Patients aged 16 years or older

from the age of 16,
Your consent is needed for ongoing parental or carer involvement in your care and sharing of health information:

 

As a patient aged 16 years or more, you can continue to seek and welcome your parent's (or other carers') ongoing support and involvement in your health care and access to your health records.

You can consent to or may limit or refuse ongoing involvement and access to all or just some aspects of your care. 

We can no longer provide or discuss information about your health care with your parents unless we know that you consent to this. 

Complete our Consent To Share with Family Form

Email us to ask for this, if we have not sent it to you.

  • Without your written consent, we will not be able provide any information to your parent or carer when you are not with them.

  • we will need your written consent to allow your parent or carer to be responsible for fee payment as your Account Holder. bulk billing is not offered.

Most older adolescent patients wish and need to have their parent's continued assistance to:

  • help manage communications with our reception team about bookings, fees or other matters,

  • assist you in attending appointments in the clinic or by video,

  • assist you in paying any fees for appointments,

  • fill or collect prescriptions or organise other appointments pursuant to referrals

  • support and assist them with healthcare decision-making and care.

Your personal contact details (phone and email) are needed

Please advise if you want your personal contact phone number and email 

  • as  the primary contact -we ring or email you first; we only contact your parent if we need to resolve an issue and cannot contact you, subject to your consent.

  • as the  only contact -however, you must be readily contactable.

  • as secondary contact with your parent/s, who are to remain the primary contact.

We may need to verify your written consent.

We may need to speak with you to verify written notice of your consent or refusal of consent.

We may need to contact you directly, even when you have previously given consent for parental involvement.

You can convey or decline consent to parental involvement in several ways:

During clinic visits with your parent/s, you can show your consent by

  • permitting, verbally or with other behaviour, your parents  accompanying or assisting you

  • not taking steps to refuse their involvement or sharing of information.

  • If unsure, ask to speak privately with a manager or your doctor. They will be happy to assist and support you and your parent to accommodate your request.

  • If you do not want your parent/s involved generally in all or part of your care, during visits, it is best to notify us in writing and discuss this with your doctor.

When your parent seeks to liaise on your behalf, and you are not with them:

  • Your written consent will be required to allow us to liaise with your parent/s when you are not present.  Common situations arise when parents phone or email us on your behalf regarding appointments or medical matters.

  • After you turn 18, we will no longer liaise with or contact your parents separately from you unless this is legally permitted.

Your responsibilities for attendance and accounts.

If you require your parent's assistence to schedule and attend appointments, you must  allow this and promptly pass on any appointment details or requirements to them.

FROM THE AGE OF 16 UNTIL YOU TURN 18-responsibility for fees:

We will need your consent to have a parent as your Account Holder in most cases.

This parent will be responsible for accounts and will need to know the fees, so please ensure you have passed this information to them well in advance of your appointment.

Most often, a parent or guardian pays the fee on  behalf of an older patient and remains the Account Holder and Medicare rebate claimant for their care. 

You are also welcome to pay the full fee yourself or a parent can phone through the payment following your appointment..

Requests for special account arrangements must be discussed well in advance with the Manager, on behalf of your doctor. Your provider does not bulk bill.

Please check and be familiar with your Provider's  Fee Payment Policy (link)

Patients aged 18 or older:

You will be responsible for Fees unless exceptional circumstances require and permit the continued involvement of a parent or other carer.

From the age of 18, most patients will usually be in the process of transitioning to adult healthcare services. As a young adult, your doctor and Prosper Paediatrics staff will now only contact you. If you have exceptional reasons, you may request that we share and liaise with a parent or other carer as far as this is legally permissible and in your best interests. Where a Court Order permits, or other legal provision is in place, you may continue to rely on your parent or carer for decisionmaking regarding your health care.