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About Geeveston Medical Centre: 

The Geeveston Medical Centre provides a general practice with one full-time doctor and two part-time time doctors.

The Geeveston Medical Centre provides a wide array of information and services, is easily accessible and has a philosophy to provide thoughtful medical care to families by keeping up-to-date with medical innovations and bringing you efficient personal service.

The Geeveston Medical Centre is owned and operated by the Huon Valley Council which is committed to the provision of a safe work environment for all its employees and citizens. Council has established policies for the provision of the general health and well being of all its employees, and provides a safe working environment through the restriction of smoking. Additionally, Council is concerned that buildings under its control promote a safe and hazard-free environment for all citizens.

Location

The Centre is conveniently located at 19 Arve Road, Geeveston. There is ample parking provided with access via the car park at the rear of the Geeveston Forest & Heritage Centre. A pharmacy is also closely located in Church Street.

Business Hours

The Medical Centre is open during the following hours:

Monday - Friday: 8.00am - 6.00pm
Appointments: can be made from 8.30am.

Our Centre provides home visits to patients who live within a 10 kilometre radius of our Centre and have no transport or means of travelling to the Centre. Visits are undertaken of an evening unless the patient's needs are such that a midday visit is required. Should you require a home visit please notify the staff during the morning.

There is an After Hours Service available through a cooperative of one or more local practices. Information on how to access the after hours service can be obtained by ringing the Centre.

Outside of normal hours, on weekends and public holidays, emergency care is provided via the After Hours Doctor's Service. For all after hours advice always ring the Geeveston Medical Centre number 6297 1903 and follow the instructions on the recorded message. The GP Assist number is 1300 780 011.

The Tasmanian Ambulance provides 24 hour cover for Accidents and Emergencies - ring 000 for this service. After hours care is available from the Royal Hobart Hospital free of charge (6222 8308).

The Hobart Private (6214 3000), Calvary Hospital (6278 5333) and St Johns (6223 7444) also provide Accident and Emergency care. In the case of these hospitals you should check their current charges and levies before attendance.

Appointment System

Consultation is by appointment. The reception opens at 8.00am on week days and appointments can be made from 8.30am. The staff will make every effort to accommodate your preferred time. Emergencies will always be given priority and the staff will make you aware of any known delays. Some medical problems require a longer consultation time and you will assist us greatly by indicating to the staff whenever you require a longer appointment.

Booking a long appointment is important for more complex problems - insurance medical, health review, counselling, a second opinion etc. This may involve a longer wait. Please bring all relevant information.

Please notify us if you are unable to attend an appointment well in advance.

If more than one person from your family wishes to see the doctor at the same time, please ensure a separate appointment is made for each family member.

Time is valuable to all of us. If you fail to attend appointments without adequate explanation, we cannot guarantee you future booked appointments.

We aim to make your time at the Medical Centre as pleasant as possible. You can read the up-to-date magazines or simply relax in the warm and comfortable atmosphere of the waiting room. Furthermore, there is a kids' play area for the little ones to enjoy.

Staff

All of the staff at the Geeveston Medical Centre are dedicated to providing you with a friendly health care service. We welcome Dr Angela Retchford, Dr Ken Clare and Dr Keith Anderson to the Centre as the permanent Doctors for the Geeveston community. Please let us know which GP you would prefer for consultations. Our reception staff (Sue, Tamara, Annette and Luella) are available to make appointments or to assist in any way, just give us a ring.

Fees

We are a private billing practice. This practice uses the AMA list of fees as the basis for its fee structure and generous discounts are offered for prompt payment. A copy of the fee scale is available for perusal.

All fees are payable at the time of consultation. Payment can be made by cash, cheque, credit card or EFTPOS.

A small fee may be charged for procedures, dressings and vaccines, to cover costs.

Pensioners, Veterans, Health Care Card holders and children under 16 years of age are currently direct billed and no extra charges are levied at the present time. This policy may change. It is essential that cardholders present their current concession card at every visit.

Services

Patient Contact

In our Centre, GP's and clinical staff receive and return telephone calls and messages between patient appointments or after surgery depending on urgency.

Patient Health Information and Reminder System

Patient health records are managed through our Medical Director system and we provide a recall and reminder service. We also encourage patients to provide information to State and Federal Registers for screening and appropriate follow up of results.

Other

Referrals - Doctors in this practice are competent at handling common health problems. When necessary, they can use opinions from specialists. You can discuss this openly with your doctor.

Your comments on our medical services are always welcome - We strive to improve for your benefit. Please direct any queries or complaints to the Council's Rural Health Co-ordinator by telephoning 6264 0323 or email jgordon@huonvalley.tas.gov.au.

Translation Services - For patients who speak languages other than English the Translation and Interpreter Service (TIS) is available. For patients who are deaf, information is provided through the National Relay Service (NRS).

Despite our best intentions - we sometimes run late! This is because someone has needed unexpected urgent attention. Thank you for your consideration.

Telephone advice - Most problems are best dealt with in consultation. A doctor is available during normal surgery hours for emergency advice. Our staff are experienced in deciding the appropriate response to any phone request.

Medical record confidentiality - This practice protects your personal health information to ensure it is only available to authorised staff members for the intended purposes and to comply with the Privacy Act.

Reminder system - Because our practice is committed to preventative care, we may send you an occasional reminder regarding health services appropriate to your care. If you wish to opt out of this, please let us know.

Test results - It is your responsibility to ensure you follow-up test results, particularly when practice staff or your doctor stress that you do this. Ask reception staff about the best way to go about it.

Health Complaints Contact
Health Complaints Commissioner & Ombudsman
GPO Box 960 Tel: (03) 6233 6217
HOBART TAS 7001 Fax: (03) 6233 8967
www.justice.tas.gov.au/legpol/privacy/ombudsman.htm