By accepting health care services from us, you agree we can collect information about you from other agencies for the purpose of maintaining an up-to-date health record and providing safe and quality primary health care. This may include:

From other health providers and shared health records:
– Receipt of laboratory, radiology or other results
– Accessing authorised national or regional health information systems] to support your care by checking your medical history, laboratory or radiology results and current prescribing
– Receipt of correspondence from hospitals, emergency departments, after-hours providers, specialist services, allied health providers or other secondary and community care providers – including discharge summaries, outpatient or specialist letters
– Proactively contacting a hospital or specialist service to follow up on a referral or seek advice or an update on your care, where that contact results in information about you being shared with us
– Receipt of letters from screening programmes (such as bowel, breast or cervical screening), including results, or notifications regarding attendance or non-attendance

From non-health agencies and organisations
– Contact from or correspondence with Police, legal representatives, Oranga Tamariki, insurance companies, Ministry of Social Development (Work and Income New Zealand) and the Accident Compensation Corporation
– Receipt of correspondence from employers, regarding, for example, fitness to work
– Information from the New Zealand Police regarding firearms licences

Complaints
– If concerns are raised about the care or services we provide, we may disclose relevant health information to our regulators, insurers, indemnity providers, or legal advisers for the purpose of managing and responding to the concerns.

Your rights of access and correction
– Under rules 6 and 7 of the Health Information Privacy Code, you have the right to request access to the health information this practice holds about you, and request correction of that information, if you believe it to be inaccurate.

Covid Boosters
Ongoing free additional COVID-19 vaccines are available for people aged 30 and over who are eligible for healthcare in New Zealand. People at higher risk of severe illness benefit most from additional doses. Talk to your healthcare provider to see if this is recommended for you.
Health NZ info available at:- Getting COVID-19 vaccines

Influenza (flu)
The flu vaccine is available from 1 April each year, before winter starts. We recommend everyone over 6 months old gets immunised against flu every year.

We have 2 vaccines available:
– InfluvacTetra (funded and non-funded) free or $40
– Fluad (non-funded only) $55
For more information on the flu vaccines:- Influenza vaccine – Immunisation Advisory Centre

Measles
There is a risk of getting measles if you have not had 2 vaccines or have not already had measles. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the measles (MMR) vaccine is free for everyone under the age of 18 — it does not matter what your immigration status is. It is also free if you are 18 and over and eligible for funded healthcare.
For more information:- Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine

Meningitis Vaccines
A reminder to the University students coming home for semester break, check if you need your 2nd Meningitis B vaccine (if not already had prior to leaving, or via Student Health). You can book a Nurse appointment for the 2nd vaccine before you go back, or book at Student Health – the 2nd dose is needed to be considered to have sufficient protection.

The National Bowel Screening Programme (NBSP) is a free programme to help detect bowel cancer. 

It is being offered every two years to men and women aged 58 to 74 years who are eligible for publicly funded health care. 

To find out more go to:- Bowel screening or talk to your doctor or nurse

Flu vaccines are funded from 1 April 2026. Non-funded delivery expected to be delivered in late March. Please phone for bookings. We will update when available.

Pertussis (Whooping cough) is around; check you are up-to-date with Tdap (tetanus/diptheria pertussis) vaccination, be aware of symptoms  https://healthify.nz/health-a-z/w/whooping-cough

Manage My Health is the external provider for our patient portal and is operated independently. Due to the recently declared cyber security breach involving Manage My Health, Meadowbank General Practice Ltd advises all patients who use our patient portal to pay particular attention to the email updates they should receive from Manage My Health.

We strongly advise using two-factor authorisation to access the patient portal. At this stage, we are not aware of any further information regarding the nature or extent of the data breach but will inform our patients if we become aware of any breach involving their personal health information. 

We recommend you check the Manage My Health main website, managemyhealth.co.nz, where there is a list of ‘FAQs for Cyber Breach’ which should be updated as information evolves.

Measles vaccine (MMR stands for Measles/Mumps/Rubella as all 3 are in the same vaccine)
Measles is a serious viral disease that can make people very sick. It spreads very easily among people who have not had measles before or have not been vaccinated against measles.
Measles | Healthify
Measles Fact Sheet

MMR vaccine – 2 doses recommended unless born before 1969 in NZ when most people had measles & therefore immunity (some adults born overseas before 1969 may be susceptible)

Who to vaccinate:
Children: at ages 12 months and 15 months of age as per vaccine schedule.
Adults: Anyone born in New Zealand after January 1, 1969, who has not had two documented doses of MMR or a confirmed case of measles needs the vaccine. If you can’t find your records or are unsure of your status, it is safe to get vaccinated again.

If you are uncertain our nurses can check the NZ immunisation register but this only started recording from 2005 so vaccines prior to this that are not in your computer records (GP computerisation took off in early to mid- 1990s) may be in your Plunket book if you have it!

Recommended Funded vaccine indications and schedule

– Children at ages 12 months and 15 months.

– Adults who are susceptible to one or more of measles, mumps and rubella.

This includes all adults born in New Zealand from 1 January 1969 without two documented doses of measles-containing vaccine received after age 12 months.

For (re)vaccination following immunosuppression (if the individual is immunocompetent enough to safely receive the vaccine).

Also recommended
Vaccination is particularly important for health care workers, individuals who work with children, armed forces personnel, staff of correctional facilities, long-term care facilities and immigration/refugee centres and laboratory staff.

All vaccine-eligible travellers, particularly to high-risk countries.
Some adults born overseas before 1969 may also be susceptible to measles, mumps or rubella.

The MMR vaccine is a live vaccine and is not suitable for everyone, such as:

– Pregnant women (and those planning pregnancy should wait 4 weeks after vaccination).

– People with a severely weakened immune system (e.g. those undergoing cancer treatment).

JULY 2025

With winter upon us we are seeing the usual rise in respiratory illnesses including the flu, COVID-19, RSV and the common cold. Appointment demand tends to be high, and like most workplaces we too have staff shortages due to sickness.

If you have respiratory symptoms you can still be seen if needed but please continue to always tell us about any respiratory illness symptoms (cough, runny nose, fever, chills, sneezing, body aches, headache, nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, tiredness) when you make a booking or before you come in, even if it is not the primary reason for your appointment, so we can see you in a way which keeps everyone safe.

We continue to offer telehealth appointments.

If you are attending the practice please wear a mask, we have these available in the waiting room to reduce the risk of spreading infections.

Planning ahead to minimise time in the waiting room, mask wearing and telehealth are all ways we can avoid overcrowding of our waiting room and reduce the risk of spreading winter illnesses to others.

There are lots of things you can do yourself at home to manage your symptoms. However, if you are feeling very unwell or at high risk of severe illness (babies, people aged 70 and over, pregnant, severely immunocompromised, have multiple medical conditions) please phone for advice. For information online please see:

https://healthify.nz/health-a-z/w/winter-infections

Remember if you have any symptoms of a respiratory illness, you should stay at home until your symptoms have gone away, and you are feeling better. Staying home while you are sick is important to reduce your risk of passing your illness on to others.

When your symptoms have started to improve and you feel well enough to return to your normal activities, you can still be infectious and pass a respiratory illness on to others.

To protect other people from getting sick too, it is recommended you follow these precautions for 5 days after you feel well enough to leave your home and be out around others again:

• Wear a mask, especially when you are in closed indoor spaces where there are other people around you, including medical centre waiting rooms.
• Do not visit hospitals or aged residential care facilities where there are likely to be people at higher risk of getting very sick if they were to get a respiratory illness.
• Practice good hygiene by covering your coughs and sneezes and washing or sanitising your hands often.

Immunisation is the best protection against measles. It’s more important than ever for
people to check they are protected.

With active measles cases increasing around the world, and falling vaccination rates,
Aotearoa New Zealand is at very high risk of a measles outbreak.
Not enough people living in New Zealand are immunised against measles – just 1 case
could start an outbreak. We need at least 95% of people to be immunised to prevent
this.

Measles is a very contagious viral illness that spreads easily between people and makes
most people feel very unwell. It can also cause serious health problems, including
runny poos (diarrhoea), chest infections and brain swelling. About 1 in 3 people with
measles will need hospital care. The measles vaccine is very effective at preventing
measles.

TWO DOSES OF VACCINE ARE REQUIRED FOR IMMUNITY
The MMR vaccine is free to anyone born after 1969.

• People born before 1969 are believed to be at lower risk because they were likely
  exposed as a child.
• Were you born between 1969 and 2004? You might not have had 2 doses and
  be fully protected against measles.
• If you’re not sure that you’re fully immunised, check your MMH, or with your
  Plunket or Well Child book, or your doctor/nurse to make sure you’ve had both
  doses of the MMR vaccine.
  
  If you haven’t had both doses, or you’re not sure, play it safe and get
  immunised. There’s no additional risk with getting an extra dose.