An introduction and background to Family Care Medical Services

1. Family Care Medical Services
QA 273 1/17.08.2012

2. Family Care Medical Services
Who is Family Care Medical Services?
Australia’s largest medical deputising service
Covering South East Queensland, North, Central, & West Sydney
Established over 37 years ago
After hours primary medical care during the defined after hours period

3. Family Care Medical Services
The Importance of an After Hours Service
The after hours period accounts for 70% of the week
Family Care Medical Services provides an important service to GP’s,
their patients and the community
35% of Family Care Medical Services attendances are residents of
aged care facilities
30% are children under 12 years
90% + are bulk billed
Doctors’ bags include complimentary medicine starter packs

4. Family Care Medical Services
Patients
The Service is ideal for
Working families
Families with young children
The frail elderly and house-bound
People with chronic illnesses or disabilities
Tourists

5. Family Care Medical Services
Access and Equity
Family Care Medical Services operates within its own service and social
charters with a commitment to access and equity. Bulk billing * is
generally available for:
• Children younger than 16 years * *
• Eligible concession card holders * *
• Members of the Family Care Friendly Society
• Residents of aged care facilities
• Around 90% of all consultations are bulk billed
• Available at no charge to HCF members with Hospital cover
* Conditions apply. * * Applicable to patients of subscribing GPs

6. Family Care Medical Services
Board of Medical Directors
• Dr Beres Wenck MB BS FRACGP (Honorary); FAMA
Principal Medical Director
• Dr Rajendra Prakash DSM Dip Sports Medicine FRACGP
Medical Director (Brisbane)
• Dr John Buckley MB BS FRACGP Dip RACOG
Continuing Professional Developing & Training Medical Director
• Dr Harry Ratnam LLMRCP & Si - Medical Director (Ipswich)
• Dr Trevor Beall MB BS - Medical Director (Sunshine Coast)
• Dr Joanna Tait MB BS - Medical Director (Surgical)

7. Family Care Medical Services
Service Model
Integrated model of domiciliary and clinic-based care
Home visiting:
Brisbane
Sunshine Coast
Ipswich
Sydney

8. Family Care Medical Services
Hours of operation
Home Visits
• Monday to Friday 6pm - 8am
• Weekends from Saturday 12am - 8am Monday
• Public holidays 24 hours
Doesn’t conflict with day-time GP practices

9. Family Care Medical Services
Continuity of Care
All episodes of care are reported
to the patient’s regular GP the
next day
Clinical notes are also recorded
in the patient’s chart for those in
residential care

10. Family Care Medical Services
Operations Room
Medical Referral Assessors categorise patients into 7 triage
categories ready for either a home visit or a clinic consultation.
Special patient information can be sent from a subscribing GP
direct to the GP in the field via the 4G Network to an on-board
Blackberry and a Panasonic ‘Toughbook’ Laptop.

11. Family Care Medical Services
Advanced Reporting Systems through Rosetta
Family Care Medical Services has advanced reporting system named
Rosetta Software.
Rosetta communicates and reports information to deputising GPs and
back to daytime GPs, nursing agencies and health workers.
Our health information software allows advanced reporting allowing
trend analysis, and reporting at granular level.
Information is only sent once patient consent has been obtained.

12. Family Care Medical Services
Complimentary medicine starter packs
Each Doctor has a medical bag and kit,
the contents of which are determined by
the Board of Medical Directors in
accordance with the RACGP standards for
General Practices (3rd Ed.)
Doctors are equipped with emergency
pharmacy supplies to provide patients
with a starter dose until prescriptions can
be filled.
Our doctors also carry a number of useful
items to ensure a wide variety of medical
conditions can be treated. These include
suture / dressing packs, catheter packs
and resuscitation bags.

13. Family Care Medical Services
Benefits to GP’s
There are 5 very good reasons to join Family Care Medical Services:
Our services allows doctors uninterrupted recreation time after
hours with family and friends.
The Family Care Medical Service meets all the after hours
Medicare PIP criteria, ensuring compliance with stringent
Medicare Australia audit requirements.
Electronic patient reports to surgeries are sent the next working
day, ensuring general practices stay up to date with any after
hours care provided to patients.

14. Family Care Medical Services
Benefits to GP’s
Having excellent after hours coverage is a crucial medical recruitment
benefit frequently demanded by female and recently graduated doctors.
Our service is already trialling medical alarms and remote health
monitoring, assisting patients to remain in the community for longer,
linking GPs, nurses and specialists with afterhours care.

15. Family Care Medical Services