Appointments
Flexible appointment system
Beaches Family Practice offers a flexible appointment system to allow us to care for a range of urgent, non- urgent, complex and health maintenance needs.
NEW PATIENTS ARE WELCOME to join either Practice at Beaches Family Practice. For more information please call 4032-7500 for Kewarra Family Practice or 4032-7575 for Trinity Family Practice.
Standard appointments
Standard appointments are 15 minutes. Please request a longer (30 minute) appointment if your needs are complex or multiple
Book by phone or email
Appointments can be made by calling any of the Beaches Family Practice sites or by email, here.
Email Policy
Our practice does currently communicate with patients via electronic means, however, we do not offer elcetronic consultations. Patient safety and relevent privacy laws will be addressed when this occurs.
Staff and Patients using email or other forms of electronic messaging should be aware that it is not possible to guarantee that electronic communications will be private. All personal health information or sensitive information sent by email must be securely encrypted.
External parties, e.g patients, may send messages and will recieve a response to comfirm receipt and will be documented in the patients records if appropriate.
Booking Appointments On Line
We recommend that when booking on line with our Practice that you book directly from our website where you can choose the practice you would like to attend, at the time that suits you, with the doctor you prefer to see.
Please be advised that if you require a nurse for your appointment, e.g vaccination / immunisation, excision, dressing etc then we ask that you call the practice, you would like to attend, as these appointments require the doctor and nurse to be available at the same time.
Urgent need
Please let reception staff know if your need is medically urgent so that you can be cared for appropriately. You may be put through to the practice nurse for further assessment or in an emergency dial 000.
Bulk Billing Children under 12 years (for Cairns Local Residents)
Even though Beaches Family Practice is not a bulk billing practice, we will Bulk Bill children under the age of 12, who live in the Cairns local area Monday to Friday.
There will be no bulk billing for Saturday appointments. All patients will now pay our standard fee on Saturdays.
Pension and Concession Card Holders
From the 1st of January 2023, all of our Existing Patients, who live only in the Cairns Local Area and hold a current Health Care, Disability Card or Aged Pension Card will be offered a discount rate of our consultation fee.
New, Interstate and International Patients Fees
From the 1st January 2023, all New and Interstate visitors will be charged our standard consultation fee, pension or concession cards will not apply. Our International visitors will be charged a flat rate of $150 for a standard 15min consultation.
Easter Saturday Fees
We may be open on Easter Saturday but please note that as it is a Public Holiday our consultation fees will be higher. Please call us to find out if we will be open.
Our standard consultation fee will be $100 and for concession card holders, who are existing patients, the fee will be $85.
Children under the age of 12yrs and aged pensioners, who are extisting patients, will not be bulked billed on this day.
Prescriptions and referrals
Repeat prescriptions and referral letters are not issued without an appointment. Please let our reception staff know at the time of booking.
Practice nurse
Beaches Family Practice is proud of its team which also includes a practice nurse on site. The nurse provides services such as immunisations and wound care, after assessment by a doctor. Our practice nurse also serves an important role in chronic disease management including diabetes care.
Results
All pathology and x-ray imaging results are downloaded by computer to the requesting doctor. For those results not requiring a follow up appointment, patients can contact our practice nurse to be given the result over the phone. Of course, an appointment can be made to discuss in further detail if that is preferred.
Non- attendance
If you are unable to keep a scheduled appointment we ask that you please phone or email to cancel. Patients who repeatedly fail to inform the practice of cancelled appointments may be charged a fee.
Teaching Practice
Beaches Family Practice is proud of its association with JCU, and will periodically have medical students sit in with a doctor. If a medical student is present your permission will be sought prior to the appointment; we understand if you decline.