At Barton Lane Practice we seek to provide you with the very best in health care, empowering you to improve your health, and we have been doing so for the Tamworth region since 1892.
Our responses to COVID-19
In response to COVID-19 we have made a range of changes to help care for you and our community at this time. Many appointments are now available by phone or video consultation. This helps keep you safe at home and helps us make sure that it is as safe as possible for people who need to see us face to face. You can also book phone and video appointments online. You can find out more about some of our changes below.
We’ve spread some things out to give you more space
We have …
- removed some chairs and spaced them further apart
- spread out our appointments times
- moved some appointments to Saturdays
- set up options for phone and video appointments
… so that when you visit us we can keep you as safe as possible
Updates on Telehealth
Phone and Video appointments are a great tool to help you get the care you need without coming into the practice. This helps us make sure the waiting room is as safe as possible for those who need something cared for face to face.
We have carefully chosen a platform for our video appointments that offers a high quality consultation, but which is mindful of your privacy and doesn’t need you to create an account or hand over your personal information.
Check out more about Coviu here
Childhood health checks and immunisations
With COVID-19 threatening to stress our health system, it’s more important than ever to be up to date with your child‘s immunisations. We are setting up special clinics for children’s health checks and immunisations to help you avoid a crowded waiting room.
If you attend our Saturday Childhood Health Check and Immunisation Clinic you will be shown to one of our consultation rooms when you arrive at the practice. The health check and immunisation will be done in this room. You can come, have the health check, immunisation and the observation time after the immunisations – all without needing to sit in the waiting room.
To book your child into this clinic call the practice on 02 6766 6166.
Do you have cold or flu symptoms?
Given the spread of COVID-19 in our community, we will be seeing everyone who has cold or flu symptoms with a video or phone appointment. Most of the time we will be able to care for you and organise any medications, tests or certificates you need without you needing to come into the practice.
So, if you have a fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath or other flu like symptoms, book a phone or video appointment with one of our doctors today.
More visits bulk billed
To help in this difficult time, we want to make sure you can receive the care you need in an accessible way. We are pleased to share that we have extended bulk billed appointments to all people under the age of 16 years and to all concession card holders. We hope this temporary measure helps reduce the impact of COVID on your health care.
Flu immunisations
We are excited to let you know that flu immunisations are starting at the beginning of April. You can call to book a flu vaccine now.
With the importance of physical distancing we will be doing our flu clinics a little differently, including a separate entry for this clinic. So make sure you look for the Flu Clinic signs to direct you as you enter the building. We also ask that you arrive at your appointment time to avoid a longer wait in the building, and that you bring a pen with you.
We will only be able to take bookings based on stock. Please check the link below to check when available.
To keep up to date, you can sign up for emails
If you have cold or flu symptoms please phone the practice on 02 6766 6166 before your appointment to help us care for you and our other patients well
With the current local and global concerns for coronavirus we want to assure you we are seeking to maintain our care for you, our practice and our community. To do this we are making changes to what we will ask you when your appointment is booked. There are also increased infection control measures when you arrive at the practice, so please make sure you read the signs at the entry when you come to us. For some situations, we are also using phone calls to help us provide the right health care for you.
If you have cold or flu-like symptoms, please call the practice on 02 6766 6166 to get further advice. Our team will work with you to make sure you get the care you need, either by phone or in person.
Our team is being updated daily with information from the local Public Health Unit, which is putting in a great effort to help us prepare for any changes related to coronavirus.
We understand that this is a stressful time for many. With careful preparation and by following the advice of the Public Health unit, we believe our health care system will be better able to respond to this threat. We thank you for your assistance in these measures in the coming weeks and months.
If you have questions about coronavirus specific to your health situation, we welcome you to book an appointment with one of our doctors.
121 Johnston Street
(Tamwell Building, Ground floor) Tamworth, NSW 2340
Monday to Friday: 8:30am – 6:00pm
Saturday: 9:00am – 11:30am
For urgent medical concerns outside normal hours, please contact the on-call doctor on the after hours phone number. Charges may apply.
Ph: 02 67666166
Fax: 02 67666341
After hours on-call doctor: 0407 255 321
For all emergencies please call an ambulance on: 000
There are more appointments available by calling the practice on
(02) 6766 6166
during our normal business hours
Barton Lane Practice
News
"I would have thought the "cruise ship effect" was something else..." Dr Daniel Rankmore. #stayhome #staysafe.
FluVax 2020 has arrived. We've received our first shipment of influenza vaccines and are ready to go. You can book your FluVax at www.hotdoc.com.au/medical-centres/tamworth-NSW-2340/barton-lane-practice/doctors/flu-vax-clinic
A $18 fee may apply for the vaccine. Those with certain medical conditions, children under five, adults over 65, pregnant women, and Aboriginals / Torres Straight Islanders will receive a free government funded vaccine.
We will be contacting those patients who have placed their name on our waiting list to arrange a time.
Booking available through HotDoc on the Barton Lane Practice Website.
I can see no clear easy way to book in for a flue vacination in this .
Jacqui Larkin
COVID Response: Now there are more ways to stay up to date. In addition to 'liking' our Facebook, we're constantly updating our website, and have started a e-mail newletter for patients. For more information go to www.bartonlanepractice.com.au.
COVID Response: Bulk Billed appointments now extended to all people under 16 years of age and Concession Card Holders. Barton Lane Practice is pleased to introduce this temporary measure to reduce the impact of COVID on health care. 😁
Mobile check-in now available. You can now check in to your appointment by using the HotDoc Mobile App.
New Patients
First of all – Welcome!
At Barton Lane Practice we strive to ensure all patients receive high quality, comprehensive health care.
To become a patient, contact the practice (02 6766 6166) to book your first appointment.
Before your first appointment we would like you to complete a Patient Registration form. You can download one here, or collect one from the practice. Please bring your completed form along to your first visit.
If possible, please also bring:
- An up-to-date health summary from your previous GP
- Copies of any GP Management Plans
- Any relevant letters or notes from specialists
- Any medications you take
Billing Information
Our goal is to provide you with high quality, comprehensive health care. As such we do not bulk bill as we cannot maintain our standard of medical care on the rebate available.
However, we do provide medical care for concession card holders at a discounted rate.
We also seek to provide care in innovative ways for people with a range of complex and chronic health care conditions. We are able to run many specific services for a range of common chronic health issues with little or no out of pocket cost to you. If you have a chronic health care need please talk to one of our doctors or other staff to learn more about what this could mean for you.
The current fee scale is displayed at reception. Please ask our receptionists for further details. We ask that fees be settled in full at the time of consultation.
Doctors
Dr Daniel Rankmore
Dr David Lockart
Dr Doug Rutherford
Dr Barb Moritz
Dr John Pearson
Dr Matt Chan
Dr Paige Darlington
Dr Darla Grace
Dr Laura Heal
Dr Timothy Igbenije
Dr Ben Gaunt
Cancellation Policy
A minimum of twenty-four (24) hours notification is required to cancel or reschedule an appointment.
There is a Failure to Attend Fee of $35 inclusive of GST for appointments where there was no notification or notification less than twenty-four hours from the time of the appointment.
A standard appointment is 15 minutes in length. Arrival after the start of your appointment may also constitute a failure to attend.
This policy also applies to services that would normally have no-gap. These services are often longer and more complex, and failure to attend causes significant disruption to the running of the practice.
Privacy Policy
Current as of: August 2019
Introduction
This privacy policy is to provide information to you, our patient, on how your personal information (which includes your health information) is collected and used within our practice, and the circumstances in which we may share it with third parties.
Why and when your consent is necessary
When you register as a patient of our practice, you provide consent for our GPs and practice staff to access and use your personal information so they can provide you with the best possible healthcare. Only staff who need to see your personal information will have access to it. If we need to use your information for anything else, we will seek additional consent from you to do this.
Why do we collect, use, hold and share your personal information?
Our practice will need to collect your personal information to provide healthcare services to you. Our main purpose for collecting, using, holding and sharing your personal information is to manage your health. We also use it for directly related business activities, such as financial claims and payments, practice audits and accreditation, and business processes (eg staff training).
What personal information do we collect?
The information we will collect about you includes your:
• names, date of birth, addresses, contact details
• medical information including medical history, medications, allergies, adverse events, immunisations, social history, family history and risk factors
• Medicare number (where available) for identification and claiming purposes
• healthcare identifiers
• health fund details.
Dealing with us anonymously
You have the right to deal with us anonymously or under a pseudonym unless it is impracticable for us to do so or unless we are required or authorised by law to only deal with identified individuals.
How do we collect your personal information?
Our practice may collect your personal information in several different ways.
1. When you make your first appointment our practice staff will collect your personal and demographic information via your registration.
2. During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further personal information. This may include through electronic transfer of prescriptions (eTP), and My Health Record.
3. We may also collect your personal information when you visit our website, send us an email or SMS, telephone us, make an online appointment or communicate with us using social media. Please note that we cannot and do not accept responsibility for the security of information you send to or receive from us over the internet, or for any unauthorised access or use of that information.
4. In some circumstances personal information may also be collected from other sources. Often this is because it is not practical or reasonable to collect it from you directly. This may include information from:
• your guardian or responsible person
• other involved healthcare providers, such as specialists, allied health professionals, hospitals, community health services and pathology and diagnostic imaging services
• your health fund, Medicare, or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (as necessary).
When, why and with whom do we share your personal information?
We sometimes share your personal information:
• with third parties who work with our practice for business purposes, such as accreditation agencies or information technology providers – these third parties are required to comply with Australian Privacy Principles and this policy
• with other healthcare providers
• when it is required or authorised by law (eg court subpoenas)
• when it is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to a patient’s life, health or safety or public health or safety, or it is impractical to obtain the patient’s consent
• to assist in locating a missing person
• to establish, exercise or defend an equitable claim
• for the purpose of confidential dispute resolution process
• when there is a statutory requirement to share certain personal information (eg some diseases require mandatory notification)
• during the course of providing medical services, through eTP, My Health Record (eg via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary).
Only people who need to access your information will be able to do so. Other than in the course of providing medical services or as otherwise described in this policy, our practice will not share personal information with any third party without your consent.
We will not share your personal information with anyone outside Australia (unless under exceptional circumstances that are permitted by law) without your consent.
Our practice will not use your personal information for marketing any of our goods or services directly to you without your express consent. If you do consent, you may opt out of direct marketing at any time by notifying our practice in writing.
How do we store and protect your personal information?
Your personal information may be stored at our practice in various forms, including paper records, electronic records, visual records (X-Rays and other imaging scans, videos and photos), and audio recordings.
Our practice stores all personal information securely. We mainly store personal and sensitive information in secure computer storage facilities located in Australia (and provided by a third party that has contractual obligations to us). As much as possible, we seek to collect and store the information gathered by the practice in electronic formats using protected information systems. It is still necessary, however, to have some paper-based files and other records at our practice. In so doing, we have taken numerous steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference and loss, and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
Additionally, we take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify personal and sensitive information when we no longer need it.
Please note that internet is not a secure method of transmitting information. We cannot and do not accept responsibility for the security of information you send to or receive from us over the internet, or for any unauthorised access or use of that information.
How can you access and correct your personal information at our practice?
You have the right to request access to, and correction of, your personal information.
At your written request, we will provide you, within a reasonable period after your request, with a copy of any personal and sensitive information that we hold about you, unless an exception under the Privacy Act 1988 applies. We may charge a fee for retrieving this information, in which case we will inform you of the fee and obtain your agreement to that fee before providing the information. We will require you to provide us with appropriate proof of identity before we provide you with a copy of the personal or sensitive information we hold. If we believe that we are not able to provide you with access to personal or sensitive information, we will give you a notice of our reasons and advise you of the complaint mechanisms that exist under the Privacy Act 1988.
Our practice will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information where the information is not accurate or up to date. From time to time, we will ask you to verify that your personal information held by our practice is correct and current. You may also request that we correct or update your information, and you should make such requests in writing to our practice manager:
The Practice Manager
Bek Hooley
Barton Lane Practice
121 Johnston Street
North Tamworth, NSW 2340
How can you lodge a complaint, and how will the complaint be handled at our practice?
If you have any concerns or you have a complaint regarding any aspect of your care, please discuss the matter with your GP/doctor or with our practice manager, Bek Hooley. We hope that we will be able to address your concerns well. However, if you are not satisfied, or if your complaint cannot be resolved within the practice you may wish to contact the Health Care Complaints Commission:
Health Care Complaints Commission
Locked Mail Bag 18
Strawberry Hills, NSW 2012
(02) 9219 7444 or 1800 043 159
How can you lodge a privacy-related complaint, and how will the complaint be handled at our practice?
We take complaints and concerns regarding privacy seriously. We will then attempt to resolve it in accordance with our resolution procedure, and we will endeavor to respond to your complaint within 30 days. You should express any privacy concerns you may have in writing to:
The Privacy Officer
Barton Lane Practice
121 Johnston Street
North Tamworth, NSW 2340
(02) 6766 6166
You may also contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). Generally, the OAIC will require you to give them time to respond before they will investigate. For further information visit www.oaic.gov.au or call the OAIC on 1300 363 992.
Policy review statement
We will review this Privacy Policy annually. The most current version will be located on our website, and is also available by contacting our Privacy Officer at the address detailed below:
The Privacy Officer
Barton Lane Practice
121 Johnston Street
North Tamworth, NSW 2340
(02) 6766 6166
Feedback and Complaints
If you have any concerns or you have a complaint regarding any aspect of your care, please discuss the matter with your GP/doctor or with our practice manager, Bek Hooley. We hope that we will be able to address your concerns well. However, if you are not satisfied, or if your complaint cannot be resolved within the practice you may wish to contact the Health Care Complaints Commission:
Health Care Complaints Commission
Locked Mail Bag 18
Strawberry Hills, NSW 2012
Ph: 02 9219 7444 or 1800 043 159