Patient Rights and Responsibilities
Good general practice is a partnership. This page sets out what you can expect from everyone at The Village Medical Practice, what we ask of you in return, and what to do if something is not right.
Your rights
As a patient of The Village Medical Practice, you have the right to:
Safe, respectful care. To be treated with dignity and courtesy by every member of our team, and to receive safe, high-quality care that is built around you rather than around our convenience.
Care without discrimination. To receive care regardless of your age, sex, gender identity, sexuality, disability, cultural or linguistic background, religion, beliefs or health condition.
Information you can understand. To have your health, your options, the likely benefits and risks, and the expected cost explained in plain language, and to be given the time to ask questions until you are satisfied with the answers.
A say in your own care. To be involved in every decision about your health, to give or withhold consent to any examination, treatment or procedure, and to change your mind.
Help with language. To have a professional interpreter arranged at no cost to you through TIS National (131 450). Please tell reception when you book so we can organise it.
Privacy and confidentiality. To have your personal and health information collected, stored and shared in line with the Privacy Act 1988 and our Privacy Policy, and to be able to discuss sensitive matters in private.
Access to your health information. To ask for access to the health record we hold about you, and to ask us to correct it if something is wrong. Requests are made in writing; our Privacy Policy explains how.
A choice of practitioner, and a second opinion. To ask to see a different clinician at the practice, to seek a second opinion elsewhere, and to have your records transferred to another practice if you move on.
To know who else is in the room. We are a teaching practice, and medical students and GP registrars learn with us. You will always be asked beforehand, and you are free to say no without it affecting your care in any way.
Services you can get to. If you have a disability, an impairment, or any other access or communication need, please tell us so we can work out with you how to make your care accessible.
An honest account when something goes wrong. If something in your care does not go as it should, you have the right to be told, to receive an apology, and to know what we are doing to put it right and to stop it happening again.
To speak up. To give feedback, raise a concern or make a complaint, without it affecting the care you receive.
Your responsibilities
To help us care for you well, we ask that you:
Tell us the whole picture. Give us accurate information about your health, your medicines, your allergies and your history, and let us know when your contact details, Medicare card or circumstances change.
Ask when something is unclear. If you do not understand an explanation, an instruction or a plan, please say so. It is our job to explain it differently.
Take part in decisions. If you do not intend to follow an agreed plan, tell us rather than leaving it. We would far rather find a different approach that you will actually use.
Treat our team and other patients with respect. Aggressive, abusive, discriminatory or threatening behaviour, whether in person, by telephone, by email or online, is not accepted here, and may end your relationship with the practice.
Keep your appointments. Arrive on time, and give us as much notice as you can if you cannot attend, so the appointment can be offered to someone else. If you have several problems to discuss, or need a procedure, please ask for a longer appointment when you book.
Understand the cost of your care. We are a private billing practice. Our fees are published on our website and reception will tell you what your appointment will cost before you see the doctor, so please ask if you are unsure.
Follow through. Attend for the tests, referrals, reviews and recalls you have agreed to, and contact us if you have not heard about a result you were expecting.
Respect everyone's privacy. Confidentiality applies to other patients too, including anything you see or overhear in our waiting room.
Use the right channel in an emergency. Email, SMS and online booking are never monitored continuously. In an emergency, call 000.
Our commitment to you
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which our practice stands, and we are committed to providing culturally safe care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and for people of every cultural, linguistic, religious and social background.
We recognise that everybody arrives with their own circumstances, beliefs and priorities. Tell us what matters to you, and we will do our best to work with it.
If something is not right
Please tell us first. Most concerns are resolved quickly and easily once we know about them, and nothing you raise will be held against you.
Speak to us. Raise it with your doctor, your nurse or a member of the reception team while you are here, or telephone us on (08) 6285 0999.
Or put it in writing. Write to the Business Operations Manager at hello@village-medical.com.au, or at The Village Medical Practice, 35 Wright Road, Harrisdale WA 6112.
We will acknowledge your complaint within five working days, keep you informed while we look into it, and give you a full response within 30 days. Complaints are recorded in our complaints register and reviewed by the practice leadership, because they are one of the more reliable ways we find out what needs to improve.
Taking it further
You may go to an outside body at any stage, including instead of coming to us. Doing so will not affect your care.
Health and Disability Services Complaints Office (HaDSCO). The independent Western Australian office for complaints about health, mental health and disability services. Telephone (08) 6551 7600, or 1800 813 583 free of charge from a regional landline. Email mail@hadsco.wa.gov.au, or write to PO Box B61, Perth WA 6838. Further information at hadsco.wa.gov.au.
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra). For concerns about the conduct, health or performance of an individual registered health practitioner. Telephone 1300 419 495, or raise a concern at ahpra.gov.au.
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). For privacy concerns, once you have given us the chance to respond. Telephone 1300 363 992, or see oaic.gov.au.
Version 2.0. Approved 11-09-2026. Next review September 2027.