Appointments
How to book, how long an appointment is, and what to do when you need more time than that.
Making a booking
Booking a consultation
The Hinterland Medical Centre operates on an appointment based system, and a standard appointment is 10-15 minutes. Patients with appointments will have preference, except in emergencies.
An appointment for a standard consultation will be made with your preferred doctor, or with the next available doctor. Please tell our receptionist if you would prefer a particular doctor, or if you need prompt attention for something like a burn or an eye injury.
Chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding or a suspected stroke are an emergency. Call 000 — do not wait for an appointment. There is more on the emergency and after-hours page.
For continuity of care we recommend seeing your usual doctor. If your usual doctor is unavailable, you are welcome to see one of the other doctors in the practice.
Before you book
If you need longer than a standard appointment
Some consultations simply take more time — a cervical screen, an excision, a medical, or several issues you want to discuss in the one visit. If you think your consultation will run longer than a standard appointment, please let the receptionist know so the correct amount of time can be allocated to you.
Running on time
We make running to time a high priority. Emergencies do happen, however, and appointments may occasionally run over — we appreciate your understanding. Please phone the Centre on 07 5578 2199 before your appointment to check whether your doctor is running on time.
Please book in
You will need to make an appointment for the following
A consultation must precede a referral to a specialist, and doctors are unable to back date referrals. Please check with your specialist's receptionist before attending to find out whether a new referral is required for the visit, and allow adequate time to obtain the referral before your specialist appointment.
Your doctor has given you enough medication to last until you next need to be seen for review. Our doctors do not issue prescriptions without consulting with the patient, unless prior arrangement has been made with your doctor. A fee may apply if a script is requested without a consultation.
Changed your plans
Cancelling an appointment
If you need to cancel your appointment, please call us on 07 5578 2199 as soon as you can, so we are able to offer the time to another patient.
If you cannot come in
