BEECROFT FAMILY AND SKIN CANCER CLINIC – Communication Policy
Current as of: 15 Jan, 2026
Purpose
Our practice is committed to providing safe, timely, accessible, respectful and confidential communication with patients, carers, healthcare providers and other relevant parties.
Communication is managed in accordance with applicable privacy legislation, the Australian Privacy Principles, professional obligations, relevant RACGP Standards and the practice’s internal privacy and information security procedures.
The practice maintains systems to ensure that communications relating to patient care are appropriately received, triaged, documented, escalated and followed up.
Telephone Communication
Our reception team will ask whether an enquiry relates to an emergency or urgent medical concern before placing a caller on hold.
Urgent clinical concerns are promptly escalated to an appropriate member of the clinical team. Where symptoms may indicate a medical emergency, patients will be advised to call 000 or attend an appropriate emergency department.
Before providing health information by telephone, practice team members will confirm at least three approved patient identifiers to verify the patient’s identity.
Reception and administrative staff do not provide clinical advice, independently interpret investigation results or provide medical information outside their authorised role. Clinical questions are referred to an appropriate GP, nurse or other clinician.
Telephone messages relating to patient care, attempts to contact patients and actions taken in response are documented in the patient’s health record where appropriate.
Messages are recorded clearly and include sufficient information to allow appropriate prioritisation and follow-up.
Where the intended practitioner is unavailable, urgent clinical communications will be escalated to another appropriate clinician. Routine messages will be forwarded or managed according to the practice’s internal communication procedures.
Patients may be advised that a consultation is required where a telephone enquiry involves complex clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment advice, medication changes or issues that cannot be safely managed through a telephone message.
Email, SMS and Electronic Communication
The practice may use email, SMS, secure messaging, telehealth and other approved electronic communication methods for appropriate administrative and clinical purposes.
Before sending health information electronically, the practice will:
• obtain appropriate patient consent where required;
• verify the patient’s electronic contact details;
• confirm the intended recipient where appropriate; and
• consider the sensitivity of the information and whether a more secure communication method is required.
Patients are advised that email and other forms of electronic communication may carry privacy and confidentiality risks.
Sensitive or complex health information may be communicated using more secure methods, including telephone, telehealth, secure messaging or an in-person consultation.
Patients should be aware that:
• electronic communication is not monitored continuously;
• email and SMS must not be used for emergencies or urgent medical concerns;
• patients should call 000 in a medical emergency;
• routine emails will generally be responded to within 1–2 business days;
• messages sent outside practice hours may not be reviewed until the practice reopens;
• clinical assessment or complex medical advice may require an appointment;
• medication changes, significant diagnoses or sensitive clinical matters may require discussion directly with a clinician; and
• the practice cannot guarantee immediate receipt or response to electronic communication.
The practice will take reasonable steps to ensure electronically transmitted health information is sent to the correct recipient and will use secure communication methods where appropriate.
Relevant electronic communications, clinical advice provided and actions arising from those communications are documented in the patient’s health record where appropriate.
Communication Security
The practice takes reasonable steps to protect patient information from unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, loss or incorrect transmission.
Sensitive information should not be sent through unsecured electronic communication where a more appropriate secure option is available.
Where appropriate, the practice may use secure messaging platforms, password protection, encryption, secure portals or other approved systems for the transmission of health information.
Practice staff must exercise care when entering email addresses, mobile numbers and other contact details and should confirm these details with patients periodically.
Patients are encouraged to advise the practice promptly if their telephone number, address, email address or other contact information changes.
Test Results, Recalls and Reminders
Investigation results, clinical correspondence, recalls and reminders are managed in accordance with the practice’s Results, Recall and Reminder Policy.
Incoming pathology, imaging, specialist correspondence and other relevant clinical information are reviewed by an appropriate clinician.
Clinically significant results are communicated and followed up according to their clinical urgency.
Patients may be contacted by telephone, SMS, secure electronic communication, letter or another appropriate method depending on the nature and urgency of the information.
Where the practice is unable to contact a patient regarding a clinically significant matter, further reasonable contact attempts will be made and documented according to the practice’s recall procedures.
Patients are encouraged to follow the practice’s nominated procedure for obtaining investigation results and should not assume that no contact from the practice means a result is normal.
Results requiring interpretation, further assessment, treatment or discussion may require a consultation.
Reminders and Preventive Health Communication
The practice may contact patients regarding preventive health activities, recalls, screening, immunisations, chronic disease reviews or other clinically appropriate reminders.
Patients may advise the practice if they do not wish to receive non-essential reminder communications, subject to any clinical or legal obligations of the practice.
Clinically important recalls will continue to be managed according to the practice’s recall procedures.
Communication With Healthcare Providers
Clinical information may be exchanged with specialists, hospitals, allied health professionals, pharmacies, pathology providers, diagnostic imaging providers and other healthcare services involved in a patient’s care.
Where practicable, secure electronic communication systems will be used.
Information shared with other healthcare providers will be limited to information reasonably necessary for the patient’s care or otherwise authorised or required by law.
Incoming clinical correspondence is reviewed, actioned where required and incorporated into the patient’s health record.
Outgoing referrals, reports and relevant clinical correspondence are documented in the patient’s record.
Communication With Family Members, Carers and Third Parties
Patient information will only be provided to family members, carers, employers, insurers, legal representatives or other third parties where:
• the patient has provided appropriate consent;
• the person is legally authorised to receive the information;
• disclosure is required or authorised by law; or
• another recognised legal or professional exception applies.
The identity and authority of a third party requesting information will be confirmed where appropriate.
Where a patient has nominated a carer, substitute decision-maker, guardian or authorised representative, this will be documented in the health record where relevant.
The practice recognises that consent may be limited to particular information or circumstances and will respect the scope of the patient’s consent.
Communication Assistance and Accessibility
Patients who require assistance communicating with the practice are encouraged to inform practice staff.
Where appropriate, the practice can facilitate access to:
• professional interpreter services;
• Auslan interpreting;
• the National Relay Service;
• communication aids;
• support persons; or
• other reasonable communication assistance.
Professional interpreters are preferred where accurate communication is important for clinical care and where reliance on family members or informal interpreters may affect accuracy, confidentiality or patient autonomy.
Where practical, communication needs and preferences will be documented in the patient’s health record.
The practice will make reasonable efforts to communicate in a manner appropriate to the patient’s language, literacy, disability, cultural needs and individual circumstances.
Telehealth Appointments
Telehealth consultations are available where clinically appropriate.
The treating clinician will determine whether telehealth is suitable based on the patient’s presenting issue, clinical risk, available information and whether an adequate assessment can be performed remotely.
Patient identity will be appropriately verified before confidential health information is discussed.
Patients should participate in telehealth consultations from a location that allows appropriate privacy where reasonably possible.
The clinician may recommend an in-person consultation where examination, investigation or face-to-face assessment is clinically required.
If technical difficulties prevent a telehealth consultation from proceeding, reasonable attempts will be made to contact the patient through an alternative approved communication method.
Failed communication attempts relevant to patient care will be documented in the patient’s health record where appropriate.
Online Bookings and Digital Requests
Online bookings may be available for selected appointment types.
Online booking systems are not intended for medical emergencies.
Patients experiencing urgent or potentially serious symptoms should contact the practice directly, call 000 where appropriate or attend an emergency department.
Certain appointment types, urgent matters or clinically complex presentations may not be suitable for online booking and may require direct discussion with reception or the clinical team.
Where the practice offers online forms, prescription requests, referral requests or other electronic services, these will be managed according to the practice’s relevant clinical and administrative procedures.
Submission of an online request does not guarantee that the request will be clinically appropriate or approved without consultation.
Urgent and Emergency Communication
All practice team members are trained to recognise communications that may indicate an urgent or life-threatening medical problem and to escalate these appropriately.
Patients reporting potentially serious symptoms may be transferred or referred promptly to an appropriate clinician where available.
Where a medical emergency is suspected, patients may be instructed to call 000, attend an emergency department or obtain other urgent medical assistance.
The practice does not rely on email, SMS or other non-real-time communication methods for emergency medical care.
After-Hours Communication
When the practice is closed, the practice telephone message provides information about appropriate after-hours healthcare arrangements.
Patients experiencing a medical emergency are advised to call 000.
Electronic communications sent outside practice opening hours may not be reviewed until the practice reopens and must not be used for emergencies.
Information regarding after-hours care is made available to patients through appropriate practice communication channels.
Communication When a Clinician Is Absent
The practice has systems for managing communications when the intended GP or clinician is unavailable due to leave, illness, roster arrangements or other circumstances.
Urgent clinical messages are escalated to an available appropriate clinician.
Routine messages are managed according to the practice’s internal procedures and may be addressed when the intended clinician returns where clinically appropriate.
Patients will not be left without appropriate escalation where the content of a message indicates that timely clinical attention is required.
Failed Contact Attempts
Reasonable attempts to contact patients regarding clinically important matters are documented in the patient’s health record.
The number and method of contact attempts will depend on the urgency and significance of the matter.
Where contact cannot be established, the practice will follow its recall and escalation procedures, which may include use of alternative contact details or other appropriate methods where permitted.
Communication During Emergencies or Service Disruptions
During a significant incident, natural disaster, public health emergency, telecommunications failure, cyber incident or other disruption to normal practice operations, communication will be managed according to the practice’s Emergency Response and Business Continuity procedures.
Where the usual communication method is unavailable, the practice will use an appropriate alternative communication method where reasonably possible.
Patients will be provided with information about changes to services, access arrangements or alternative care options where practicable.
Privacy and Confidentiality
All patient communications are managed in accordance with applicable Commonwealth and state privacy legislation, the Australian Privacy Principles and the practice’s Privacy Policy.
Health information will only be accessed, used or disclosed for authorised purposes.
Practice staff must take reasonable steps to protect patient confidentiality when communicating verbally, electronically or in writing.
Confidential information will not be discussed in areas where it may be unnecessarily overheard where this can reasonably be avoided.
Patient Identification
Before disclosing health information or taking actions that could affect a patient’s care, practice staff will confirm the patient’s identity using at least three approved patient identifiers where appropriate.
Identifiers may include details such as:
• full name;
• date of birth;
• residential address;
• health record number;
• Individual Healthcare Identifier; or
• another approved identifier consistent with practice procedures.
Patient identification processes are designed to reduce the risk of information being disclosed to or recorded against the wrong person.
Documentation
Relevant communications relating to patient care are documented in the patient’s health record.
This may include:
• telephone messages;
• clinical advice;
• electronic correspondence;
• communication with other healthcare providers;
• significant discussions with carers or family members;
• attempted patient contacts;
• recalls;
• actions taken;
• follow-up arrangements; and
• escalation of urgent concerns.
Documentation should be clear, factual, timely and sufficient to support continuity of care.
Staff Responsibilities
All members of the practice team are responsible for complying with this policy and maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality.
Practice staff receive training regarding:
• telephone and electronic communication;
• patient identification;
• privacy and confidentiality;
• handling urgent clinical concerns;
• limits of administrative staff responsibilities;
• message documentation;
• escalation procedures;
• use of secure communication methods; and
• procedures for managing communication when clinicians are unavailable.
Administrative staff must not provide clinical advice unless appropriately qualified and authorised to do so.