Registered Nurse
Minna Tran
Nursing Graduation Certificate, University of South Australia · Cheng De Medical College
Registered nurse since 2008
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3 Year Old Medicare Healthy Kids Check in Rockingham
Thorpe Street Health in Rockingham bulk bills the Medicare Healthy Kids Check, a health and development check for 3-year-olds that starts on 1 November 2026. There is nothing to pay on the day, and you book it on HotDoc as the 3 Year Old Medicare Healthy Kids Check.
Key facts
Starts
1 Nov 2026
The start date in the Medicare factsheet
Age
3-year-olds
From the day they turn 3 until the day before they turn 4
How often
Once
Once per child, for life
Who does it
A GP
A practice nurse may help with parts of it
GP Medicare items
701-707
One code for each length of appointment. Other eligible doctors use items 224 to 227
Part of
Thriving Kids
A federal government initiative that includes supports a GP can refer a child to
Cost here
Bulk billed
At Thorpe Street Health, Medicare pays us directly, so you pay nothing on the day
Appointment here
40 minutes
20 minutes with Minna Tran, our registered nurse, then 20 minutes with a GP
The check
What is the Medicare Healthy Kids Check?
The Medicare Healthy Kids Check is a one-off health and development check for 3-year-olds, listed on the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) from 1 November 2026. The MBS is the government's list of services Medicare pays for. According to the MBS factsheet, a GP looks at your child's physical, social and emotional development, health and wellbeing.
The check is there to find children who may need extra support. The GP might keep an eye on something, arrange a referral, or ask for a further assessment. The Medicare Healthy Kids Check is part of the federal government's Thriving Kids initiative, which includes supports a GP can refer a child to.
GPs bill the Medicare Healthy Kids Check under items 701 to 707, which are the codes Medicare uses for health assessments. Each code is for a different length of appointment. Other eligible doctors use items 224 to 227.
Eligibility
Who is eligible for the Medicare Healthy Kids Check?
Children who are eligible for Medicare can have the Medicare Healthy Kids Check from the day they turn 3 until the day before they turn 4. Each child can have it once in their life.
“Patients will be eligible from the day they turn 3 years of age until the day before they turn 4 years of age.”
A guide to the 3-year-old health check for general practice
A GP or another eligible doctor carries out the check. The RACGP guide also says a practice nurse may help with the measurements and developmental checks. A practice nurse is a nurse who works in the GP clinic.
A child under 3, or aged 4 or older, can still have their development looked at in a standard GP appointment. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children can also have the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health check. Each check needs to be clinically relevant, meaning it is medically necessary for your child's care.
What we cover
What does the Medicare Healthy Kids Check include?
The Medicare Healthy Kids Check covers your child's health history: past visits, hospital stays, medicines, allergies and whether their vaccines are up to date. The GP also asks how your child is behaving and feeling, and checks how they are going against the milestones expected at their age.
The GP asks about family life, childcare or kindy, eating, activity, screen time, sleep and using the toilet. They check your child's eyes, hearing, teeth and gums. Height and weight are measured and plotted on centile charts, which compare your child with other children of the same age and sex.
The check ends with advice for you, any referrals your child needs and the offer of a written report with recommendations. If the GP is worried about eyesight or hearing, they can refer your child for a full eye test or hearing test.
Health history
Past visits and hospital stays, medicines, allergies and immunisation status, which means whether their vaccines are up to date.
Development and behaviour
How your child is behaving and feeling, and how they are going against the milestones expected at their age.
Family and daily life
Family life, childcare or kindy, eating, activity, screen time and sleep.
Toileting
Using the toilet, including wetting and bowel habits.
Eyesight and hearing
The GP checks your child's eyes and hearing. If there is a concern, they can refer your child for a full eye test or hearing test.
Teeth and gums
A look at their teeth and gums, also called oral health.
Height and weight
Measured and plotted on centile charts, which compare your child with other children of the same age and sex.
Advice, referrals and a report
Advice for you, any referrals your child needs, and the offer of a written report with recommendations.
Cost
Is the Medicare Healthy Kids Check bulk billed at Thorpe Street Health?
Yes, the Medicare Healthy Kids Check is bulk billed at Thorpe Street Health. That means Medicare pays us directly, so there is nothing for you to pay on the day.
The check takes 40 minutes. Your child sees Minna Tran, our registered nurse, for 20 minutes first, then a GP for 20 minutes. Your child needs to be eligible for Medicare, so bring the Medicare card they are listed on. If your child is due a vaccine, our team can arrange it with the check.
Our fees and billing page explains bulk billing in more detail, including the few things that sit outside Medicare.
Compared
How is the Healthy Kids Check different from a standard GP visit?
The Medicare Healthy Kids Check is a planned check of a set list of things, from health history to eyesight, hearing and growth. Your child can have it once, between turning 3 and turning 4.
A standard GP appointment is for whatever is worrying you, at any age and as often as your child needs one. Medicare calls these time-tiered attendance items, with a different code for each length of appointment. You do not need to wait for the Healthy Kids Check to raise a concern.
“Children aged under 3 years or over 4 years old who require assessment or children aged 3 years old who require more than one assessment can continue to access MBS time-tiered attendance items.”
Medicare Healthy Kids Check factsheet on MBS Online
WA Health's guide to child development at 3 to 4 years says to see your doctor or child health nurse if you are worried. The same goes if your child can no longer do things they used to do. Mention your concern when you book, so reception can allow enough time.
After the check
What happens after the Medicare Healthy Kids Check?
After the Medicare Healthy Kids Check, the GP gives you advice and offers a written report with recommendations for your child. A record of the check goes into your child's medical record.
If something needs a closer look, the GP can refer your child on. The RACGP guide mentions a paediatrician, a specialist doctor for children, and allied health supports, meaning health professionals who are not doctors or nurses. One example is a speech pathologist, who helps with talking and understanding.
The GP can also refer your child to Thriving Kids supports, which the RACGP guide says are still being rolled out. The GP can tell you at the check whether any of them suit your child. Sometimes the right step is to keep an eye on things, and that follow-up is part of our children's health care.
Vaccines
Can my child have vaccines at the Healthy Kids Check?
Yes. If your child needs a vaccine, our team can arrange it with the Medicare Healthy Kids Check. The check includes a review of your child's immunisation status, which means whether their vaccines are up to date.
There is no routine vaccine due just because a child turns 3. If your child is up to date, their next routine vaccine is at 4 years, according to the Western Australian Immunisation Schedule. WA Health also recommends a flu vaccine every year for all children from 6 months old.
If a dose was missed, our team can arrange a catch-up schedule, which is a plan to give the missed doses. Nurse appointments can be booked for scheduled vaccinations without seeing a doctor first.
Before you come
What should I bring to the Healthy Kids Check?
Bring your child's Medicare card, health record and immunisation history to the Medicare Healthy Kids Check. In WA the child health record is the purple All About Me book.
Notes help too, because the GP asks about talking, sleep, eating, toileting and behaviour. Write down anything you, or their childcare or kindy, have noticed.
Our parents' guide to 3-year-old milestones explains what most children do between 3 and 4, and the signs worth raising with a GP.
Booking
How do I book a Healthy Kids Check in Rockingham?
Book online on HotDoc and choose the 3 Year Old Medicare Healthy Kids Check. If you would rather book by phone, call reception on (08) 6147 6547.
Allow 40 minutes. Your child sees Minna Tran, our registered nurse, for 20 minutes, then a GP for 20 minutes.
Thorpe Street Health is at 57 Thorpe Street, Rockingham. Our opening hours and a map are on the contact page.
If you are booking for more than one child, book a separate appointment for each child.
Who you will see
Your practitioner
Their qualifications, and what each of them focuses on.
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Clear answers to the practical details patients need before booking or visiting the practice.
The Medicare Healthy Kids Check takes 40 minutes at Thorpe Street Health. Your child sees Minna Tran, our registered nurse, for 20 minutes, then a GP for 20 minutes. It is bulk billed.
More common questionsNo. The Medicare Healthy Kids Check is for Medicare-eligible children from the day they turn 3 until the day before they turn 4. A child under 3, or aged 4 or older, can still have their development looked at in a standard GP appointment.
More common questionsNo. The Medicare Healthy Kids Check is available once per child, for life. If your 3-year-old needs another assessment, a standard GP appointment can cover it.
More common questionsYes. Book on HotDoc and choose the 3 Year Old Medicare Healthy Kids Check. You can also call reception on (08) 6147 6547 to book.
More common questionsYes. The MBS factsheet says eligible children can have the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health check as well as the Medicare Healthy Kids Check. Each check needs to be clinically relevant, meaning it is medically necessary for your child's care.
More common questionsMedicare's rules say a health assessment must be done by your child's usual GP or clinic, where that is reasonably practicable. If another clinic is your child's usual clinic, ask them first. If you are moving your child's care to us, tell reception when you call.
More common questionsNo. If you are worried about your child's talking, behaviour or development, book a GP appointment now. Mention your concern when you book, so reception can allow enough time.
More common questionsSources
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Medicare Healthy Kids Check factsheet, MBS Online, updated 9 October 2026.
- RACGP, Australian Journal of General Practice. A guide to the 3-year-old health check for general practice, September 2026.
- WA Health (Child and Adolescent Health Service), Child development 3 to 4 years.
- WA Health, Western Australian Immunisation Schedule, updated 1 October 2026.
- WA Health (HealthyWA), Influenza (flu) vaccine.
Last updated
This page is general information, not medical advice about your own situation. Book an appointment to talk about that.
Book an Appointment
Book online with a GP, or call reception for exercise physiology.
If we are closed
In an emergency call 000 or go to Rockingham General Hospital, which has an emergency department, open 24 hours. If you need a GP outside our hours, Get Better Doctors is our after-hours service.