Practice Policies and Hours
Hours
Northside's standard hours are Monday to Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm.
Our phone system operates a message service outside of these hours and your message will usually receive a response the next working day.
After-Hours Services
Emergency care is available at Royal Darwin Hospital or Palmerston Regional Hospital emergency departments. Urgent care is available at Palmerston Medicare Urgent Care Clinic.
New Patient Policy
We welcome new patients. Sometimes our next available new patient appointment may require up to a few weeks' wait. Please advise us if your need is more urgent than this.
The first appointment for new patients is 30 minutes long, in order to obtain your past medical history, and discuss your current health concerns and medications.
For General Practice, Allied Health (Psychologist, Physiotherapy) and our specialised clinics (LGBTIQA+ Clinic and Pelvic Pain and Endometriosis Clinic), please call or email to organise an appointment.
Or book online via the Bookings button on this website's front page.
Results
Your Doctor will advise you whether you should book an appointment to receive your results or whether you should call the clinic and speak with our nurse.
You may receive notification via SMS from the nurse advising you of a recent result that requires action, such as asking you to make a non-urgent booking to discuss the result with your GP.
Prescriptions
Repeat prescriptions for existing patients may be requested by phone (fees apply).
In the interests of quality prescribing we have shorter "script" appointments to issue your repeat prescription at a reduced cost.
If an additional issue arises during the consult then we will be able to help you with a further appointment at another time.
If you think you require new medication or if there are other issues to discuss with the doctor, please request a 15 minute (or longer) appointment, not a script appointment.
Medical Certificates
If you require Sickness or Compensation Certificates, please make an appointment with the doctor.
Specialist Referrals
Referral letters can take time for your GP to write and they contain important information regarding your health. We request that you book an appointment for this process. Referral letters will not be written by phone request.
Reminders
Northside Health will send you an SMS message as a courtesy reminder of your appointment. It is important that you respond to the SMS to confirm or cancel your appointment. If you do not wish to receive this SMS service, please let reception know.
You will also receive SMS reminders if a preventive health service is due such as a blood pressure check or cervical screen.
Cancellation Policy
Failure to attend an arranged appointment is unfair to other patients and to our practitioners. We request 24 hours notice be provided for a cancelled appointment.
A cancellation fee of 50% applies to appointments cancelled with less than 24 hours notice.
If you confirm your appointment but fail to attend without notification, the full fee is charged.
We understand that there can be exceptional circumstances, so please discuss with us if this is the case.
Workers Compensation
We request that you pay for your workers compensation consultation on the day and present your receipt to your employer for reimbursement.
Privacy
The provision of quality health care is our primary concern. In order to provide this care, we are required to collect personal information from you regarding your health, past medical or surgical events and family history. Without this your doctor will be unable to plan your care appropriately.
Your medical record is a confidential document. It is our policy to maintain security of personal health information at all times and to ensure that this information is only available to authorised members of staff. It is not released externally without written consent. We have a legal and ethical duty to protect your information.
Patients who wish to access their information are welcome to discuss these matters with their treating doctor.
Appointments
We offer a range of appointments from 15-60 minutes.
Some examples of issues requiring longer than 15 minutes: first pregnancy appointment, 6-week post-natal check, minor procedures (such as IUD, Implanon, skin excisions), Care Plans, and long medical forms or paperwork.
We offer Telehealth appointments and these attract the same Medicare rebates as face-to-face appointments, as long as you have visited Northside Health in person within 12 months of the Telehealth appointment.
Emails will be responded to on the same working day when possible. Permission to transmit personal information (eg. to other medical practitioners) via email can be given or declined on initial registration as a new patient. Whilst patient email contacts are kept on file, in order to maintain confidentiality, patient email addresses are confirmed with patients/guardians prior to emailing personal information directly to the patient.
Feedback
Northside welcomes patient feedback and the opportunity to make our services better. Feedback can be given anonymously on paper in the feedback box in the waiting room, via email, or please ask to speak to the practice manager directly.