›
Tanti Creek General Practice is a partnership of Dr Alisdair (Ali) Barnes and Dr Neville Steer. The couple have moved after many years of successful practice in Gippsland to establish a new practice in Mornington. They were recognised by the Rural Workforce Agency Victoria in 2009 with an award for their Outstanding Contribution to Rural Communities.
‹
Dr Barnes graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1982 and has led a varied medical career since.
Dr Steer grew up in a farming family in South Australia and attended the University of Adelaide. He moved to Gippsland in 1983 to commence a career in general practice and obstetrics including forceps and Caesarian deliveries.
›
As the need for family doctors increases on the Peninsula with the influx of people and boost to aged care residences, our clinic has plans to expand. Dr Barnes and Dr Steer hope to welcome another doctor in the future and ensure our medical and nursing services increase to meet demand, without losing our relatively small and personal approach. We will be building up (floor on top), to include room for further nursing and pathology services as well as room for the new doctor. Further down the track we hope to be able to take on medical and nursing students to help train future community doctors and nurses.
Building is to commence in late January 2012 and run for a few months. As well as stairs to the upper floor, a lift will be installed near the front door.
Unfortunately during the building there will be some additional noise, occasional shifting between rooms and from time to time a full car park. We apologise in advance for any inconvenience.
In addition there will be three separate week days in the first few months of 2012 when the clinic will be closed while important structural modifications are introduced. During this time we will provide a phone service for urgent matters. Otherwise, the builders are attempting to do the more major work where possible over weekends.
The National Immunisation Program now recommends infants be immunised at 6 weeks rather than 2 months, followed by vaccinations at 4 and 6 months as previously. This enables babies to receive protection against pertussis (whooping cough) as early as possible.
There has been a resurgence of whooping cough in the Australian community as immunity amongst older Australian wanes and, sadly, several babies have died in recent years.
Babies too young to be immunised can only be protected by maintaining the highest possible levels of immunity among those in contact with them, especially their parents (for whom vaccination is available and government-funded as a combined pertussis, tetanus and diphtheria booster).
A new government initiative in 2011 is the 'Healthy Kids Check'. This is a health screening for pre-school children aged between three and five. It includes an overview of the child's development and checks such as eyesight, hearing and motor skills, as well as the option of providing the routine four year old immunisations at the same visit.
The Healthy Kids Check takes approximately 45 - 60 minutes depending on whether immunisations are required. The visit commences with the nurse who completes most of the assessment, followed by a review with the doctor.
The aim of the check is to identify any concerns you may have with your child's general health or development in preparation for school. It is not for the treatment of ongoing or acute illness. The check is connected to Family Benefits payments, but is otherwise optional. For our existing patients, there is no cost to you for the visit and any immunisations are bulk-billed.
Please contact our clinic if you wish to book your child for a Healthy Kids Check: Advise our receptionist of the reason for the appointment, whether your child has been seen by a doctor at the clinic previously or not, and whether or not your child will need his/her four-year-old immunisations. Please note: If your child is new to our clinic there will be some extra paperwork and time involved as for all our new patients.
The (federal) government reviews and modifies Medicare rebates each year in November. Our fees may subsequently change in relation to this, the CPI and other business or clinical costs. In November 2011 the government brought in some substantial cuts in some rebates for general practice services. Information on current fees is under Practice Fees and Costs.
‹
›
Telephone bookings can be made by calling 5975 0022, or in person at our reception.
Appointments are not available at weekends or on public holidays.
After hours options:
In an emergency dial 000
›
When you arrive at the practice you will be greeted by our receptionist. Please bring your Medicare card with you.
As a new patient, you will be asked to complete a registration form (to be returned to the receptionist) and a medical form which you give to the doctor or nurse that first sees you. The latter includes information such as your current and past medical problems, medications and allergies. Our practice nurse is available to assist you with this if required. The nurse may also check your blood pressure, height and weight. You may like to complete these at home prior to your appointment by downloading them here. At the first visit and all subsequent visits, it will help if you write down the health problems that are currently of concern to you on a card provided on arrival at the practice at each consultation. This Visit Card is also available for download here, and you may choose to complete it at home and bring it with you. This helps the doctor plan the consultation process to best meet your needs. Otherwise, the visit card will be provided on your arrival at the practice.
A consultation is a structured process.
It has the following steps and our practice nurse may assist with some of these:
›
Standard appointments are booked at 15 minute intervals. If you have several issues or a complex problem we encourage you to book an extended appointment. We will try to complete your care efficiently at the one visit when possible. Longer appointments are billed at a higher rate but the gap remains about the same (see Practice Fees and Costs).
During a scheduled appointment, some patients ask for another family member to be treated as well. Please don’t be offended if we advise you to arrange a separate appointment. “Squeezing” patients into your appointment can have a negative impact on the quality of advice given or cause other patients to wait longer and is discouraged.
Complex or multiple medical problems will require a longer appointment to allow adequate time for proper assessment and treatment. Please feel comfortable to ask for an extended appointment if you feel it is required.
Medical examinations for drivers licenses and other purposes require special bookings with the doctor and nurse. Please explain the type of medical exam to our receptionist who will be happy to make the required scheduling. Check with the employer or institution about any forms required to bring with you (and be sure to complete all relevant sections beforehand). You will also need to bring a form of identification such as your driver’s license and your glasses if you have them.
Tanti Creek General Practice has a well equipped Procedures Room for minor surgery. Most conditions will require a prior appointment to assess the most appropriate management. Your doctor will then make arrangements for a procedure booking.
Dr Steer has a special interest in skin cancer management. We employ high magnification dermoscopy and digital photography to improve skin cancer detection and accuracy of diagnosis. Under local anaesthetic, we can biopsy or remove skin lesions.
In addition to surgical treatment we can treat skin conditions with cryotherapy (freezing with liquid nitrogen), hyfrecation (electrical diathermy) and chemical treatments such as Aldara and Efudix. For more complex skin cancer, we will work with a specialist dermatologist or plastic surgeon to get the best results for you.
We are also able to treat minor fractures and wounds that require suturing.
›
For short single problems that can be managed in under 10 minutes, Tanti Creek General Practice has developed the Quick Clinic, held each day at 8:30 am and again at 12 noon.
This is suitable when you simply need a sickness certificate or require a repeat of a regular medication (providing you have been reviewed recently). Sometimes a problem that you thought was simple may in fact be more complex. It may be necessary to reschedule appointments if there is insufficient time to manage the health issue. If you are actually ill, a quick appointment is unlikely to be suitable.
Fees are lower for the Quick Clinic and the Gap is around $10.
Please arrive at the practice on time for your appointment. If you are a new patient, arrive 20 minutes before your appointment. This allows you time to check in and fill in a registration form prior to your appointment with the doctor. Alternatively, you can download a registration form here and fill it out at home. Arriving late results in a “traffic jam” with appointments and may require that we reschedule your booking.
If you are running late please ring to see whether it is possible to fit you in or to arrange another suitable time. We are here to help you and will do our best to accommodate your needs.
If you are unable to keep your appointment, please advise us so we can offer the time to another patient. Appointments should be cancelled as early as possible but at least 2 hours before your appointment time. If you do not cancel an appointment, a booking fee of $20 will be applicable.
Non-attendance for longer appointments such as for an extended appointment, medical examination or procedure will require payment of a booking fee of $35.
›
We try to schedule our bookings at realistic intervals so we can be on time. To help us achieve this, you can ask for an extended appointment if you have a list of issues. Despite the best plans, the nature of general practice is that problems may be more serious or complex than anticipated, requiring immediate attention and a longer “unplanned” appointment. We can not guarantee to be consistently on time but we will try to do our best for every patient.
›
We provide a wide range of health care for men, women and children of all ages. Nursing home, palliative care and home visits are provided in the Mornington area when appropriate.
›
We understand that young people have particular health concerns and at times may need confidential health advice. Young people aged 15 and over are able to acquire their personal Medicare Card at a Medicare Office (Shop 105, Village Shopping Centre, Main Street, Mornington). From a legal perspective, adolescents who are capable of making decisions about their health are entitled to do so. Young people will be asked whether specific information they disclose about their health can be shared with their parents or guardians or whether they wish the information to be completely confidential. Relevant information is only shared in a situation where a person's well-being or life is at serious risk. This is discussed first with the patient concerned as is the case with any adult.
›
Both Dr Barnes and Dr Steer are interested and experienced in assisting women care for their health. While some women are a little embarrassed with male doctors, Dr Steer has many years of experience with procedural obstetrics and office gynaecology. His expertise covers birthing, Caesarian sections, insertion of intrauterine devices such as Mirena which help with bleeding problems and contraception as well as the implant Implanon. Pap tests and managing menopausal and menstrual problems are done by both doctors.
›
We can give you advice and vaccinations to help make your travel as safe as possible. We are a licensed centre for administering Yellow Fever vaccinations required to travel for some parts of Africa, Central and South America. We enjoy traveling around the world and are happy to share travel stories. If you are requiring a travel health consult, advise the receptionist who is happy to make the required scheduling with the doctor and nurse. Download a pre-travel assessment form here. Please complete this prior to your travel consultation. If you are seeing Dr Barnes, when possible please fax (5976 4978) or hand-deliver your pre-travel assessment form to the clinic, addressed to Dr Barnes, prior to the day of your consultation.
There are times when a patient’s cultural or ethnic background can be important in the way it impacts on health. There are some illnesses which are more prevalent in certain people or when cultural health practices differ from the common practices in Australia. For these reasons you may be asked about your background.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders encourage indigenous people to advise their health provider of their cultural background so that their health needs can be better addressed.
When a patient has difficulty understanding English, we recommend the use of a trained interpreter. This protects the privacy of the patient and assists them in discussing issues of a personal nature. The Australian Government provides a free confidential service (Translating and Interpreting Service) available 24 hours per day by contacting 13 14 50.
›
Tanti Creek General Practice is a privately funded medical facility and has been developed without any Government support or grants. Our fees reflect the cost of providing and maintaining a medical service to the community. These fees cover our expenses (bank funding, maintaining facilities, clinical material, IT systems, staff wages) and pay for the doctor’s expertise, responsibility and time. Work is also done when patients are not present - reviewing test results, reports and patient files, attending to professional development and managing the business of the practice.
The Australian Government provides a Medicare rebate for patients when they receive a medical service although this amount is not sufficient to cover the full cost of the service. As a result there is a Gap Fee.
Bulkbilling occurs when the doctor accepts the Medicare rebate as the full fee. It is our view that bulkbilling results in doctors spending less time with their patients as they are forced to increase the number of patients they see per hour in order to stay viable. This practice has a policy of not bulkbilling but working hard to care for our patients. We do this by focussing on the needs of the patient rather than trying to move patients in and out quickly.
Tanti Creek General Practice is not a bulkbilling practice but with respect we accept Veteran Cards.
Your fee will depend on the type of consultation:
ª The ‘Gap’ is the amount you pay after receiving the Medicare rebate, that is, the actual cost to you. Payment is required at the time of your visit. Note that if you have previously registered your bank account details with a Medicare office, our receptionist can arrange for your rebate to be directly credited back into your bank account, usually within 24 hours.
If payment is not made on the same day an account fee of $10 is payable.
If other services are required on the same day (spirometry, ECG etc), the maximum gap will usually be $50.
Materials, vaccines and medicines provided, and tests not covered by Medicare (e.g., 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and wound dressings) are not included within this amount.
Concession card discount: If you hold a pensioner or health care card, a discount of $10 on each item is provided. This means for most consultations the gap you pay will be no more than $23.45, or in the case of surgical and special diagnostic procedures there may be a maximum gap of $50.
Credit card and EFTPOS facilities are available.
Vaccines, dressings, sutures, medications and other supplies are not included in the cost of consultations and procedures and are billed separately. We buy in bulk and pass the savings on to you. (Some vaccines are funded by the Government and are provided at no cost e.g. childhood vaccines).
We do not bill Workcover or TAC direct for medical expenses.
These insurers do not cover the full cost of the service. You are billed directly as for other health problems and will need to seek re-imbursement from your employer, Workcover or TAC. If there is dispute with the insurer, Medicare will provide a rebate.
›
Where appropriate, we are happy for you to make a written, telephone or email request for repeat prescriptions. A fee of $16.00 applies and we will send the prescription direct to the pharmacy or to you as directed. For your safety, the decision as to whether to issue a repeat prescription will be made by the doctor after reviewing your medical record. There may be times when we may not be able to issue your prescription and request you to attend an appointment.
Please allow 2 working days for this to be arranged. If it is more urgent, you can attend the Quick Clinic for a same day appointment.
›
All referrals whether new or repeat require an appointment. Medicare regulations state that referrals can not be issued retrospectively. If for some reason you need to arrange a referral urgently, it may be possible to attend the Quick Clinic for this.
Referrals to health professionals (physiotherapist, psychologists etc) under the special Medicare arrangements can not be guaranteed because there are specific requirements described by Medicare Australia which need to be complied with. Your GP can advise you if you meet those requirements. For special Team Care Arrangements, the process will take approximately 7 days to arrange.
We advise an appointment to discuss test results. All test results have implications and you need to know the outcome of your test. Do not assume that we will contact you if there is an abnormality. Problems have occurred when results do not get sent or transmitted to the correct doctor. Your doctor will advise if you will receive your results in another way.
›
You may leave a message with our receptionist requesting a phone call from your doctor.
We do not provide a telephone consultation service — return calls are for a recent consultation only.
The doctor will telephone you later the same or following working day. This is usually between 6 pm and 7 pm. For the sake of our patients we do not interrupt appointment sessions to return telephone calls. If it is more urgent, you can speak to our practice nurse who will be happy to help you.
›
All information provided by you to the practice is strictly confidential. Sharing of your health information with other health professionals will always be discussed with you. Your information is stored securely. If you wish to access your health information please discuss this with your doctor. Copies of specialist letters should be requested direct from the specialist concerned.
Because emails are not a secure transmission medium it is possible (although unlikely) that someone else could read it. We are not allowed by regulations to send emails containing health information to you.
Please let us know of any changes to your contact details. We also record contact information regarding your next of kin in case of an emergency or if we can not contact you for an urgent matter.
:(
If you experience any problems with our services or wish to make a complaint we want to hear about it. Usually this is best resolved face to face. If you would like to advise us about a problem, please contact us either through telephoning our office manager or sending a letter or an email to us. (Remember emails are not considered secure communications if you wish to maintain confidentiality.) We take complaints seriously and will do our best to resolve them. If you have an adverse outcome, we need to know about it so we can make changes to avoid similar problems occurring again.
In the event that you feel unable to resolve the problem directly with us, the Health Services Commissioner is available for that purpose (telephone 8601 5219).
“Arthritis Victoria works to empower consumers, raise awareness of musculoskeletal health, and improve the wellbeing of people with musculoskeletal conditions.”
“The Asthma Foundation of Victoria is a community based, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to helping you manage your asthma all year round.”
“Our mission is to provide a national focus and community leadership to increase the capacity of the broader Australian community to prevent depression and respond effectively.”
“Diabetes Australia is a national federated body comprised of state and territory organisations supporting people with diabetes and those professional and research bodies, particularly concerned with the treatment and prevention of diabetes.”
“Cancer Council Victoria is a non-profit organisation involved in cancer research and cancer support, prevention and advocacy.”
“Kids Health Info is the Royal Children’s Hospital website for medical information written for parents.”
“Sexual and reproductive health care. Education. Advocacy.”
“The Royal Women’s Hospital is Australia’s largest specialist hospital dedicated to improving the health of women of all ages and newborn babies.”
“The Heart Foundation is dedicated to reducing the dreadful effects of the number of people living with, or dying from heart, stroke and blood vessel disease.”
“Andrology Australia is a community and professional education programme providing information on male reproductive health.”
Here you can find all the forms available on this site. Downloading, printing and completing these prior to your appointment can save you time at your next visit.
Health Issues or Troubles List Pre Travel Assessment Form©2010 Tanti Creek General Practice Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.
Tanti Creek General Practice ABN 57 092 791 645
128 Tanti Avenue, Mornington Victoria 3931
