New Patients

At your first appointment we will collect information about your previous medical history and also gain your consent to  store this information about you. This may take some time and requires a longer appointment than usual.  We can arrange for your medical records to be transferred from your previous doctor if required.

Please note that we are a private billing clinic and you will need to bring enough money or a debit card to pay for your consultation. Charlton Medical offers electronic claiming, allowing you to lodge your Medicare claim and collect your rebate when you pay your account. Further information about our fees is available here.

We will telephone you to confirm that you still require your new patient appointment on the working day prior to your intended visit. You must respond to this call and confirm your plans to attend. If we do not hear from you we will cancel your appointment and you will need to make another booking.

Your privacy

Charlton Medical is committed to ensuring the privacy of information that we collect about you, and we are compliant with legislation referring to privacy, including the Federal Privacy Act and the Victorian Health Information Act. You can learn more about this here or speak to our Privacy Officer, Jeanne Webb, and ask for a copy of our Privacy Policy.  You will be given information about how we collect and maintain information about you during your first consultation and you will be asked to provide signed consent to us collecting and storing this information.

All consultations remain confidential between the doctor and the patient. Records are maintained for continuity of care, the essential component of family medicine, and all staff who have access to the records are bound by the same requirements of confidentiality.

The information you provide for your ‘patient information printout’ during your first consultation forms the basis of details passed on to a specialist if you are referred. We are happy to provide a copy of this information for you to keep. This has proved particularly useful for travellers and to those with serious illnesses – much the same as the ‘Medicalert’ information.

Getting your results

Pathology collection services are available through Australian Clinical Labs (ACL). Couriers collect the samples at 10.00 am and 2.30 pm each weekday. 

You will be informed of the best way to obtain the results of tests during your consultation.  Sometimes it is possible to telephone for your results; at other times you will need to make another appointment for your doctor to discuss these with you. 

Third Party Observation

You will always be asked for your permission to have third parties observe your consultation. These may include our registrar and medical students or occasional external trainers who assess the progress of the registrar. Sometimes Dr Webb will consult in tandem with the registrar or student or you may be asked to see the medical student before seeing your regular doctor. Please speak to the reception staff if you would prefer not to have a third party observe your consultation. 

Recalls and Reminders

Charlton Medical has a proactive, preventative approach to the maintenance of your health and wellbeing.  Your doctors will enter details in your file allowing us to remind you via phone or a text message when a regular test or preventative treatment is due.  Do let your doctor know if you would prefer not to be included in this reminder system or if you would prefer to be notified using an alternative method. 

Charlton Medical will also notify you when the results of any treatments or tests show some abnormality that you need to be aware of. Our reception staff will telephone you to ensure that you receive any urgent recalls on a timely basis. Please ensure that you notify us if your telephone details change.

Zero tolerance policy

Charlton Medical has in place a violence prevention program that focusses on the elimination of violent or offensive behaviour.  You have a right to receive healthcare without risks to your personal safety and at the same time our staff have a right to work in a safe, violence-free workplace.

Whilst we recognise that inappropriate behaviour might occur as a direct result of a medical condition and that those patients need our prompt clinical management and compassionate care, our staff will not tolerate any verbal, aggressive or violent abuse directed towards our doctors, staff or patients. Our staff work hard to meet your individual needs and circumstances and to be polite and helpful. Abusive behaviour is never okay.

People behaving in a violent manner will be asked to leave the premises and to transfer their care to another medical practice.  Medical practitioners have a right to refuse any future treatment of a patient where there is a breakdown of trust.

Following are some examples of behaviour that would be regarded as inappropriate:

• Physical violence towards staff or patients including pushing, shoving or unnecessary touching
• Racial slurs or sexually suggestive language or gestures
• Threatening or intimidating a staff member or patient
• Verbal insults, name calling, using offensive language or swearing at a patient or a member of staff 
• Making unrealistic demands on staff members and refusing to listen to explanations
• Publicly posting offensive content about Charlton Medical or its staff on social media