Your Questions Answered
A standard consult time is 15 minutes. If you think you will require a longer time, please let the receptionist know when making your appointment.
Patients who are new to the practice, or who have more than one problem to discuss, may need a long appointment. Other consultations which may require longer appointments include:
- Insurance medical examinations
- Driver’s license medical examinations
- Annual general examinations
- Minor surgical procedures
Regular visits are scheduled for elderly, disabled and nursing home patients. A number of our GPs regularly visit all the nursing homes in the district. If you have a loved one that requires a GP in one of our local care facilities please contact us to see if we can assist.
A co-operative after hours’ service is run by the local doctors. By ringing 4861 6433 you will be put in contact with the doctor on call. Do not hesitate to ring after hours if you feel that you have an emergency. We also suggest you ring the doctor on call before attending casualty. In addition, the After Hours Clinic operates at the St Jude Specialist Centre, 21 St Jude Street Bowral, on Saturdays (3 pm – 5 pm) and Sundays/Public Holidays (10 am – 12 noon and 3 pm – 5 pm).
Telephone calls to the doctors themselves do interrupt consultations and cause delays. In most cases our receptionists will be able to assist you with your enquiry or will take a message for the doctor and seek their instructions. Your call will always be put through to the GP in an emergency.
Your doctor may consider a consultation more appropriate than a telephone call, in which case either telehealth or face to face appointment will be arranged for you.
In the case of an emergency please contact your nearest hospital or call 000.
Test results are received by the surgery electronically and reviewed by the Doctors at regular intervals throughout the day. Doctors will flag results that may require an appointment or follow up. You may receive either and electronic notification or a phone call from one our team to advise. Patients are welcome to telephone and enquire about the Doctor’s decision regarding their results.
In some cases, and at the doctor’s discretion, repeat prescriptions for ongoing medications and repeat specialist referrals can be provided without a consultation. These can be requested through AUTOMED (link available on our home page).
Please note the following:
- A fee of $16.50 applies, payable at the time of the request.
- Several business days’ notice is required, and processing times depend on your doctor’s consulting days.
- You must have seen your doctor in person within the last 12 months.
- Some medications (for example, the contraceptive pill or blood pressure medications) require regular medical reviews, and the number of repeats is intentionally limited to ensure safe follow-up.
We generally recommend booking a telehealth consultation instead of requesting an online repeat wherever possible. Telehealth is usually faster, and in most cases, it is bulk billed.
Eligibility Criteria
To request a repeat prescription or repeat referral online, all of the following must apply:
- The request is made to your regular doctor.
- It is for a repeat prescription or repeat specialist referral only (not new or changed medications/referrals).
- You have had an in-person consultation within the last 12 months.
- You understand requests may take several business days depending on your doctor’s schedule.
- Approval is always at the doctor’s discretion.
If your doctor declines your request, you will receive a full refund.
This practice is a Teaching Practice of the University of Wollongong, University of Sydney and Charles Sturt University and regularly has university medical students doing community medicine attachments in their final year of training. We will inform you if your doctor has a student with him or her. Please advise us if you prefer to consult with your doctor alone.
Several doctors at SMC have commenced specialist general practitioner training, these doctors are known as GP Registrars and are generally with the practice for 6 or 12 months. We feel this is a critical part of maintaining and improving the quality of family doctors in Australia, particularly in rural areas.
All new patients to the practice are required to complete a new patient form. if you would like to print and complete the form prior to arriving to your first appointment please click on the link below.
The provision of quality health care requires a doctor patient relationship of trust and confidentiality. Your medical record is a confidential document. It is the policy of this practice to maintain the security of personal health information at all times and to ensure this information is only available to authorised members of staff. A copy of our privacy policy is available at reception.
- Your medical record is confidential.
- Only authorised members of staff have access to your information.
- A full copy of our policies and procedures is available at reception and on our website.
If you are experiencing genuine financial hardship, please speak with your doctor or our Practice Manager.
We are committed to helping you access the care you need.
Missed appointments or late cancellations may incur a $70.00 fee. Please provide adequate notice if you need to reschedule.
Effective 1 November 2025, we will bulk bill most standard consultation items for all patients. This means that for the majority of routine appointments, there will be no out-of-pocket cost.
However, some services are not fully covered by Medicare and may attract a private fee. These include:
Procedures (e.g. biopsies, minor surgical procedures, and other diagnostic services)
Dressings and wound care
Pre-employment and workplace medical assessments
Any other service not eligible for Medicare rebates
If you would like a complete and up-to-date schedule of fees, please contact our reception team. We’re happy to provide details and answer any questions.
- RESULTS will require an appointment unless a prior arrangement has been made with the doctor.
- REPEAT prescriptions and referrals require an appointment with your doctor to allow us to monitor your condition and keep your records up to date. Some repeats can be requested online via our website.
The safety of our patients during their visits to our practice is important to us. We follow strict infection control guidelines, as recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council.
All items used during your visit are either fully disposable or are sterilized by autoclave under steam pressure.
These precautions, and the disposal of clinical waste, are costly in terms of materials, labour and maintenance. They are part of your medical care, and are reflected in our consultation fees.
We are always trying to improve the standard of professional service to our patients. You can help us do this by telling us of any suggestions you may have. Should you have any complaints, we would like to know of them immediately so that appropriate steps can be taken to remedy the situation and ensure that there is no repetition.
Who can you complain to?
- Your doctor
- Our Practice Manager
- Health Care Complaints Commission – Locked Bag 18 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 (Freecall 1800 043 159)
THIS MEDICAL PRACTICE COMPLIES WITH PRIVACY REGULATIONS INTRODUCED IN DECEMBER 2001 REGARDING THE HANDLING OF PERSONAL INFORMATION IN MEDICAL RECORDS.
Medical files are handled with the utmost respect for a Patient’s privacy. Ordinarily we will not release the contents of a Patient File without their consent. However, there may be occasions where we will be required to release details irrespective of whether consent to the disclosure of information is given. This will occur where the law requires disclosure, such as pursuant to a subpoena.
Patients have a general right of access to their health information.
A written signed request is necessary explaining what records and why they are required.
The doctors do have the rights to deny access in some circumstances and up to 45 days to reply to any requests.
Please forward any enquiries regarding your personal medical record access to the Practice Manager.
As part of our commitment to preserving confidentiality of medical records we ensure strict secure storage policies are observed in this practice. Electronic records are accessible only by staff of this practice and are protected by a security password. Each member of staff is well versed in the principles and importance of Doctor-Patient confidentiality.
Our fully equipped treatment rooms are staffed with Registered Nurses for minor procedures and emergencies.
Our nurses also perform:
- Over 75yr health checks
- Audiograms
- Spirometry
- ECG
- Over 45yr health checks
- Diabetic reviews
- INR's
- Cervical Screening
- Propulse Ear Wash
This service is for patients who have concerns that cannot wait for a standard GP appointment.
What it is for:
- Minor infections
- Minor sprains, sports injuries, neck and back pain
- UTI’s
- STI’s
- Minor cuts
- Insect bites and rashes
- Minor eye and ear problems
- Respiratory illness
- Gastroenteritis
- Mild burns
What it is not for:
- Ongoing medication scripts
- General screening and health checks
- Vaccinations
- Mental Health Advice
- Family Planning
- Referrals for any tests, scans or specialist care.
- Chronic disease management
- Preventative health procedures (i.e cervical screening)
When patient should visit the local Emergency Department and or call 000
- Chest pain or tightness
- Breathing difficulties
- Uncontrollable bleeding
- Severe burns
- Poisoning
- Numbness or paralysis
- Unconsciousness
- Unresponsiveness
- Seizures
- Ongoing fever in infants.
Recall is when a test or repeat test is required at set intervals. We add the patient to recall system and then send a reminder to patient for when they are next due to see the doctor or nurse. Patient can opt out of recall system if preferred.
- Payment for workers compensation and other third-party accounts, such as CTP insurance, is required at the time of consultation.
- Once we receive confirmation from your insurer or employer with the relevant claim details, invoices will be sent directly to the insurer.
When you register your new baby with our practice, please note that we need their Medicare details by the age of 3 months so we can continue to bulk bill their visits.
If Medicare details have not been provided by 3 months, we may not be able to continue seeing your baby until the information is supplied, as we are unable to process the claims without it.
Thank you for helping us ensure smooth and accurate billing for your child’s care.
- Home visits may be available in some instances, such as palliative care or another genuine reason.
- A home visit is always at the doctor’s discretion.
- Advance bookings are required.
For services that are not fully covered by Medicare and require a private fee, we will process your Medicare rebate for you. If you have an eligible debit card, the rebate can be processed immediately at the time of payment. If not, the rebate will be submitted electronically and deposited overnight into your registered bank account.