ABOUT US

Our Vision

We aim to provide wholistic quality health care for you, your family and the community.

Our doctors aim to practise according to the Hippocratic Oath:

“I solemnly promise to practise the art of Medicine with due care and with conduct becoming a physician. In the exercise of my profession I will ever have in mind the care of the sick and the well-being of the healthy. In furtherance of these ends I will use all my knowledge and will strive to perfect our judgement. I will, furthermore, keep silence on any matters I may witness or hear in the course of my professional work which it would be improper for me to divulge” – A Declaration of Professional Dedication, University of Western Australia.

What is General Practice?
General practice is that component of the health care system which provides initial, continuing, comprehensive and co-coordinated medical care for all individuals, families and communities and which integrates current biomedical, psychological and social understandings of health. It is a highly personalized type of care.

General Practitioner (a.k.a. GPs or Family Physicians/Doctors) is a medical practitioner with recognized generalist training, experience and skills, who provides and co-ordinates comprehensive medical care for individuals, families and communities. In Australia since 1996, all doctors require another 3-4 years of post-graduate “General Practice” training after their basic medical degree (Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery – M.B.B.S.) and internship year.

In managing the patient, the GP may make appropriate referral to other doctors, health care professionals and community services. General practice is the point of first contact for the majority of people seeking health care. In the provision of primary care, much ill-defined illness is seen; the GP often deals with problem complexes (i.e. group of vague complaints) rather than with established diagnoses or diseases. The practitioner must be able to make a total assessment of the person’s condition without subjecting the person to unnecessary investigations, procedure and treatment.

The Practice
Our young and vibrant practice is opened since April 2006. It has two consultation rooms and one treatment room. We have a nurse assisting our doctors every day to reduce patient waiting time and doctors stress level!

We are very proud to have passed rigorous examinations of our practice and achieved FULL accreditation status by the Australian General Practices Accreditation Limited (AGPAL). Not all practices are accredited as it is NOT compulsory. The standard criteria which we must meet for full accreditation are set by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP).

Our doctors are local graduates of the University of Western Australia and both are working full-time so they are readily accessible when you need them.

Our practice is proudly owned and operated by our doctors.

Bedford Family Practice aims to provide continuity of care and high quality family medical services to the Bedford and surrounding community by constantly revising our method to achieve the best outcome for our patients without compromising quality.

The Doctors
Dr Son Nguyen MBBS (UWA), FRACGP
Graduated from the University of WA with Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery – M.B.B.S (UWA), 1997.
And is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners– F.R.A.C.G.P.

He has hospital experience at Royal Perth in Emergency Medicine, Geriatrics, General Surgery, Intensive Care, Orthopaedic, Paediatrics (Princess Margaret), Rehabilitation, Rheumatology and Obstetrics/Gynaecology.

He has special interests in Accident & Emergency, Child & Adolescent Health, Preventive Medicine, Skin Cancer Management & Minor Procedures, Chronic Disease Management (especially Diabetes), Mental Health & Counselling, and Weight Management.

He is also fluent in Vietnamese.

Dr Minh Nguyen MBBS (UWA), DCH, FRACGP
Graduated from the University of WA with Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery – M.B.B.S (UWA), 1999.
And is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners– F.R.A.C.G.P.
He has a post-graduate Diploma in Child Health (DCH) from UWA.

He has hospital experience at Royal Perth in Emergency Medicine, Geriatrics, Urology, General Surgery, Intensive Care, Orthopaedic, Palliative Care, Paediatrics (Princess Margaret & Edinburgh) and Obstetrics/Gynaecology.

He is interested in all aspects of Family Medicine but has special interests in Accident & Emergency, Child & Adolescent Health, Preventive Medicine, Palliative Care, Dermatology, Minor Surgery, Sports Medicine and Men's Health as well as Occupational Health & Travel Medicine.

He is also fluent in Vietnamese

The Staff
Practice Manager
Mimi

Practice Nurse
Anne
Cindy
Wendy


Medical Receptionist
Tara

Privacy & Confidentiality
In the interests of providing quality health care this practice has developed a privacy policy that complies with the privacy legislation and the National Privacy Principals (NPPs). Please ask our staff if you wish to see a copy of our privacy policy. To assist us in maintaining accurate records please notify staff of any changes to your details as soon as possible. If any information we hold is thought to be incorrect please draw our attention to the error and we will amend accordingly. Your medical record is a confidential document – it is practice policy to maintain security of personal health information at all times and to ensure that this is available only to authorized members of staff.

Appointments Phone 9271 4000

A standard consultation averages 10-15minutes

Whilst our staff will endeavour to accommodate your preferred time and requested doctor, this may not always be possible and alternatives may be offered.

Our practice aims to see patient as close to their appointment as possible. Doctors try to avoid “running late” since we value your time. Unfortunately, unexpected emergencies may delay the doctors. If there is prolonged delay we will attempt to inform you and we thank you for your patience.

You can help us run on time by:
- Always arrive at your appointment time
- Book longer appointments for multiple or complex problems or for multiple family members.
- Cancel your appointment if it is no longer required preferably within 12hrs of appointment time
- Advise if you require an interpreter service to be organized.


Interpreter Services
If you require an interpreter in your language at the time of consultation please inform our reception staff when you make the booking. This is provided FREE in most cases by Translating and Interpreting Services (TIS) 1300 131 450.

For the Deaf and Hearing Impaired who require the use of sign language please call AUSLAN on 1800 24 69 45 for FREE service. www.nabs.org.au

Due to risk of misinterpretation we do not encourage the use of children, relatives or friends as interpreters for sensitive and complicated medical situations.

Cancellation
If you are unable to attend your appointment, we would appreciate a courtesy phone call to cancel as early as possible. This may help another patient who requires an appointment. For business reasons, any patients who fail to attend appointments, without reasonable notice of cancellation (at least 12hours) may incur a non-medicare rebate able fee of $20. We thank you for your consideration.

Repeat Scripts
For your safety, a consultation is usually required for issuing repeat prescriptions to review effectiveness, side-effects and drug interactions. If appropriate, prescriptions may be issued at the doctors discretion without a consultation AND will incur a fee of $8 (which is not Medicare rebate able) per script. Medical staff would appreciate at least 48hrs notice for the provision of repeat prescriptions.

Specialist Referrals
Appointment with a specialist require a current (< 12 months) referral. Due to legal requirements, referrals cannot be backdated. Specialists require all the relevant medical information. This generally requires a consultant with the GP to complete the paperwork.

Telephone & Electronic Advice
We do not conduct this as it often leads to mistakes and missing diagnosis.

Pathology & X-Ray Results
The only information given by phone regarding test results will be a relayed comment from the requesting doctor. Reception staff are not permitted to provide figures or interpretations of results. For potentially serious medical problems doctors will advise patients to make follow up appointments after Xrays/blood tests as normal results may not excluded serious illness and re-assessment may be required.

Recall / Reminder System
Our practice is committed to preventative care. We may issue you with a reminder notice from time to time offering you preventive health services appropriate for you eg immunization, pap smears, diabetes. If you do not wish to be part of this system please let us know at reception.

Home & Other Visits
Are available for regular patients who live in the immediate locality and whose medical condition prevents them from attending the surgery. A call-out fee of $50 (non-rebate able) plus consultation fee will apply. For safety reason we do not conduct after dark home visits.


Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders
Our practice welcomes all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Our doctors and staff are familiar with the Aboriginal culture, history and health, and we aim to incorporate this into our practice. Our doctors are happy to work with Aboriginal Health Workers in the delivery of comprehensive health care in Aboriginal contexts.

Quality Improvement Activities
Our practice engages in quality improvement and incorporates systems of continuous improvement. We regularly review our services, systems and processes to find opportunities and make the necessary changes to increase quality and safety for patients.

Clinical Risk Management System
Our practice has a clinical risk management system to enhance the quality and safety of our patient care.

Medical Students
Teaching Medical Students is an important part of a doctor’s duty. Our doctors may have a medical student sitting in during one of your visit. You will of course be notified before hand when there is a student present. You have the right to refuse without prejudice.

Drug Companies
The doctors at this practice do not receive any money, expensive gifts or holiday trips from any drug companies.