Coastal Child Health ​
Coastal Child Health ​
Policies
Missed Appointments and Cancellations
Missing your appointments inconveniences other patients, practice staff and denies other patients the opportunity to access medical care earlier.
It is your responsibility to remember your appointment date and time.
To support you, we will contact you by sms one week before and the day prior to your scheduled appointment.
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Any patient who fails to attend their scheduled appointment time or did not give prior notice of their absence a minimum
48 hours before the appointment, will be charged a cancellation fee. This is usually 50% of the consultation fee depending on their appointment duration.
A further appointment will only be given after the cancellation fee has been paid.
If three appointments were missed without 48-hour notification, no further appointments will be given.
It is the carer's responsibility to ensure a valid referral is obtained prior to the scheduled appointment.
You are always welcome to discuss additional issues in an extra appointment if required.
Referrals
If your child has seen our paediatricians within the past 12 months, please contact the practice on 0466 099 933 to make an appointment.
If your child is new to our clinic, please ask your GP practice to send the referral through to be triaged. Alternatively, you may email the referral as a PDF to reception@drulrikeschmidt.com.au.
Please ensure you have a valid referral to be eligible to receive a Medicare rebate. If you are unsure if you have a valid referral, please contact our staff on 0466 099 933.
Please allow up to one hour for an initial consultation and up to 30-40minutes for a review consultation.
If you are late to your appointment, we are unable to extend your appointment as there will be another patient after you.
To be eligible for a MEDICARE rebate the patient must always be present at an appointment. Adolescents have the right to confidentiality and autonomy under best practice medical guidelines.
If aggressive or threatening behaviour is shown by any parent/carer, the child will be discharged from the practice.
Prescription Requests
Our paediatricians are unable to provide prescriptions through email/phone requests. We do however offer Video Telehealth Review Consultations for prescription renewals. The child must have been seen in person within the past 12 months.
Telehealth Consultations are considered the same as a review consultation and we require the child's height, weight and blood pressure prior to the appointment. A consultation fee applies and the prescription will be released on receipt of payment.
Unfortunately, we are unable to change/increase medications via phone/email request. Our Paediatricians will require evidence from the school as to why the medication needs to be increased.
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Children with Separated Parents
We always try our best to accommodate all family circumstances. This policy is established to ensure an harmonious environment. It outlines the expected behaviour of separated parents during medical appointments involving their child.
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1. Separated parents are expected to maintain respectful and civil communication with each other, our staff, and healthcare providers at all times.
2. Both parents should coordinate and communicate regarding appointment scheduling to avoid conflicts.
3. Both parents have the right to access their child's medical information. We encourage parents to share relevant medical information and updates with each other and with our practice.
4. Both parents are welcome to be present during their child's medical appointments.
5. Parents are expected to maintain the confidentiality of their child's medical information and not disclose it to unauthorised individuals.
6. In cases of disagreements or disputes about their child's health, parents are encouraged to address these matters outside of the medical appointment and seek legal or mediation support if necessary.
7. Separated parents should interact with our staff and healthcare providers in a polite and courteous manner. Any conflicts or concerns should be addressed in a calm and respectful manner.
8. The safety and well-being of the child are of paramount importance. If any behaviour by either parent poses a risk to the child's well-being, the practice reserves the right to take necessary actions to ensure the child's safety.
9. Violations of this policy may result in actions that could include:
- Issuing a warning.
- Restricting or altering visitation arrangements.
- Involving legal authorities if necessary.
This policy will be reviewed periodically to ensure its effectiveness and relevance. Any amendments will be based on the evolving needs of the practice and the well-being of the children under our care. It's essential to communicate this policy to both parents clearly and ensure they understand their responsibilities to maintain a polite and respectful environment within your practice.
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Payment is to be made on the day of the child’s appointment. If there is legal agreement that requires the other parent to pay all or part of the treatment costs, it is the attending parent’s responsibility to settle account and collect reimbursement from the other parent.
Where there is significant conflict, we reserve the right to request the court orders, obtain signed consent from both parents, or limit our services until dispute has been resolved. If necessary, we may discharge a family from the clinic if the conflict is disruptive to the clinic or impedes the care of the child.
We do not take referrals where the purpose of the assessment is to generate information for legal decision making around custody issues of parental separation.
It is not our clinical routine service, to provide reports to solicitors and courts for the purposes of assisting with legal proceedings. If such report is to be provided, it needs to be negotiated independent of child related medical services. We reserve the right to reduce to do these reports.
Please help us to provide the best care for your children by providing all information regarding your family situation at your first appointment with us.
Communication
The practice management software identifies a 'default' primary parent for each child. Communication regarding that child, by default, is addressed to that parent.
This identified 'default parent' applies to automatic communications such as reminder emails (sent to the email address of the default primary parent) and reminder text messages (sent to the mobile phone number of the default primary parent).
This default primary parent's contact details also applies to written communication. It is mostly the Paediatricians' practice to routinely copy letters, such as medical reports back to the referring General Practitioner, and also send to the child's parents as a method of enhancing communication with parents.
In general, it is our expectation that separated parents work in a framework of joint parental responsibility. Legally, this means it is the responsibility of parents to work out how they exchange information.
We do not have the capacity to make complex individualised arrangements, but we try our best to accommodate two individual circumstances for the benefit of the child where this is reasonable and achievable.
Emergencies or Crisis Situations
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Our staff is dedicated to supporting children with medical or complex developmental needs. The doctors provide highly-specialised, individualised, structured and coordinated care, within business hours, and in the structure of planned consultations.
We do not have resources to provide crisis intervention support. If your child is experiencing significant mental distress or you require immediate support, please seek urgent medical care from your GP or via a hospital emergency department.
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When you contact us with urgent concerns, we will endeavour to contact your child’s treating paediatrician to inform them of their status.
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Additionally there are a number of services which are specifically available to address the needs of children and families with acute difficulties, which can support or advise you of the best way to manage such situations.
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For medical support in business hours
Please contact your General Practitioner (GP).
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For medical support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week -
Ambulance and local hospital emergency department: 000
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For mental health support during business hours:
​Headspace Lismore: (02) 6625 0200
For mental health support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
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​Ambulance, Police and local hospital emergency department: 000
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​After hours Mental health Acute response team: 1300 64 22 55​
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Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1300 659 467
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Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800
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Kids Helpline is Australia’s only free 24/7, confidential and private counselling service specifically for children and young people aged 5 to 25 years. -
Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636​
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This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Online chat with the Beyond Blue support service is available every day from 3pm to 12am.​
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Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14
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This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Online chat with the Lifeline support service is also available every day from 7pm until 4am.