Terms and Conditions | Home Doctor | 13SICK

Working with 13SICK National Home Doctor (13SICK)

13SICK confirms the following:

  • When 13SICK attends your patients, a timely electronic patient report will be forwarded to your practice, to enhance continuity of patient care by you, the patients regular GP.
  • 13SICK provides 24 hour, 7 day a week telephone access to our accredited Medical Deputising Service for the Principal General Practitioners listed.
  • 13SICK maintains an up to date special patient reporting system that enables the Principal General Practitioner to instruct the after hours doctors about relevant clinical or other health information. The system operates 24 hours per day including during weekends and public holidays.
  • All 13SICK Deputising General Practitioners are required to be registered with the relevant State Medical Board and to maintain up to date medical indemnity insurance.
  • 13SICK has a quality system that is accredited by AGPAL. 13SICK also meets the definition of a Medical Deputising Service and upholds The Department of Health guidelines for deputising in the after-hours.
  • Practice patients have access to after-hours primary medical care services through doctors home visits and telehealth during the whole of the Commonwealth defined after-hours period (Monday to Friday from 6 pm to 8 am every day, Saturdays from midday, all day Sunday and all day on gazetted public holidays). Additionally, GP Principles and patients have telephone access to the accredited Medical Deputising Service 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
  • 13SICK maintains all patient reports from patients cared for after-hours from the practice for the designated and legislated periods. Access to these records is governed by the Commonwealth Privacy Act.
  • Independent medical practitioners practicing for 13SICK will continue to be appropriately qualified, trained, registered and in good standing with all applicable regulatory agencies including the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency.
  • 13SICK will maintain public liability insurance for an amount not less than twenty million dollars ($20,000,000.00) per claim with a recognised insurance company that is licensed by Australian Law. Independent medical practitioners practicing for National Home Doctor who provide Medical Deputising Services to this subscribing general practice, will maintain medical indemnity insurance on an occurrence basis for an amount not less than ten million dollars ($10,000,000.00) per claim with a recognised insurance company that is licensed by Australian law.

Collaboration and after hours access

  • 13SICK and general practice work together to provide patient care outside normal opening hours and to demonstrate compliance with the RACGP Standards for General Practice. The standards place obligations on both 13SICK and general practitioners to ensure that in exceptional circumstances there are reliable mechanism for communication after hours between locum doctors and Principal GP’s.
  • For non urgent results, pathology services will be advised to ring your practice in the morning. If you are expecting urgent results after hours, we recommend you provide your direct contact number when completing the order for test. In the case of ‘abnormal or life-threatening results’ received by 13SICK after-hours we will endeavour to contact you.
  • 13SICK will supply a patient information material so that you can keep your patients informed about the after-hours arrangements you have in place with our service. This will provide a material example of how your practice meets the RACGP Standards for General Practice with regards to after-hours care.
  • Encouraging your patients to contact 13SICK if they need medical care when you are not available not only complements the service you provide and promotes continuity of care but also prevents inappropriate presentations to emergency departments.
  • 13SICK provides comprehensive reports which are downloaded to your clinical software package via broadband and encrypted software to offer the highest security and privacy assurance. There is no charge for this service.
  • 13SICK practitioners carry a fully stocked doctor’s bag including emergency drugs and starter packs if needed. Doctors can suture wounds, change indwelling catheters or PEG tubes, change dressings, admit patients to hospital and certify expected deaths.   

Support examples (Fees/conditions may apply)

  • Documentation in support of PIP claims to the Commonwealth and accreditation bodies will be provided.
  • To ensure continuity of care National Home Doctor provides a Special Management Patient Pro-forma to encourage instructions regarding special management patients such as early discharge, palliative care, chronic pain, substance abuse.
  • You can divert your phones to our call centre during the day if you want to close early. Simply advise us of your intention to close your phone lines for a specific time period.

Quality assurance features

  • 13SICK is committed to better practice in the provision of primary after-hours medical care and works collaboratively with general practice, the RACGP, the Department of Health and Ageing, the AMA, and Divisions of General Practice and local PHNs to achieve this objective.
  • 13SICK is fully accredited to the AGPAL Standards for after-hours and medical deputising services.
  • 13SICK is recognised by the RACGP as an Accredited CPD provider.
  • 13SICK workforce comprises vocationally registered doctors, long-term career locums, and doctors in training programs with appropriate qualifications. All doctors have full medical registration, the appropriate medical defence and are fully inducted to ensure compliance with your instructions and RACGP Standards.
  • A team of Medical Directors, general practitioners with hands on medical deputising experience, is integrally involved with supervision of after-hour’s doctors, the development of CPD activities and GP liaison. 
  • 13SICK after-hours practitioners receive detailed information prior to attending the patient.
  • Purpose built software and a fully computerised control room guarantees absolute flexibility and ensures an after-hours service that is tailored to meet the specific needs of your practice.
  • Operators are fully trained and participate in ongoing education and quality assurance checks.
  • All calls are screened to ensure that every patient receives the most appropriate and timely medical care. Our operators are ready to take the calls for after-hours home visits Mon-Fri from 6.00pm. Sat 12.00pm until Monday 8.00am. Public holidays all day.
  • 13SICK has a strict narcotics policy, compliant with the Drugs and Poisons and Controlled substances Act 1981, and based on a responsible risk management approach. Patient pain management plans are developed in line with your instructions.
  • 13SICK welcomes feedback of any kind; please do not hesitate to contact your local representative in your nearest metropolitan city. All clinical feedback is referred to the Medical Directors.