Mon 9am-7pm | Tue to Fri 9am-6pm | Sat 9am-12pm
Contact : 03 9584 9504. In an emergency, dial 000.
Download the New Patient Registration Form.
If you are unable to attend an appointment, please give the clinic at least 24 hours notice. As much notice as possible is appreciated. A cancellation fee for short notice may apply
There is a very high demand for appointments, so notification if you are unable to attend is highly appreciated.
Melbourne Pathology service is available at 48 Chesterville Road, Cheltenham, next to Southland Medical Centre from Monday to Friday 8.30AM to 5.00AM.
Appointments are not necessary.
This clinic provides after hours cover.
Dr Andrew Hewett is available for patients of the practice on 0422 672 320 until 11.00PM on weeknights that are not public holidays.
Between 11.00PM to 8.00PM and on weekends and public holidays, please contact the Locum Service on 13 SICK (13 74 25).
Please call Southland Medical Centre for a home visit if you are too unwell to attend the practice. A house call may be able to be organised towards the end of the day. For regular home visits please speak to your doctor. Please note that fees apply for home visits.
Dr Andrew Hewett is available for patients of the practice on 0422 672 320 until 11.00PM on weeknights that are not public holidays.
Between 11.00PM to 8.00PM and on weekends and public holidays, please contact the Locum Service on 13 SICK (13 74 25).
At Southland Medical Centre, our primary concern is your health. Your doctor will advise when they expect your results will arrive at the practice. This will allow you to make a follow-up appointment to discuss the findings. Results are available from three to five days afterwards based on the nature of the test. Please note that patients are responsible for the following up their results.
Urgent results
Your doctor will contact you as soon as possible in the event of an urgent result to make an appointment or discuss the results.
All new scripts and referrals require an appointment.
Phone requests
This service is available if:
Please note:
Childhood vaccinations and immunisations are free if you are a Medicare card holder and meet DHS criteria.
For travel related vaccines, Dr Louise Batchelor specialises in advising and prescribing a range of vaccines for your destination. Travel vaccines normally attract a private fee.
We are happy to offer our patients minor procedures at our practice. The costs of minor medical or surgical procedures vary on the type of procedure and its complexity. Prior to any planned procedures we will provide information about any anticipated costs.
A translation service is available on request.
We use Telephone Interpreter Service which can be booked on 131450.
If you require this service please advise our reception staff prior to your appointment.
We are a patient focused Practice. We are passionate in forming a strong partnership with you to ensure you receive the highest standards of health care available. It is important that you feel comfortable to discuss any issues that may have an impact on our service. Your feedback is an important aspect of our Practice’s operations and we take your suggestions and criticisms seriously.
Please write down any suggestions you may have and place them in the suggestion box at reception. If you have other concerns, please speak to our Practice Manager or your Doctor.
If you still have any problems with our health service or concerns about your privacy, contact the Health Services Commissioner, Level 30, 570 Bourke Street, Melbourne; 1800 136 066; and email at hsc@dhs.vic.gov.au.
Communications Policy
Southland Medical Centre aims to provide patients with access to timely advice and information regarding their clinical care. We communicate this via the following channels:
Face-to-face (in person)
This can be via consultation with your GP or allied health professional, interactions with the nurse, or by communication to admin staff members such as our receptionists or Practice Manager.
Telephone
Patients can phone our medical centre during opening hours. Receptionists will triage your call in to ensure that any urgent matters are dealt with appropriately and in a timely manner. Your call may be transferred to a GP to determine the urgency and most appropriate cause of action for your concern.
Our doctors may be contacted by phone during normal consultation hours through our reception team. If a doctor is in a consultation, a message will be taken for the doctor to return your call.
IF THE MATTER IS LIFE THREATENING, PLEASE CALL 000.
Depending on the circumstance, a receptionist will book an appointment for you to speak to your doctor via Telehealth, or in certain cases, send the doctor a message explaining the reason for your call.
Tele-health
Depending on the circumstance, a receptionist will book an appointment for you to speak to your doctor via Telehealth, or in certain cases, send the doctor a message explaining the reason for your call.
Facsimile (fax)
Fax is used for clinical correspondence only. All clinical correspondence received via fax is imported into the associated patient’s file. These are then reviewed by the addressee doctor and managed as appropriate. Any urgent faxes that are received are handed to the doctor immediately. If the doctor is away, they are immediately review by an available GP.
Email
Southland Medical Centre does not generally communicate with patients via email. Email is not a secure communication platform.
Southland Medical Centre does not send any clinical and confidential information via email without patient consent. It is important that patients are aware of the risks associated with email, as information could potentially be compromised and accessed by someone other than the intended recipient.
Although we attempt to keep private and confidential information secure, information sent via email may be compromised and accessed by someone who is not the intended recipient. Due to this, we will not send any personal information via email without patient consent. Patients must also be aware that any information they send to Southland Medical Centre via email is not secure. Patients who communicate through email do so at their own risk.
Incoming Emails are not monitored constantly or regularly as email is not our primary means of contact with patients. We strongly suggest that any urgent requests are discussed with a receptionist via telephone.
SMS
SMS messages are used at our clinic for the following reasons:
Appointment reminders: Our online appointment system, HotDoc, will send an appointment reminder to patients with a pre-existing appointment the day before their appointment.
Reminders: You may receive reminders for clinical issues that your doctor would like you to follow-up on. These may include matters such as cervical screening, care plans, blood tests and immunisations.
Recalls: You may receive an SMS asking you to book a follow-up appointment with your doctor regarding recent test results. Our privacy policy stipulates that our SMS communication does not contain any sensitive or confidential patient information.
If you wish to opt-out of SMS communication, please speak to our reception staff for assistance.
Post
Letters are used for patients who do not use, or who decide to opt-out of electronic communications. In these circumstances, reminders and recalls are sent by post to the patients residential or postal address.
Incoming mail is received daily. Letters that are patient related are scanned and imported into the patient’s file. These letters are then reviewed by the doctor and actioned as appropriate. All non-patient letters are forwarded to the appropriate team member.
Website
The practice’s website is regularly updated with new information relating to current events and changes at the practice. You are able to find information on opening hours, policies, services, and book an appointment through our website.
Our reception staff will often ask if your details are currently up to date. In addition, our policy is to ask for three (3) patient identifiers to verify your identity.
If your situation has changed in any way since your last appointment, please mention this at the desk so we can keep your details current.
We take your privacy seriously. You can download our privacy policy here: