All Medicare-eligible consultations are bulk billed for patients with a valid Medicare card. Some items, including privately purchased vaccines and consumables, attract a fee.
Dr Kaliane Silva FraifeGeneral PractitionerBook with Dr Mehrnaz
Dr Mehrnaz SametGeneral PractitionerBook with Dr Marie
Dr Marie ShiehGeneral PractitionerBook with Dr Somaya
Dr Somaya ElsheikhGeneral PractitionerBook with Dr Edah
Dr Edah V ObligadoGeneral PractitionerBook with Dr Mustafa
Dr Mustafa Al-QaysiGeneral PractitionerBook with Dr Ali
Dr Ali ZubaidyGeneral PractitionerBook with Dr Marat
Dr Marat AbdulaevGeneral PractitionerBook with Dr Ishaq
Dr Ishaq (Isaac) SaqebGeneral PractitionerBook with Dr Karim
Dr Karim MohamedGeneral PractitionerBook with Dr Arun
Dr Arun SharmaGeneral PractitionerBook with Dr Earl
Dr Earl PasayDoctorDr Ali ZubaidyGeneral PractitionerBook with Dr MaratDr Marat AbdulaevGeneral PractitionerBook with Dr IshaqDr Ishaq (Isaac) SaqebGeneral PractitionerBook with Dr KarimDr Karim MohamedGeneral PractitionerBook with Dr ArunDr Arun SharmaGeneral PractitionerBook with Dr EarlDr Earl PasayDoctorMost of what makes a consultation useful happens before you sit down. Tap each one.
Four things worth doing first
You don't have to explain anything private to reception, but even a word or two — "a few things", "a skin spot", "a form" — lets them book the right amount of time. It is the difference between leaving satisfied and being asked to come back.
“I'd like to book about a few different things.”People routinely remember the thing they were most worried about as they are standing up to leave. A note on your phone fixes that, and it lets your GP plan the time rather than discovering the list at the end.
“I've got a few things on a list.”Bring everything you take, including the ones from the pharmacy shelf, the vitamins, and anything a specialist started. Interactions are real and they are much easier to spot from the packets than from memory.
“I've brought all my medications with me.”What you have taken, for how long, what helped a little, what did nothing. This is genuinely useful clinical information, and it stops the appointment ending with advice you worked through a month ago.
“Here's what I've already tried.”Open any of these for what it involves. There is no such thing as too small — small things found early are the whole point of having a GP.
A new problem
What happens Your GP asks what you have noticed and when it started, examines whatever needs examining, and either explains what it is or orders the test that will say. Most visits end with an answer; some end with a plan for getting one.
A cough that has outstayed its welcome, a pain that has changed, a rash, a lump, a run of headaches, dizziness, something that just feels off. This is the everyday work of general practice and there is no threshold you have to clear before it is worth an appointment.
If it turns out to need a test, a scan or a specialist, that gets arranged in the same visit. You should leave knowing what happens next and roughly when.
Ongoing care
What happens A regular appointment to see how a long-term condition is tracking — blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, thyroid, cholesterol, arthritis. Numbers get checked, medication gets adjusted, and the plan changes as you do.
Continuity is the part of general practice that quietly does the most work. A GP who saw you two years ago notices the drift that a stranger reading a file cannot.
If you are managing more than one condition, a care plan may be worth setting up — it brings in Medicare-subsidised allied health and puts a review schedule around everything.
Results
What happens A booked appointment where your GP goes through what a blood test, scan or biopsy actually showed, what it means for you, and what if anything happens next.
Results are discussed in an appointment rather than over the counter. That is not administrative awkwardness — a number without context is either meaningless or frightening, and often both.
Anything urgent is phoned through to you straight away. You don't have to wait for the appointment to hear about something that cannot wait.
Medication
What happens A short appointment where your GP checks that what you are taking is still right, still working and still safe together, then sends the script to your phone.
Repeats are a review rather than a rubber stamp. Doses drift, kidneys change, new medicines get added by specialists who do not always see the whole list.
Electronic prescriptions arrive as a token on your phone that you show at any pharmacy. Paper is still available if you prefer it.
Mental health
What happens A longer appointment where there is room to say what is actually going on. Your GP listens, works out what would help, and where it fits, writes a Mental Health Treatment Plan that gives you subsidised psychology sessions.
If you are in crisis right now, don't wait for an appointment. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 000 if you are in immediate danger.
Sleep, mood, anxiety, grief, stress that has stopped being temporary, drinking that has crept up. A GP is a reasonable first place for any of it, and often the easiest door to get through.
Ask for a long appointment when you book. Fifteen minutes is not enough and you should not have to raise something difficult with one eye on the clock.
Prevention
What happens A visit made when nothing is wrong: blood pressure, weight, cholesterol, diabetes risk, cancer screening you are due for, vaccinations, and a conversation about what is worth doing at your age.
Most of what shortens lives in Australia is found on a quiet Tuesday in a GP room, by someone who was not feeling unwell at the time.
What is worth checking depends on your age, your family history and your own risks. Your GP works out which national screening programs you are due for and what else is worth doing.
This is the single most common reason a visit feels rushed, and it is entirely fixable at the moment you book. Tap a card.
About fifteen minutes. Right for one problem, dealt with properly.
Double the time. Ask for one when there is more than one thing, or one big thing.
Bulk billed for patients with a valid Medicare card on weekdays. Weekend arrangements differ — please check with reception.
Nothing here is a surprise, but knowing the shape of it helps if it has been a while. Tap any card.
Online through HotDoc, or ring reception. Say roughly what it is about so the right length gets booked, and mention if you would rather see a particular doctor.
Flip backBring your Medicare card, any concession card, and your medications. Let reception know if you are in pain or unwell while you wait — they will tell the doctor.
Flip backYour GP asks what brought you in and then mostly listens. Start with the thing you are most worried about rather than working up to it.
Flip backWhatever is relevant — blood pressure, listening to your chest, looking at the sore spot. You can ask for a chaperone at any point, for any examination.
Flip backSometimes the answer is clear in the room. Sometimes it needs a blood test, a scan or a second appointment to see how it behaves over a fortnight.
Flip backWhat your GP thinks it is, what to do about it, and what should make you come back sooner. Ask for it written down if there is a lot.
Flip backWritten during the appointment. Electronic scripts go to your phone; referrals are valid twelve months for a new specialist.
Flip backResults come back to the clinic and you will be contacted about anything that needs action. Urgent results are phoned through straight away.
Flip backTap whatever applies and print the list to bring with you. It is the difference between remembering three things and remembering one.
Everyday appointments are what all of our doctors do. Filter by who you would rather see, or book with whoever is free soonest.
Our GPs hold general registration with AHPRA. Areas listed are special interests within general practice rather than recognised specialist registration. Every one of our doctors provides this. If the GP you usually see is booked, any of the others can help — your records are shared across the practice, so nobody is starting from scratch.
Pick your situation and what you're coming in for. We'll show you what to expect before you book.
What are you coming in for?
Figures shown are what you pay at the clinic for the appointment itself. Medicines, devices, imaging and specialist fees are set elsewhere. Reception will always confirm the cost with you before anything goes ahead.
Yes, on weekdays, for patients with a valid Medicare card — standard and long appointments alike. Weekend arrangements differ, so please check with reception when you book. Some items, such as privately purchased vaccines, consumables and assessments requested by a third party, attract a fee, and reception will always tell you beforehand.
Yes, and it is worth it. Book with them by name and, if their next opening is a while away, ask reception to let you know about cancellations. For anything urgent, any of our doctors can see you — your records are shared across the practice.
Routine appointments are usually available within a few days. If something has come up that cannot wait until next week, ring when the phones open and ask about same-day appointments.
Ask for a long appointment when you book. It costs you nothing extra, and it is much better than trying to fit three problems into fifteen minutes or being asked to come back for the rest.
No. You can book directly, and you don't need to be an existing patient.
Yes — a partner, a friend, an adult child, an interpreter. Two people hear more than one, and you are entitled to a chaperone for any examination.
Your Medicare card, any concession or DVA card, your medications in their original packaging, and a list of what you want to cover. If you have seen a specialist recently, bring their letter.
In some circumstances. Telehealth suits results, scripts and follow-ups; it doesn't suit anything that needs examining. Medicare has eligibility rules about existing patients, so ask reception whether your situation qualifies.
Your GP writes the referral during the appointment. A referral to a new specialist is valid twelve months; one back to a specialist you already see runs longer. The specialist sets their own fee, which their rooms will tell you.
Yes. You can book online through HotDoc or ring the practice on (02) 4008 4400.
If you have been putting something off because it seemed too small to bother a doctor with, that is exactly the sort of thing general practice is for.
Salamander Bay Doctors is a general practice with twelve doctors, offering standard and long GP appointments for adults and children. Consultations are bulk billed on weekdays for patients with a valid Medicare card, and you can choose which doctor you see.
The clinic is inside Salamander Bay Shopping Centre at Shop 5, 2 Town Centre Circuit, with free parking, and is a short drive from Nelson Bay, Corlette, Soldiers Point, Anna Bay, Shoal Bay, Fingal Bay and Medowie.
Book online with HotDoc at any hour, or call (02) 4008 4400.
From the health journal
