Your GP takes the time to listen

Good general practice takes time. And we think it’s worth protecting.

There is a lot of talk about “free healthcare” at the moment.

Of course, healthcare is never really free — we all contribute to it through our taxes. And we deeply believe that everyone deserves access to good primary care, regardless of their ability to pay.

At Eleanor Clinic, we are a group of independent GPs who really love what good general practice can be.

Medicine built on relationships, trust and time.

The kind where your GP knows you.

Where you don’t have to start your story again every time.

Where there is time to listen, ask another question and sometimes discover that the real problem isn’t the one you first came in with.

That is hard to do in six minutes.

So we deliberately offer longer appointments — time to listen, think, explain and work out a plan together. That time is what our patients choose to contribute towards when they pay a gap fee.

And that continuity matters. There is good evidence that having a regular, trusted GP is associated with better health outcomes and less need for hospital and emergency care.

But there is something else we don’t talk about enough.

There is deep joy in being able to practise medicine well.

To know people and families over years. To celebrate when things get better. To work through complicated problems together. And sometimes simply to sit alongside someone when life is really hard.

None of our doctors can do that alone.

Our wonderful nurses and administration team are an essential part of Eleanor. They help create the warm, welcoming and inclusive place we want people to experience from the moment they contact us.

We also know that gap fees are simply not affordable for everyone. Community health services are essential, and we believe Australia needs primary care to be funded properly so everyone can access the care they need.

Good general practice takes time.

Relationships take time.

Trust takes time.

We think they are worth protecting.