As an after hours doctor service, our doctors visit patients at home to provide you or your family member with the best medical care. Our service gives priority to patients under the age of 5 years and those with urgent medical conditions. To book a doctor’s home visit, call 1300 Dr To Me (1300 37 86 63) and speak to our friendly triage team. When you book an appointment with us, our triage team will assess the nature of your medical illness and allocate a doctor’s home visit. At the conclusion of your call, our team will also advise you of a timeframe for when the doctor is likely able to visit.
What is an acceptable wait time for your doctor?
Our home doctor teams strive to provide appropriate and timely medical care to our patients. In almost all circumstances, our after hours doctors will visit you within the time allocated and advised by our triage team. This timeframe is determined by multiple factors and is also based on locality, availability, and patient demand in your service area. For urgent medical conditions, and for patients under 5 years of age, our after hours doctors will visit within 2 hours of the call being made (given that we service your area). For non-urgent medical conditions, our doctors will usually visit within 3 hours of the call being made. These timeframes are generalised and can change on a day-to-day basis.
Why do home visit doctors run late?
Home visiting doctors can sometimes be late for your appointment at the advised time. This may be due to, but not limited to, delays with previous patient appointments, urgent emergency attendance, access/road traffic congestion, or higher than expected demand for home visits. In all such circumstances, our triage team will communicate with you ahead of time to discuss the change in time frame and reassess your medical condition. If your medical condition has changed/worsened during the waiting period, please speak with our triage team and we will assess the best course of action for you.
What can you do if your home visit doctor is running late?
If your after hours doctor is late for your appointment, and the adjusted time frame does not suit you, you may choose one of the following options;
- Contact another Home Doctor service.
- Call HealthDirect on 1800 022 222.
- Visit the Emergency Department.
We strive to provide an equitable and accessible service to the community. Should you need a doctor home visit, when your regular GP is not available, call 1300 Dr To Me – After Hours Home Doctor Service for a home visit appointment.
