General practice and preventive care.
Prevention is the quiet part of general practice, and often the most valuable. A health assessment at the right age can pick up a risk before it's a problem, a screening test can catch a cancer early, and a routine check can be the moment something otherwise unnoticed comes up. Available across all three SMSG centres.
The quiet part of care.
Structured health assessments look at your risk profile across body systems and lifestyle factors. Medicare funds specific assessments at particular life stages: the 45 to 49 lifestyle risk assessment, the 75 and older health assessment, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health check, available annually at any age.
Alongside those, national screening programs run in the background. The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program posts free at-home kits every two years to Australians aged 50 to 74. The National Cervical Screening Program invites women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 74 for a test every five years. The National Lung Cancer Screening Program offers a low-dose CT scan every two years to adults aged 50 to 70 with a significant smoking history. Cancers detected through these programs at their earliest stage carry markedly better outcomes, which is a large payoff for a small piece of admin. Your GP receives the result and follows up if further investigation is needed.
Assessments, screening, and routine review.
Structured, not scripted.
Health assessments run on a longer appointment format, because there's a set of questions and checks to work through. Your GP walks through cardiovascular risk, diabetes risk, cancer screening status, lifestyle factors, mental health, function, cognition, medications, and social circumstances. Nothing is rushed; the assessment's value is in what surfaces.
Screening programs sit on their own cycles. Cervical screening happens in the consult room, typically every five years. The bowel cancer kit arrives in the post, you complete it at home, and the result comes back to your GP. Lung cancer screening involves a low-dose CT scan on a two-yearly cycle for eligible patients with a significant smoking history. If any screen returns a positive or abnormal result it doesn't mean cancer; it means further investigation is warranted, often through a specialist at Excelsia Specialists Centre (gastroenterology for a colonoscopy, respiratory medicine for a lung follow-up, nephrology, or another discipline depending on the finding). Your GP walks you through the next step and coordinates the referral.
Men's and women's health checks are structured around what tends to come up at each life stage. Some concerns come up more readily when there's a dedicated appointment to raise them, rather than a five-minute add-on at the end of something else. For women looking for specific women's health focus, Aurora Women & Babies Health at SMSG offers dedicated women's health care.
Across all three centres.
Preventive care is available with any SMSG GP at any of our three centres. Saturday appointments at Earlwood can help if weekdays are difficult.
Confirmed at booking.
Preventive care appointments are billed according to the length and complexity of the consultation. Some Medicare-funded health assessments (the 45 to 49 lifestyle risk assessment, the 75+ health assessment, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health check) are bulk-billed for eligible patients.
Longer appointments and complex reviews may attract a private fee with a Medicare rebate. Reception confirms specific fee arrangements at booking.
Common questions.
Do I need a referral for a preventive check?
No. Preventive care with your GP doesn't require a referral.
Am I eligible for the 45 to 49 health assessment?
The assessment is for adults aged 45 to 49 with at least one chronic disease risk factor. Common risk factors include family history of chronic disease, lifestyle factors, and existing conditions. Ask reception or your GP to check eligibility.
What if I'm outside the standard screening age?
Discuss with your GP. Age-based screening programs are population defaults. Individual risk (family history, previous polyps, symptoms) may warrant different arrangements.
Can I have a general check-up if I'm not due for a specific assessment?
Yes. Book with your GP and describe what you're looking for. A general review can be structured around your specific concerns.
