Changing your GP in George
Changing GP practices feels like a project. It is not. Three things move with you: your records, your chronic medication and, on some schemes, your GP nomination. All three are five-minute tasks, and we walk you through each one.
Only three things move with you
Whether you are new to George or changing practices within town, the mechanics are identical. Nothing needs to be finished before your first visit: you can book today, be seen, and sort the rest out afterwards at your own pace.
- Your medical records: a copy or summary from your previous practice, requested at your convenience, not before your first visit.
- Your chronic medication: your repeat script carries on, reviewed and re-issued after a first consultation, with authorisations re-registered where your scheme needs it.
- Your GP nomination: on schemes that use one, you update your nominated GP with the scheme itself, and reception guides you through it.
Each one is explained below. Registration itself, what to bring, the POPIA form and what the first consultation looks like, is covered on our new patients page.
New to George? Your cover came with you
Medical aid in South Africa is national. Moving to the Garden Route changes nothing about your membership, your benefits or your chronic authorisations. The only piece with a local address on it is your nominated GP, if your plan uses one, and updating that is a phone call or a few taps in your scheme's app.
Most families register everyone at one practice in the same week they unpack. Dr Ethan Chellan and Dr Claudia Lakay, both MBChB (Stellenbosch University), see patients of all ages; Dr Chellan holds a Diploma in Child Health (CMSA), and Dr Lakay is available for anyone who prefers a female GP. We are at Prince Vintcent Square on Gloucester Avenue, George Central.
1. Your medical records
You do not need your records before your first visit, and nothing has to be transferred in advance. Ask your previous practice for a copy or a summary of your file at your convenience; they are required to provide it to you. A printed summary, an emailed PDF or a folder of original results all work equally well.
What helps most at a first consultation: a list of your current medication or the packaging itself, your most recent blood results, and any specialist letters you have at home. Bring what you have and we take it from there; your new file is built at the first visit and grows from your own history.
Full what-to-bring checklist2. Your chronic medication
Your repeat medication does not stop because you changed practices. Bring your current script, the packaging and recent results to a first consultation; your doctor reviews everything before changing anything, and re-issues the script at that visit. You collect from a pharmacy of your choice as before.
Where your scheme runs a chronic medicine programme, the registration usually needs to reflect your new GP. That is paperwork we handle with you at the visit, and each scheme has its own channel. A few examples of how it works:
- GEMS: we register your condition on the GEMS Chronic Medicine Management programme (0800 00 4367, option 4, or chronicdsp@gems.gov.za), which moves chronic medication to a separate benefit that protects your day-to-day cover.
- POLMED: we call POLMED on 0860 104 111 to register the condition, and POLMED still funds your medicine from the acute benefit for up to four months while registration is finalised.
- Bestmed: your doctor completes and signs the chronic medicine application form, emailed with supporting documentation to medicine@bestmed.co.za; Bestmed processes it in 3 to 5 working days, and cover starts from the date the complete application is received, not backdated.
- Bankmed: Basic and Essential Plan applications go to chronicbasicessential@bankmed.co.za, a different address from chronic@bankmed.co.za used by the other plans; we route it correctly either way.
Your scheme's own page in our medical aid guide covers its chronic process in detail.
3. Your GP nomination
Several schemes pay GP visits in full only when you see the GP you have nominated with them. If your plan uses a nomination, changing practices means updating it, and this is the one step only you can do: the scheme takes the instruction from its member, not from the practice. Reception will show you exactly where to do it and what to quote, but the call or the app taps are yours.
- Discovery Health: every plan asks you to nominate a Primary Care network GP to be covered in full for GP consultations. Nominate in the Discovery app under Get Care, or on 0860 99 88 77, for each dependant separately. Changes are not backdated and you can change up to three times per calendar year.
- GEMS: call 0800 00 4367 or use the GEMS member app or portal. Nomination applies per beneficiary, children included, and the nominated Family Practitioner can be updated every six months.
- POLMED: main members nominate two GPs, a primary and a secondary, and each dependant nominates one, via the POLMED member app or call centre. Many families nominate Dr Chellan as primary and Dr Lakay as secondary in a single call.
- Fedhealth: nominate per beneficiary in the member portal or app. Search for Drs Chellan & Lakay Inc, George, confirm, and keep the reference.
Some schemes need it only on specific plans: Bonitas Standard Select requires two nominated GPs per beneficiary, while Standard has no nomination requirement at all, and on Bankmed nomination is a Basic Plan mechanic. Whichever scheme you are on, quote our practice number, 1221566: that is how we appear in every scheme's system.
Nominate before your visit where you can. Nomination changes are not backdated, activation can take up to a month on some schemes, and an un-nominated visit may mean paying the full fee as a self-paying / cash patient. If your visit cannot wait, come anyway: reception will tell you exactly where you stand before you are seen.
What the first visit looks like
Book online or phone reception; there is no waiting list and no referral is needed. You complete a short registration and POPIA consent form at the practice, and your first consultation is a proper one, approximately 20 minutes: history, examination, a review of the medication and records you brought, and a plan.
On medical aid, the visit is billed at scheme tariff, directly to your scheme in most cases. For self-paying / cash patients, a standard 20-minute GP consultation is R600, and once you are a known patient a chronic script is R200. Reception confirms the fee before you are seen.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change my GP practice at any time?
Yes. You do not need permission from anyone, there is no notice period, and no transfer paperwork has to be completed before you can be seen. NeoHealth is taking new patients with no waiting list: book online, phone reception, or walk in during consulting hours.
Do I need my medical records before my first visit?
No. You can be seen without them. Records help, so if you can bring a summary, a recent set of results or your repeat prescription, do. Otherwise request a summary from your previous practice at your convenience; they are required to provide it to you.
How do I get my records from my previous practice?
Ask them for a copy or a summary of your file. Every practice is required to provide your records to you on request. There is no set format: a printed summary, an emailed PDF or the original results all work. Bring whatever you receive to your first visit and we take it from there.
Will my chronic medication be interrupted when I change GP?
It should not be. Bring your current repeat script, the medication packaging and any recent results to your first consultation. Your doctor reviews everything before changing anything and can re-issue your script at that visit. Where your scheme's chronic authorisation needs to reflect your new GP, we help with that paperwork as part of the consultation.
Do I need to tell my medical aid that I have changed GP?
On some schemes, yes. Discovery Health, GEMS, POLMED and Fedhealth use a nominated GP, and so do specific plans on other schemes, such as Bonitas Standard Select and the Bankmed Basic Plan. The nomination change is something you do yourself with your scheme, by phone or in its app; the practice cannot do it for you. Reception will show you the steps and give you our practice number, 1221566, to quote.
How long does a GP nomination change take?
It varies by scheme. On Discovery Health, mid-month changes activate on the 1st of the following month, you can change up to three times per calendar year, and in practice a nomination can take up to a month to reflect. GEMS allows the nominated Family Practitioner to be updated every six months. Make the change before you need us rather than on the day of your visit.
What does the first visit cost?
On medical aid, the consultation is billed at scheme tariff, and we bill more than 40 schemes directly. For self-paying / cash patients, a standard 20-minute GP consultation is R600. Once you are a known patient, a chronic script is R200. The full fee list is on our fees page and reception confirms the fee before you are seen.
We have just moved to George. Is changing GP different for us?
No. Medical aid in South Africa is national, so your cover moves with you; the only local step is updating your nominated GP if your plan uses one. Families usually register together at one practice. Dr Ethan Chellan holds a Diploma in Child Health (CMSA) for the younger members of the family, and Dr Claudia Lakay is available for patients who prefer to see a female GP.
Ready when you are
Gloucester Avenue, George Central. Parking on site.
Address
Suite 12, Prince Vintcent Square
Gloucester Avenue, George Central
Hours
Weekdays 09:00 to 17:00
Saturdays 09:00 to 13:00
Reception
044 868 0707