Under the current Public Health Orders a reasonable excuse for leaving home is for essential medical care. Following advice from NSW Health we are booking all of our appointments as telehealth consultations, unless your presentation requires a face-to-face appointment for clinical reasons. As a default we will talk to you first and then arrange to bring you in for examination.
Telehealth appointments will be billed as per our usual billing policies.
Reasons for coming to the practice include:
- immunisations – scheduled childhood vaccinations that are due (not the extras), fluvax and COVID vaccination
- antenatal care – later stages of pregnancy only
- a health issue that requires physical examination (after phone triage)
We are booking patients for a phone or video consultation first, and we can then arrange for patients to attend the practice if the clinical situation requires a physical examination. Video consultations are easily done through our Automed booking system – you’ll be sent a link to a secure URL to paste into the browser on your computer or device. You do not need to use the Automed app to do this.
The booking system will currently book all appointments as “Telehealth” – this can still be done as phone call if you choose.The booking system requests your card details but will not take payment until the consultation is complete. Holders of Healthcare Cards will still be bulk-billed.
If you have any respiratory symptoms, or are concerned about a potential COVID exposure, you MUST have a phone consult and we can then advise you of the best course of action. Please check our COVID page for all the information about where to get COVID swab or respiratory assessment.
If you need attend the practice the doorway is screened off. Please wait there until someone can attend to you. What we will do at the front door:
- ask you to put on a surgical mask
- check again if you have any symptoms of concern – flu-like symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc
- ask you to check the latest NSW COVID exposure sites and confirm you have not attended any of those
- check in with NSW Service app QR codes – this is mandatory as of 12/07/21
- your temperature will be checked
- use hand sanitiser as you enter the practice
What we are doing to protect you:
- screening patients as above
- keeping in place all the infection control measures we have had to date – masks, hand sanitiser, cleaning
- wearing other protective equipment as required – we have been asked by NSW Health to wear PPE for all face to face consults
- ensuring our staff are vaccinated
How Technology is helping (or not!)
Video consultations add an extra dimension to telehealth consultations – observation allows for better assessment of acute illness. If you think your particular problem needs to be photographed you can email to reception@erskinevilledoctors.com.au.
Prescriptions can be sent to your phone or email as an e-script. You can also choose for them to be sent to the phone of someone in your family or emailed directly to the pharmacy.
DHM Pathology have a telehealth service for request forms. Once the request is sent to DHM they will send you an SMS with a link to a barcode and a copy of the pathology form.
Wherever possible we will use secure messaging for referrals, or send directly by fax to so that you don’t have to come into the practice.
If you require something to be emailed to you, we ask that you send that request to reception@erskinevilledoctors.com.au so that we can send it by return email – this is an extra layer of security.
Payments for telehealth appointments can be taken over the phone. We are grateful if you can respond to messages from our staff to pay promptly. Please ask staff if you would like your receipt emailed.