To schedule an appointment at Edge Hill Clinic and to be eligible for a Medicare rebate, a referral from your General Practitioner (GP) is required. 

For children and adolescents, effective assessment and treatment often involve the primary caregivers or parents. Recognising the significant role of a child's environment in their development, we find that including caregivers in the treatment process leads to the best outcomes. Therefore, we may request a referral for both the child and their parent(s) to ensure a comprehensive approach to care.

We are more than happy to discuss this further when arranging your initial appointment.

Please email referrals to our practice at reception@edgehillclinic.com.au

Please remember to bring;

• Your doctor’s referral (It is important to ensure we receive your referrals, as this enables you to claim a rebate from Medicare for part of your family’s expense for seeing our doctors and psychologists. Please be aware that we may require separate referrals for both parent / caregiver and child (under 18 years).

• Medicare / private health fund details

• If you or your child are already taking medication, it might be helpful to bring them along

• Any previous letters or correspondence (about you or your child), school reports, assessments by previous doctors or health professionals.

The first appointment usually lasts for about 45 to 60 minutes. Further information on how an individual practitioner, within the practice, structures patient appointments is available by contacting the practice directly.

When assessing and treating children, it is common for parents / primary caregivers to attend the initial appointment alone. This allows time for gathering important background history, without causing undue frustration. Therefore in order to facilitate this, we may require a valid referral for both parent / caregiver and child (under 18 years).

Subsequently, your child is seen at a second scheduled appointment, for about 45 to 60 minutes. You and your child will usually receive feedback at the end of these sessions about what the problems may be, and what might be done about them.

Certainly, if you and your child have a lot to talk about, or have a lot of questions to ask, it may help to jot them down before the first (or any subsequent) appointments and bring them along.

VIOLENCE & AGRESSION POLICY

Patients are expected to respect and adhere strictly to our zero tolerance to violence and aggression policy. Hence, patients can expect to be discharged from the care of their treating clinician if they threaten or use abusive behaviour toward any member of staff.

A zero tolerance policy towards violence and aggression is expected here at Edge Hill Clinic. No member of staff should be subjected to violent, threatening and abusive behaviour. Edge Hill Clinic employees have the right to work and carry out their duties in an environment free from violence, threatening or abusive behaviour.

Medicare Safety Net means that the Government will meet 80% of out of pocket costs for all medical services (including appointments with a psychiatrist) delivered out of hospital after an individual or family has spent $2133 in out of pocket fees for all doctors services delivered out of hospital in a calendar year (or $680.70 if you are a concession card holder or family receiving family tax benefit (A)).

Therefore, this will substantially reduce you and your family’s costs of seeing a practitioner, if you and your child become involved in ongoing treatment. This refund will amount to 80% of the schedule fee after you receive your Medicare rebate, meaning that the government would reimburse you for a significant portion of the standard 30 or 45 minute appointment fee, once you and your family have met the threshold.

Medicare will automatically keep track of your progress towards this for you when you lodge your receipts from your payments.  However, to receive this benefit your family must be registered for the safety net. We strongly encourage you to do this, and a registration form can be filled in and lodged with Medicare. The form is only necessary for families, as individuals are automatically enrolled for the safety net.

If you require more information on the new safety net, please contact our receptionist or practice manager. Alternatively, you can also contact Medicare on 1800 011 163, or visit their website at humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/medicare/medicare-safety-net

We kindly ask that all script requests are emailed to reception@edgehillclinic.com.au

In addition please include;

• the name of the medication that you/ your child require

• the dosage and frequency

• when you need the script by

• which pharmacy you would like the script sent to

• any other information you would like passed on to the Psychiatrist

However it is at the doctor’s discretion to write your script, you may be required to schedule an appointment.

All script requests outside of scheduled appointments may incur a fee.

Edge Hill Clinic is located inside the Cairns Eye Surgery, with street parking available. We are a 5 minute walk from several bus-stops, which have frequent bus services to the CBD

Edge Hill Clinic offers Zoom/Telehealth consultations.

Patients in telehealth eligible areas of Australia can access specialist video consultations under Medicare, providing many patients with easier access to specialists, without the time and expense involved in travelling to major cities.

No, Edge Hill Clinic does not bill third-party insurers, funding bodies, or external programs directly. 

All appointments must be prepaid privately atleast two weeks prior to your booking.

If you are eligible for reimbursement through private insurance, government programs, or other external funding sources, you are welcome to submit a claim independently. We can provide itemised receipts to support your claim, but it is your responsibility to check your eligibility and follow the claim process with your provider.

Edge Hill Clinic is not involved in the outcome of any external claims

Due to the controlled nature of the medications prescribed, all new patients are required to complete the initial series of appointments — consisting of one 45-minute initial consultation and four follow-up reviews — in order to be eligible for medication, regardless of any prior diagnosis.

If your child is coming from Paediatric care please contact our clinic directly for more information