Appointments

We have an appointment system and respect the value of your time therefore the members of our clinical team make every effort to be available to you at your appointment time.

There will be occasions when the doctor of your choice is unavailable and in those circumstances one of the other GPs will be happy to be of service. Our doctors have a consistent approach and similar philosophy. This is reinforced by regular clinical meetings and shared patient information systems.

Standard appointments are 15 minutes but longer appointments are available to you on request. Medical examinations for insurance and employment purposes always require long appointments. Please inform our reception staff of your needs when you make the appointment.

Our GPs are available on rotation at The Lighthouse Surgery in Narooma every Saturday from 9am to 12pm at our Walk in Emergency Clinic – No appointments needed.

Telephone Calls

Our doctors prefer not to be interrupted except for emergencies during consultations and therefore the receptionists will take messages from you to pass on to the doctor. Alternatively, a return phone call with one of our practice nurses can be requested.

When phoning patients we do not comprise patient confidentiality.  If a message has to be left it does not mention the call is from the Lighthouse Surgery.  We only leave our first name and contact phone number and ask that the patient returns our call.

Emails

We welcome emails for non- urgent matters. There is an opportunity to contact us here. Emails can be forwarded by Reception to any of the clinical or administration staff.

Home Visits

Home visits are undertaken during the lunch break and after surgery. We appreciate your request for such a service be made early in the day to assist with planning.

Results

We request that patients take responsibility for results of tests which may include pathology and x-rays. Please contact the surgery 3 working days after your tests. Call 4476 2999 between the hours of 12:00pm and 5:00pm for your results.

Our reception staff members have limited access to your file. A message will be passed onto to the practice nurse on duty, who will return your call with your results.

Return

The doctor requires you to come in as soon as possible to discuss the results. Often in these cases, the surgery will contact you by phone or text message.

Discuss

The doctor would like you to make an appointment when convenient to discuss the results. This is not urgent and, in fact, may be a minor problem.

No Action

This means that no action or follow up is required however if symptoms persist please make an appointment with the doctor.

Pathology Specimens

Please ensure that the specimen is correctly labelled including name, gender and date of birth of the patient as well as date and time of production of the specimen.

At the Lighthouse Surgery walk in pathology is available between 8.30am and 1.00pm Monday to Friday. This service is available to our patients and other patients who have pathology forms provided by other doctors. This service works on a non appointment system, you arrive, take a number and will be seen in turn.

If you have special requirements for pathology and are a patient of the surgery, you may prefer a nurse appointment to take specimens, please speak with our reception staff about this.

It may be necessary to refrigerate some specimens and will require accompanying request forms. You may need to take a sample container home with you and follow instructions regarding appropriate handling until you bring the specimen in.

The doctor, nurse or receptionist will tell you when your result will be available.