- Phone (06) 758 5015
- 56 Vivian Street, New Plymouth
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Measles is a serious disease that can make you very sick. It’s about 8 times more contagious than COVID-19 so spreads fast. Getting immunised is the best way to protect you, your whānau and community from catching and spreading measles.
If you are at risk of becoming very sick with COVID-19 you will still get free healthcare.
With the Omicron variant circulating, most people can recover at home. This is due to very high vaccination levels and widespread natural immunity.
Additionally, with easy access to testing and self-isolation, we can focus on those who are more vulnerable.
If you are at higher risk of becoming very sick with COVID-19, you are still eligible for free healthcare from your doctor.
This protects those who are most at risk of getting very ill from COVID-19, including:
If you are isolating at home, you should call Healthline on 0800 358 5453 if you need advice or guidance on managing your symptoms.
You can also contact your local pharmacist or your healthcare provider if you need to see someone.
COVID Vaccinations.
At this point in time VMC is not able to provide Covid Vaccinations on site – please watch this space for this to change – alternatively you can get your 1st, 2nd or boosters from the Vaccination Hub Powderham St New Plymouth or participating Pharmacy’s.
If you have any concerns or questions please have a look at the following website https://covid.immune.org.nz/faq?tags=All
| NEWSLETTER | Vivian Medical Centre May 2023 | |||||
| VMC Contact details 56 Vivian Street New Plymouth P: 06 758 5015 PROJECTS IN THE PRACTICE If you are an asthmatic and wanting support to manage your Asthma, please contact our team of nurses to arrange a review. A random selection of patients will be called by Sue – our HCA and invited to an Asthma review appointment MANAGE MY HEALTH (MMH) You are now able to book non-urgent appointments for your regular GP on MMH. Anyone wanting to activate MMH can contact reception to get this sorted – for urgent or long appointments place ring the clinic. REPEAT SCRIPTS Scripts can be requested by either messaging MMH or emailing the practice – nurses@vmc.co.nz. Scripts will be processed within 2 working days from receipt of message with a cost of $16. Urgent scripts can be requested but come at a cost of $23 BOOKING AN APPOINTMENT We ask that you don’t email requests for appointments. This could delay your opportunity for the next available appointment as emails only get reviewed periodically during the day FEEDBACK / SUGGESTIONS BOX We do have a place where you can feedback anything that relates to your experience here at VMC. We appreciate feedback to know what we do well and what we could improve on. RED CLINIC All patients that have flu like symptoms will continue to be seen in our Portacom to minimize risk of spreading infection. A limited number of appointments are available daily for this clinic – regular consultation fees apply. Sometimes to meet demand other acute patients are seen in this clinic also. Help us run on time You may have noticed we often run late. Being late is annoying for patients and stressful for staff. We are keen to fix our continual lateness. One of the problems is that our consultations are running overtime. Just 4 minutes per consult means that the doctor is an hour late at the end of the morning. You can help by: 1. Being aware that your time with the doctor will be about 12 minutes 2. Being understanding if the doctor suggests you come back to address remaining issues 3. Prioritising your list of issues you wish to cover before you go in. Where you must wear a face mask You must wear a face mask when visiting most healthcare services. This is to help protect those at higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19. For example, you must wear a face mask if you are a visitor to:
You do not need to wear a face mask if:
Measles is a serious disease that can make you very sick. It’s about 8 times more contagious than COVID-19 so spreads fast. Getting immunised is the best way to protect you, your whānau and community from catching and spreading measles. Advance Scripts for COVID Anti-Viral Medication – One of our GPs may call you if you fit the criteria for anti viral medication COVID-19 antiviral medicines can help people who are at risk of becoming very sick with COVID-19. These medicines are free Dependant if you fit the eligibility criteria to the right you may be contacted by your GP to discuss anti-viral medication prior to getting COVID-19. This is to ensure if / when you test positive and if it is appropriate, you have access to medication without delay.
| STAFF UPDATES Profiling Sue Lord – Health Care Assistant. Sue started at VMC as an HCA – previously working in a similar role at the DHB and supporting whanau in their homes. Taking on the challenge, moving into General Practice has brought with it new learnings. Most recently Sue completed training to become a vaccinator. You can connect with Sue either on the phone, in clinic or when receiving your flu vaccine. Sue works under the watchful eye of the nursing team and is well supported by the doctors on site. Health Improvement Practitioner – HIP We are fortunate to have a HIP allocated to our practice. Fiona Uhlenberg has filled this role but will be leaving in June. We are hoping to have a smooth transition with the new HIP starting soon after. HIPs (Health Improvement Practitioners) are registered health professionals who work alongside GP’s and nurses, helping out when any problems with living and stress are having an impact on our Hauora (health and well-being). The HIP can practically help with: Anyone of any age can see the HIP & sessions are FREE Doctor / Nurse update Practice is open Monday – Friday 8.30am – 5.00pm. Your doctor will be working sessions within this time seeing patients. When doctors aren’t seeing patients you can be assured they are still working – for every visit a patient has, it generally creates another appointment to complete what came out of the time you had with your GP – updating notes, completing forms, forwarding referrals, reviewing test results etc… Bookings to see your GP can be made on MMH or by calling reception. Dr Rob or Dr Jo Pascoe on site every day Dr Steve Smith – on site every day except Thursdays Dr Judith Teague – on site every day except Fridays Dr Angela Lawson – on site every day except Thursdays Dr Christine Franklin – on site every day except Fridays
Our doctors do require time off, as we all do, on most occasions it is planned leave and cover is offered with a locum option. There are times when time off is unplanned and at short notice – unfortunately when this happens it will disrupt planned appointments – we appreciate your understanding when we need to juggle / reschedule due to illness, bereavement or injury. Connecting with our nursing team has changed. Due to waiting times of phone calls and frustrations fed back to us when calls were bounced back to reception or cut off, we have put in place a call back system. If you want to talk to a nurse, please call reception and they will put you on a callback list. The nurse will work through this list from top to bottom over the day – remember though if you book a call back you need to be able to take the call. Keep your phone turned on, volume up and on you so you don’t miss the call. After Hours Services – Reminder Medicross is our urgent care GP Clinic – if you require a face-to-face appointment in the weekend or are unable to get an appointment during the week you can attend – MediCross Urgent Care & GP Clinic – open from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week for all urgent medical care, including Public Holidays. Practice Plus – To avoid the wait at urgent GP Clinics why not try Practice Plus for any virtual consult option. This service is available Monday – Friday 5pm – 10 pm and Saturday – Sunday 8am -8pm Practice Plus Virtual Consultation effectiveness 89% effectively managed within consultation: – 3% referred onto secondary care or allied health; – 5% requiring a follow up GP visit for investigations or in person review – 2% of presentations were outside of scope for Practice Plus Costs for these consults are: $65 – 14yrs +, $55 – 13 years under and $19.50 for all CSC holders – Visit www.practiceplus.nzFLU Vaccinations Well done to all who have been to get their free flu jab. It’s not too late if you are still thinking about it – get in quick to avoid becoming really unwell if the flu virus comes your way. The 2023 flu vaccine is free for some people The 2023 flu vaccine is free for:
For those not entitled to a free flu jab you can still get at a cost of $32.00 There is an unfunded option for patients – Fluad® Quad – for adults aged 65 and above – this vaccination comes at a cost of $40.00 Immunisations The National Immunisation Programme recommends immunisation as the most effective way to protect our children from diseases that can cause serious, and sometimes fatal, illness. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the immunisation journey starts before birth, protecting mothers and their babies as they grow in the womb. Once they are born, regular immunisations are given between six weeks and four years old, with further immunisations at 11 or 12, and 18 years. The National Immunisation Schedule(link is external) provides a timetable of when your child should get these immunisations so they get the best possible protection against disease. These immunisations are free for babies, children, adolescents, and pregnant people. Immunisation saves lives, so it’s important your child has all their immunisations. If your child has missed any immunisations, it’s not too late to catch up – contact our nursing team here at Vivian Medical Centre to answer any questions you may have. More information about immunisation is available on the Ministry of Health’s page(link is external). Free medicines to treat COVID-19 for eligible population Who can get antivirals People with a high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 are eligible for treatment with COVID-19 antiviral medicines. These medicines reduce the amount of virus in your body, so you do not get as sick and you are less likely to go to hospital. You can get free antiviral medicines if you:
Eligible people include:
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