Patient information
Before you visit.
Booking, fees, results, your records and your rights, plus help for visitors to Cairns.
Appointments
Face to face, telehealth and telephone appointments are available. Same-day appointments are available, for visitors too.
- Book online any time, or call reception during opening hours.
- When you call, please say how urgent your problem is. If it’s urgent, the practice will try to see you the same day or make other arrangements.
- Ask for a longer appointment if your problem is complicated, you need counselling, or you have several things to discuss.
- Repeat prescriptions, specialist and allied health referrals, medical reports and test results need an appointment, so your doctor can give you the right advice in private.
- Care planning, health assessments and home visits are booked by phone: call reception.
Walk-in patients
Everyone is seen by appointment. If your matter is urgent, reception will triage it, and you’ll be seen as soon as your clinical needs require.
Phoning a doctor
You can contact a doctor during opening hours. If they’re with a patient, reception will take a message and tell you when they’re likely to call back. In an emergency, your call will always be put through.
Fees and billing
Cairns West is a mixed-billing practice. Pensioners, veterans, Health Care Card holders and children under 16 are bulk billed; everyone else is billed privately, with the Medicare Safety Net protecting you from large out-of-pocket costs.
Dr Anthony Abubo bulk bills all patients, whatever your age or card.
New patients
Welcome to Cairns West. Here’s how to get started.
- assignment
Register
Fill in the new patient registration form before you come, or at reception.
- schedule
Arrive 15 minutes early
So reception has time to set up your record before your first appointment.
- description
Read the information sheet
The practice information sheet (PDF) covers how the practice works.
Already a patient and something has changed? Update your details.
Results, recalls and reminders
Test results
Please come back for an appointment to talk about your results, ideally with the doctor who ordered the tests.
If a result is abnormal or needs urgent attention, the practice will contact you, so please keep your phone number and address up to date with reception.
Recalls and reminders
The practice may send you an SMS reminder of an appointment, or ask you to come in for a regular check-up or about an urgent result. Reminder messages contain no medical or identifying information. Talk to your doctor if you’d rather not get reminders.
You can also choose to be on national registers, such as the national Cervical Screening Test Register and the Childhood Immunisation Register. Please tell the practice if you don’t want your name added to any national, state or territory register.
Access, interpreters and getting here
Getting here
- Off-street parking at the front, side and rear of the building
- Access for people with a physical disability through the main entrance
- An accessible toilet
Interpreters and communication needs
If you, or someone you’re helping, need an interpreter or have special communication needs, please tell the staff before the appointment.
Reception keeps a list of interpreter and disability services. One of them is the National Relay Service, on 1800 555 727.
Visiting Cairns?
Cairns is a popular place for a holiday, and sometimes you need a doctor while you’re here. Cairns West welcomes domestic and international visitors, including hotel, resort and backpacker guests. Same-day appointments help keep the disruption to your trip small.
Reciprocal Health Care Agreements
Visitors from these countries may be covered by a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement, which lets the Australian Government pay Medicare benefits for some care, including seeing a local doctor and treatment in public hospitals:
- Belgium
- Finland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Malta
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Slovenia
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
If you aren’t eligible for Medicare, you’ll pay the full fee for your care. Read more about overseas visitors and healthcare.
Your information
Getting in touch online
You can send the practice a message from the contact page about non-clinical matters, such as forms, fees or your details. Messages are passed to the right person and answered within 48 hours, and are added to your medical record.
Medical advice isn’t given by message. Please book an appointment with a doctor or another health professional instead.
Your health records
Your records are held securely at the practice, and every staff member signs a confidentiality agreement. If you feel your privacy has been breached, please talk to your doctor.
To move your records to another doctor, you first sign a release form from the new doctor; a copy of the relevant information is then sent to them, and the original stays at Cairns West. If you’d like a copy of your own records, book an appointment so your doctor can explain them; your doctor may require it.
The patient privacy policy (PDF) explains how your information is collected, used and protected.
Feedback, complaints and your rights
Feedback and complaints
The practice always wants to hear how care could be better. Talk to the staff or your doctor, or leave a note in the suggestion box. If a complaint hasn’t been resolved that way, ask reception for a complaints form.
You can also take a complaint to the independent Office of the Health Ombudsman:
- Phone 133 OHO (133 646)
- Online at www.oho.qld.gov.au
- By post to PO Box 13281, George Street, Brisbane
Your rights as a patient
You have a right to:
- timely, safe and good-quality care from your GP;
- a safe, secure and supportive place to receive care;
- a practice that respects your healthcare needs;
- open, two-way communication with your GP;
- be included in decisions and choices about your care;
- privacy and confidentiality of your personal information;
- comment on your care, and have your concerns addressed.
If you feel your rights aren’t being respected, the practice would like to hear from you.
After hours and emergencies
In a serious emergency, such as chest pain, trouble breathing, severe pain or bleeding, a very sick child or a serious accident, call triple zero, ask for an ambulance, and give your exact address.
For urgent care when the practice is closed, call the after-hours GP clinic or go to the Cairns Hospital Emergency Department.