Centre Clinic

The Centre Clinic is located at Suite 3A 79-81 Fitzroy Street, in St Kilda on the third floor of the Victorian Pride Centre.

The Centre Clinic has an informal, friendly and relaxed atmosphere. The doctors who work here are all Registered General Practitioners – this means they are able to provide healthcare and specialist referrals for all health related matters.

We have strong links with a range of LGBTIQ+ friendly allied health services throughout Victoria – this includes dentists, podiatrists, psychologists, counsellors, dieticians, physiotherapy, osteopaths and other specialists.

Administration

• Peter Locke: Manager, Clinical Services
• Rex, Ron, Alysha, Ellis : Reception

General Practitioners:

• Dr Stephen Rowles
• Dr Nanette Presswell
• Dr Melanie Bissessor
• Dr James Sell
• Dr Harry Brown
• Dr Sambridhi Adhikari
• Dr Rafal Hirmiz
• Dr Chris Philips

Nurses:

• Daniel Sankar: Practice Nurse / Nurse Practitioner
• Joe Mabuti: Registered Nurse

Dietitian:

• Jenny McDonald

• Affirmative general healthcare for LGBTIQ+ people
• Monitoring, treatment and care of HIV infection
• PEP Post HIV Exposure Prophylaxis
• PrEP Pre Exposure Prophylaxis
• STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection) testing and treatment
• HIV testing and counselling
• Hepatitis screening, vaccination and monitoring (including new Hepatitis C treatments)
• Dietician services for people living with HIV
  • The Centre Clinic’s Dietician and Nutrition services for PLHIV are made possible by the generous support of ViiV Healthcare.

The Centre Clinic uses a mixed billing model for General Practitioner and Nurse Practitioner consultations. We bulk bill all patients with current, Australian issued:

• Health Care Concession Cards
• Low Income Concession Cards
• Disability Pension Cards
• Eligible DVA cards
• Commonwealth Senior Health Cards
• Full time student cards (under the age of 25 years)
• Children under the age of 16 years

We only bulk bill appointments Mon- Friday. We request that patients meeting these criteria bring their current concession / student cards to each consultation.

All other patients will be charged a private fee for consultations. Medicare rebates apply for current Medicare Card holders and the practice can process your Medicare claim for overnight payment on your behalf if you have provided Medicare your current residential and bank account details.

If you are struggling financially, please speak to our reception team or doctor so that we can continue to support you.

Our fees for General Practitioner face to face and telehealth consultations are:

Our fees for Nurse Practitioner face to face and telehealth consultations are:

Non- Attendance fee $20, payable prior to next appointment

While we make every attempt to send out SMS text reminders for appointments, it is your responsibility to attend booked appointments. Please make sure that your telephone contact numbers are current at every visit so we can remind you.

Requested prescriptions left uncollected will be posted out at the end of each month with an invoice attached.

Your medical record is confidential. The Centre Clinic maintains the security of your personal information at all times.

The Clinic is bound by the Commonwealth Privacy Act - Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2000 and also complies with the Victorian Health Records Act 2001. The Clinic has also developed a Privacy Policy that controls the handling of personal information.

Clinic Business Hours

Head to our contact page for our hours of operation including, any closures or holiday hours.

Appointments

Please ring (03) 9525 5866 during clinic hours for an appointment.

Every effort will be made to accommodate your preferred time. Emergencies will always be given priority. Longer consultation times are available, so please ask our receptionist if you require some extra time or have several problems to discuss.

Existing patients can book face-to-face appointments online using the Health Engine Book Now button on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thecentreclinic/. We ask all new patients to call reception to book their initial appointment.

Under Medicare guidelines the clinic can offer bulk billed face-to-face, telehealth (phone) and video consultations to Medicare eligible patients under specific conditions. To book telehealth and video conference appointments, please call reception on (03) 9525 5866 to check your eligibility.

If you require an interpreter service (a language other than English or services for hearing impaired patients) this can also be organised - please advise us at the time of booking.

Phone Calls

If you wish to discuss a matter by phone with your doctor, our reception staff will either refer your call directly to your doctor or will record a brief written message to be forwarded to your doctor. Your doctor will prioritise these messages and return your call as soon as possible.

Follow up of results

The Centre Clinic has a policy and procedure in place for the timely review and reporting of all pathology results. Our preference is that you see your GP for results rather than by telephone. We do not give HIV test results by phone.

After Hours

If you have an urgent medical problem after hours, please call our locum service Doctor Doctor on 132 660. Please mention that you are a patient of The Centre Clinic and the name of your doctor. There may be a charge for this service, please ask when booking.

www.doctordoctor.com.au

Home Visits

Home visits are available only by arrangement directly with your treating doctor and are at their discretion.

The Centre Clinic has a protocol indicating under what circumstances a home visit may take place. This protocol is strictly adhered to. Please ask your doctor if you require further details.

If you have any concerns regarding your care at Centre Clinic please speak with the Clinical Services Manager. If you prefer, you can contact the Health Complaints Commissioner. Their details can be found at https://hcc.vic.gov.au

Thorne Harbour Health values feedback from clients or carers, including complaints, compliments and suggestions, which we use to improve our services. To provide feedback, complete the Online Feedback and Complaints Form. Alternatively, you can download the Thorne Harbour Health Feedback and Complaints Form and return it to the relevant Thorne Harbour Health location either via post, in person or via email to enquiries@thorneharbour.org. You may also provide feedback by sending us a message using the online contact form.

Being accredited means that our general practice is committed to a comprehensive program which involves:

• Engaging our whole practice team to review our practice’s systems and processes
• Opening our practice doors to allow a team of independent surveyors to assess how our practice operates
• Assessment of our practice, and achievement of the nationally recognised Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Standards for general practices, that focus on health care quality and patient safety.

As a member of the community you may be surprised to learn that general practice accreditation is a voluntary process – which means not all practices undergo an independent on-site assessment on a regular basis.

Achievement of AGPAL accreditation reassures you that our doctors and practice team are committed to providing you with high quality health care in a safe environment.