About Us

We are a bulk-billing medical practice, meaning that most of our services are covered by Medicare, as long as you hold a current Medicare card. Please note that certain procedures may also incur fees, and we kindly ask you to refer to our fees table for more information. Other services that are not covered by Medicare include Commercial Driver’s License, Pre-Employment Health Check and completing forms, these will incur varying fees. For private patients, our consultation fees are as follows: Standard Consult for $70, Long Consult for $100. For Overseas Student/Visitor Health Cover patients with NIB/Bupa Health Funds we will submit your claim electronically, for all other health insurance providers we will charge you the rebate only and we will issue you with a receipt in order to claim the full amount back. Please note that after-hours consultations will incur higher fees. Failure to attend, without notice, a confirmed appointment, may incur a non-attendance fee.

Telephone:

All telephone calls will be answered by our reception staff or Practice Manager. We will use 3 identifiers when booking your appointment, such as name, DOB and address. If we cannot answer your call you will be put on hold and we will attend to you as soon as possible (staff must first ask if the call is an emergency). If the call is an emergency, then you will be advised to hang up and call 000. Messages may be left for the doctor and other members of staff and will be returned as soon as possible.

Email:

Patients can email us directly to our administration email. These emails are checked regularly throughout the day, and we will act on these as soon as possible or pass them on to the relevant doctor/addressee. You should be aware that we prefer to use email for non-sensitive correspondence as there is always a risk when transmitting information across the internet as it is not a secure network.

Text:

SMS reminders will be sent for appointment reminders, health reminders and non-urgent recalls (for urgent recalls our nurse will telephone the patient). Please be aware that if another person has access to your phone, these SMS reminders cannot be protected by the practice.

Fax:

Patient information is sometimes sent/received via fax. Faxes received are passed on to the relevant doctor and then scanned on to your file by reception staff and shredded. The fax machine is in an area that is only accessible to authorized staff of HTDNS.

Mail:

Letters are often sent to our patients for health reminders and recalls for patients who have not responded to our SMS/phone recalls or do not have a mobile phone number. Invoices may also be sent to patients for payment of accounts etc. Incoming mail is checked daily and opened by our reception staff and distributed to the relevant addressees. Once it has been actioned by the doctor it is then scanned on to the patient’s file.

Translation Services:

If you speak a language other than English, we can arrange for a free interpreter through the Translation Interpreter Service (TIS). Please inform reception when booking your appointment.

Our Practice collects your personal information to ensure you receive the highest standard of care and services.  We are committed to protecting the privacy of your information and to handling your personal information in a responsible manner in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012, the Australian Privacy Principles and relevant State and Territory privacy legislation. For more information, ask Reception for a copy of our Privacy and Personal Health Information Policy.

Every effort will be made to accommodate your preferred time and GP. Our staff have been trained in triage and emergencies will always be given priority. Longer consultation times are available on request. Appointments can be made by phoning 5500 6661.  Alternatively you can book online by visiting website www.harbourtownsurgery.com.au or via Hot Doc and Health Engine. Walk in appointments are available, we will make every effort to get you to see your doctor as quickly as possible, however in some cases you will need to come back to the surgery at a later time if there are no walk-in appointments free. 

Our clinic offers after hours care (as these hours may vary please call ahead to book or book online). If you require care outside of our business hours please call 13SICK (13 7425) or Hello Home Doctor Service on 134-100 to book a home visit doctor.

If you have any of the following symptoms:

• Sore throat
• Fevers
• Coughing
• Runny nose
• Shortness of breath

 DO NOT COME INTO THE PRACTICE. 

If you are an existing patient of the service and have any flu like symtoms, please book a TELEPHONE CONSULT with a GP.