This policy outlines how Middle Road Medical Centre communicates with patients and external parties, including telephone communication, electronic communication, and access to Telehealth services. The policy supports safe, effective communication and aligns with RACGP Standards for General Practices.
Version: 1.1
Approved by: Practice Manager
Review Cycle: Annual or as required
Next Review Due: December 2026 or as required
To ensure clear, timely, and safe communication between the practice, patients, and external providers, and to define how telephone calls, electronic communication, and Telehealth services are managed.
This policy applies to all clinical and non-clinical staff of Middle Road Medical Centre and to all forms of patient communication managed by the practice.
Incoming telephone calls are received by
reception staff during normal business hours.
Reception staff are responsible for:
• Answering calls promptly and professionally
• Accurately documenting patient messages
• Identifying and escalating urgent clinical matters
Where a doctor is unavailable to take a
call, reception staff will record the patient’s details and reason for the
call. Messages are prioritised according to clinical urgency and forwarded to
the appropriate doctor.
Return telephone calls are made by doctors or delegated staff as soon as
practicable, taking into account clinical priorities and workload. Immediate
return of non-urgent calls cannot be guaranteed.
Middle Road Medical Centre limits the use
of electronic communication to ensure patient privacy, safety, and appropriate
clinical care.
The practice does not routinely accept electronic clinical communication from
patients, including email or social media messaging.
Electronic communication is used internally and with external providers via
secure clinical systems such as Healthlink, Medical
Objects and Smart Referrals for referrals, results, and clinical
correspondence, in accordance with privacy legislation and practice policies.
Middle Road Medical Centre offers
Telehealth consultations via telephone where clinically appropriate and in
accordance with Medicare requirements.
Patients may access Telehealth appointments by:
• Requesting a Telehealth appointment when booking by phone with reception
staff
• Selecting a Telehealth appointment option when booking via the HotDoc online
booking system
Telehealth consultations are provided at the discretion of the treating doctor
and based on clinical suitability. Not all consultations are appropriate for
Telehealth.
Patients must ensure they are available and contactable at the scheduled
appointment time. If a Telehealth consultation is deemed clinically
inappropriate, the appointment may be converted to a face-to-face consultation.
*PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO UNFORSEEN CIRCUMSTANCES THE TELEHEALTH APPOINTMENT MAY NOT HAPPEN AT THE SCHEDULED TIME DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES WITH THE PRACTICE- THE DOCTOR HAS NOT FORGOTTEN TO CALL, HE/SHE WILL CALL AS SOON AS THEY GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO. *
Home visits are provided at the discretion of the treating doctor, based on clinical suitability and availability.
These visits will only occur when they are “safe and reasonable”
To determine if a home
or other visit is ‘reasonable’, consider:
*see
Policy on Home Visits*
All communication with patients is
documented in the clinical record.
Patient information is managed confidentially and in accordance with privacy
legislation and the practice’s Privacy Policy.
The practice regularly reviews its communication systems to ensure they remain effective, safe, and aligned with patient needs, accreditation standards, and legislative requirements.