Patient Information
Phone and fax communications
Our clinic phone number is 03 9043 6568.
Our clinic fax number is 03 9977 5852.
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Our phone lines are monitored during opening hours Monday - Saturday. If our Reception team is very busy, you may be prompted to leave a message. Please leave a detailed message and we will return your call as soon as we can - likely the same business day.
For urgent health matters, call 000.
For GP after hours care, please contact our locum provider 13 SICK (13 7425), https://homedoctor.com.au/
Email communications
Our clinic email address is info@theneighbourhood.clinic.
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Our emails are monitored during opening hours Monday - Saturday. We always endeavour to reply as soon as we can. However, for urgent queries, please call Reception on 03 9043 6568.
Please do not send health-related queries via email. Please make an appointment with your regular practitioner here. All GP prescription-related queries also require an appointment with your regular GP.
The Neighbourhood Clinic prefers not to send confidential health information via email. We will only send confidential information via email with the patient’s consent, and after confirming the identity of the patient.
After hours care and home visits
For GP after hours care, please contact our locum provider 13 SICK (13 7425), https://homedoctor.com.au/
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Home visits can be arranged in some instances. Please contact Reception on 03 9043 6568 to discuss.
Follow up appointments and results
Your practitioner, or our nurses, may arrange for you to be contacted with your consent, in relation to health reminders and result follow-ups.
The message you receive will let you know what you need to do - in most instances, you will need to book an appointment with your practitioner to discuss.
Patient health information
Your personal information, including your health information, is very important to us at TNC. You can read our Privacy Policy here.
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If you would like to access the health records your GP holds about you at TNC, follow the process here.
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Psychology clients can read specific information and recommendations about communicating with your Psychology team here.
Feedback
Our management team welcomes your feedback on any aspect of your experience at The Neighbourhood Clinic. We love our clinic being an extension of your existing neighbourhood, and want our patients to feel comfortable and satisfied with their time here.
You can contact our Practice Manager, Allison, anytime. You can pop in for a chat, email her at allison@theneighbourhood.clinic or phone 03 9043 6568 for a confidential discussion. You can also complete a feedback form here.
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Regularly, we seek anonymous patient feedback via a patient survey, which is arranged by an independent third party survey company. We receive anonymised responses and, as a team, we use your feedback to improve our services, processes and your experience with us.
Below are some areas of improvement identified in the April 2022 Patient Survey, and the measures we have put in place.
Appointment wait times
Several survey responses mentioned that the wait time at The Neighbourhood Clinic can sometimes be excessive.
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Delays at the clinic can occur for many reasons, including unexpected emergencies which delay a practitioner, patients requiring a longer consult than has been booked and there not being enough time between appointments for a practitioner to catch up.
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To alleviate wait times, we have implemented:
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additional catch-up breaks for practitioners during the day
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encouraging patients to book the appropriate length appointment for their needs
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internal discussions and monitoring of patient wait times
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We understand that excessive wait times can be one of the most frustrating aspects of visiting a clinic, and this is an area we very much want to improve on.
Phone calls
Some respondents said that they experienced difficulty getting through via phone to The Neighbourhood Clinic. We know this can be a problem, particularly at especially busy times of the day.
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We have recently implemented a new phone system, which provides some information you may be calling about via a message at the beginning of the call, e.g. our email address, where to book an appointment, etc. There is also a call-queuing feature which allows for a few callers to be waiting to speak to us at once.
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We have two phones in Reception, and either two or three Receptionists working for most of the day. If all our Receptionists are busy on calls or with patients in the clinic, callers may be directed to leave a voicemail. Voicemail messages are checked several times a day.
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