, sexual preference or medical condition.

Our practice has implemented provisions to assist all patients to access our services including interpreter services and the

National Relay Service for Hearing Impaired patients.

If a patient or family member requires assistance with reading or understanding medical terminology, a clinical member of staff will be available to assist.

• INTERPRETER SERVICE

If you or a family member requires an interpreter, we can organise this for you. Please let us know when you make the appointment.

• NATIONAL RELAY SERVICE FOR HEARING IMPAIRED PATIENTS

This is a government initiative which provides communication services for people with impaired hearing or speech, which operates 24 hours a day 7 days a week. We can help to organise this for you.

• PATIENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

If you or a family member requires assistance with reading or understanding medical terminology, a clinical member of staff will be available to assist.

PATIENT FEED BACK AND COMPLAINTS

Our Practice welcomes any feedback in order to improve our services and paperwork is available if you wish to complete one.

We have implemented changes as a result of our Patient Feedback surveys.

The Practice will acknowledge and respond to a patient complaint. Dr. Ivan Wilden-Constantin and Tania Welch will be available to respond to any concerns.

If there is a need to proceed further with the complaint, you are entitled to contact ‘The Health Care Complaints Commission,’ Level

13, 323 Castlereagh Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. Telephone: 02 9219 7444. https://www.hccc.nsw.gov.au/

Your feedback is welcome!