Practicepolicies.

These are the written policies our practice works to, in line with the RACGP Standards for general practices. They are published here so you can read them before you attend.

Printed copies are available at reception, and any member of our team can talk them through with you. If you would like a policy in large print, or explained through an interpreter, just ask. How we handle your personal information is set out in full in our privacy policy.

No patient is refused clinical assessment or treatment on the basis of gender, race, disability, Aboriginality, age, religion, ethnicity, beliefs, sexual preference or medical condition. As a patient of this practice you have the right to:

• Be treated with respect, and to have your dignity and privacy protected
• Be told what is wrong, what the options are, what a treatment involves, what the risks are and what it will cost, in language you understand
• Make your own decision, including the decision to decline a recommended treatment
• Bring a support person to your appointment, and to ask for a chaperone during any examination
• Ask for a second opinion, or to see a different doctor at this practice or elsewhere
• Access your own health record, and ask for it to be corrected
• Give feedback or make a complaint without it affecting your care

These rights follow the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights. We ask, in return, that you treat our team and other patients with the same respect, give us accurate information, and let us know as early as you can if you cannot attend an appointment.

Your record is confidential. It is accessed only by team members involved in your care, access is logged, and every person who works here signs a confidentiality agreement that continues after they leave.

We do not discuss your care with family members without your consent, including a spouse, a parent of an adult child, or an adult child of an older parent. If you would like someone to be able to speak with us on your behalf, tell us and we will record that authority on your file.

The full detail is on our privacy policy page. If you have a privacy concern, call our Practice Manager on (02) 6543 8424.

If you are more comfortable in a language other than English, tell reception when you book and we will arrange an interpreter through the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National). This is arranged by us and is free to you. Dr Sasikala (Sasi) Hariharan also speaks Tamil and Telugu.

Family members and friends are not used as interpreters for clinical discussions. That is not about trust: clinical language is difficult to translate accurately, and you may not want to say everything in front of the person who brought you.

If you have a hearing or speech impairment, you can reach us through the National Relay Service on 133 677. Tell us about any communication, mobility or access need when you book, and we will do our best to accommodate it.

Our team does not give clinical advice through social media, and does not discuss individual patients there.

Please do not use social media to report a symptom, ask about a result, or request a prescription. Call us on (02) 6543 8424 or book an appointment. A message sent through a social platform may not be seen for days, and it is held by that platform under its terms rather than by us.

We do not accept friend or follow requests from current patients on personal accounts. This is the professional boundary AHPRA and the RACGP expect practitioners to keep, and it protects your privacy as much as theirs.

Every result is reviewed by a doctor before it is filed. We contact you directly if something needs urgent attention, which is why reception needs a current phone number for you.

For everything else, results are given at an appointment, in person or by telehealth, so they can be explained rather than read out. Reception can tell you whether a result has arrived, but cannot interpret it for you.

No news is not good news. Always follow up on a test you have had. Results can be delayed, and a normal result is still worth understanding in the context of why the test was ordered.

We use a reminder system for preventive care, such as cervical screening, immunisations, chronic condition reviews and health assessments, and a recall system for results that need following up.

Reminders may reach you by SMS, phone call or letter, according to the preference recorded on your file. They are kept brief and never contain clinical detail, because we cannot be sure who else can see your phone or your letterbox.

If you would prefer not to receive reminders, tell reception and we will note it. It will not affect your care, but it does mean we will not prompt you when something is due.

We are an appointment-based practice, and we are currently accepting new patients. You can book online through HotDoc at any hour, or call reception on (02) 6543 8424 from 8:00am, Monday to Friday.

If you have several things to discuss, a complex problem, or you need a procedure, a skin check, a form completed or a care plan, please ask for a longer appointment when you book. If you need to be seen the same day, call early and reception will do their best to fit you in.

We run to time as well as any practice can, but general practice is unpredictable. An earlier patient may need more time than was booked, and urgent cases are prioritised. Reception will tell you if we are running behind so you can decide whether to wait.

If you cannot attend, please let us know as early as you can so the time can go to someone else.

We are open Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, and closed on weekends and NSW public holidays. Outside our hours:

• In an emergency, call 000.
• For health advice at any hour, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222
• For urgent care that is not an emergency, the nearest emergency departments are at Muswellbrook Hospital, 36 Brentwood Street, Muswellbrook ((02) 6542 2000), and Scone Hospital
• For mental health support, Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511

There is no on-call doctor at the practice outside opening hours.

Aberdeen Surgery is a Medicare Bulk Billing Practice. GP consultations are bulk billed for eligible patients with a valid Medicare card, so there is no out-of-pocket cost for those consultations.

Some services fall outside Medicare and are privately billed, including ADHD assessment and management, pre-employment, insurance and driver medicals, WorkCover and third-party insurance consultations, and reports prepared for a third party such as an employer or an insurer. Reception will tell you the amount before you book, and payment is taken on the day.

Full detail is on our patient info and fees page. If cost is a barrier to care you need, talk to us. It is a conversation worth having.

We would rather hear from you than not. If something has not gone well, telling us is how it gets fixed for you and for the next person.

Feedback can be given to any team member, left at reception, or put in writing to the Practice Manager, Aberdeen Surgery, 1 Segenhoe Street, Aberdeen NSW 2336. We will acknowledge it, look into it, and respond to you. Raising a concern will never affect the care you receive.

If you would prefer to raise it outside the practice, or you are not satisfied with our response:

• Health Care Complaints Commission (NSW): 1800 043 159, hccc.nsw.gov.au (opens in a new tab)
• Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, for privacy matters: 1300 363 992, oaic.gov.au (opens in a new tab)
• Information and Privacy Commission NSW, for NSW health privacy matters: 1800 472 679, ipc.nsw.gov.au (opens in a new tab)

Aberdeen Surgery works to the RACGP Standards for general practices, which cover clinical governance, infection control, record keeping, staff training, equipment maintenance and patient rights.

Every doctor and nurse here is registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), holds professional indemnity insurance, and completes continuing professional development each year. You can check any practitioner's registration yourself at ahpra.gov.au (opens in a new tab).

Our policies are reviewed regularly and updated when the standards, the law or our own practice changes. The review date at the top of this page shows when it was last checked.