■ ORDER YOUR REPEAT SCRIPTS
■ SAVE YOUR FAMILY DOCTOR INITIATIVE
■ MANAGE MY HEALTH PORTAL

…. Order your repeats scripts before Christmas – please do it as soon as possible. Support Primary care with the ‘Save Your Family Doctor’ initiative. A new portal ‘Manage My Health’ is coming soon.

■ ORDER YOUR REPEAT SCRIPTS
Now that December has arrived, it really does feel like the festive season is upon us all. We know that this is a busy time of year for everyone with end of school activities, functions and deadlines to meet. However, with the holidays fast approaching, we suggest that you think ahead and check that you have enough prescription medication to see you through. Please order any repeat prescriptions as soon as possible, via the patient portal or by phoning in, to avoid pre-Christmas congestion.  If it’s time for your next check-up, or it will be due during the holidays, please think about booking for this soon as appointment slots before Christmas are filling up fast!

Appointments

As with many businesses this year, it has had its challenges and frustrations. We are sure you have all seen recent media coverage of the significant issues facing the health system. This is of course affecting general practice as much as other sectors with workforce shortages, underfunding and increasing workloads. As a result, people are waiting longer to see their family doctor as well, as increased times to be seen in outpatient clinics and even many private specialist are booked out until April 2023. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be any support coming our way anytime soon and this is putting essential family doctor services at risk. These things are out of our control so please be patient, we are trying our hardest to deliver the best service we can within the current constraints. Our GP Owner’s organisation GenPro has launched a campaign called Save Your Family Doctor to highlight the threat to essential frontline services and the impact it is having on our patients. If you would like to add your support and help to send the Government a strong message please sign the petition

■ ‘SAVE YOUR FAMILY DOCTOR’ INITIATIVE

Please follow the link to save your family doctor… Save Your Family Doctor service

■ ‘MANAGE MY HEALTH’ PORTAL

We will soon be moving our patient portal to Manage My Health. This will add in more features and ease of communication including online bookings, repeat prescription requests and access to test results via your computer or mobile phone. We will be sending more information to our patients on the transition to this before the end of the year. 

OTHER NEWS

Old Notes

We are having a bit of a spring clean and, as part of this, we are sorting out old paper notes which are no longer required. Clinical records have been computerised for many years now so these old files are no longer relevant. You may be contacted soon and asked if you would like to collect your old hard copy notes.

Staff

Recently we welcomed Rachel who joins Annette and Denise as part of our practice nursing team. Our lovely senior nurse Annette has now been with us for 10 years and we would like to acknowledge what a wonderful team leader she is and we are very fortunate to have her running such a high calibre team.

However, we are sad to be losing our receptionist Amanda as she is returning to Australia to be closer to family. Amanda has been with us for three years and has been invaluable over a very challenging time. We send our very best wishes and we will all certainly miss her. Although Emily and Rachel have joined Denise (yes, we now have two Rachels and Denises) on reception, we have not yet been able to find a replacement for Amanda, so please be patient and understanding when contacting the practice as our reception team will be under a bit of pressure.

Meadowbank General Practice Holiday Opening Hours:

With another exhausting year behind us our practice team will be taking a break over the Christmas
New Year period.

The Practice will close from Friday 23^th December 2022 @ 12pm

Normal business hours will resume on Monday 9th^th January 2023 8.30am – 5.00pm

Please note that some of our doctors and nurses will still be on leave after this date.

If you are an enrolled patient with this practice and need healthcare when we are closed, please call our usual practice phone number (09) 521 5128 to speak to a registered nurse.  

If you need a virtual consultation, we recommend CareHQ.  CareHQ provides urgent and booked appointments with a real GP from 7am-7pm, 7 days per week.  For more information, or to book, visit www.carehq.co.nz

If you have a medical emergency, please dial 111.

The closest accident and medical centre (A&M) to this practice is: White Cross Urgent Care, 110 Lunn Ave, Mt Wellington

For more information, please see our website www.mgpdoctors.co.nz

We wish you a happy, safe and restful holiday season. Take care on the roads.

From the team at Meadowbank General Practice

MAKE A TIME TO GET UP TO DATE OVER THE HOLIDAYS

IF YOU HAVE MISSED STARTING, OR COMPLETING THESE VACCINES – 2 OR 3 DOSES (AGE DEPENDENT)

Gardasil^® 9 vaccine is funded on the National Immunisation Schedule for all aged 9 years to under 27 years. Gardasil 9 covers four human papillomaviruses (HPVs) plus an additional five types known to cause approximately 20% of cervical cancers (HPV 31, 33, 45, 52, 58).

The vaccine is designed to protect men and women from HPV infection that can cause genital warts, precancerous cell changes and cancer in the throat, cervical cancer and anal, vaginal, vulval or penile cancers.

All students leaving home to go to University for the first time

Immunisation against Meningococcal disease

Who should receive meningococcal vaccination?

• Menactra (The Vaccine for strains A, C, W and Y) is recommended and funded for Individuals aged 13–25 years inclusively who are entering within the next three months, or are in their first year, of living in boarding school hostels, tertiary education halls of residence, military barracks, or prisons
• The Vaccine for strain B (Bexsero) is unfunded – 2 doses, minimum 4 weeks apart, cost $180.00 per dose

BOTH VACCINES are recommended to cover the strains that circulate in NZ.

Save Your Family Doctor Service – Sign The Petition (genpro.org.nz)

NZ General Practice has been mobilised to unite in getting help with underfunding, workforce shortage and increased workload. This link gives you more information and a link to petition government. Thankyou for participating- Team at MGP

Even though the Covid ‘traffic light’ system has ended, as a health provider, it is still a requirement for everyone to wear a mask if they visit the practice.

If you have coughs/colds/viral illness/diarrhoea/close contact, please do not come on site. But please book a phone or video consult. Our doctors and nurses can then work with you on best process and we do have the side-lane access to see people in their cars or in our back room, with fresh air, if needed.

As always we are trying to ensure we keep our vulnerable patients safe and our staff able to work.

From 1 July free flu vaccinations will be extended to:

• Children aged 3-12 years
• People with serious mental health or addiction needs.

Free flu shots are already available for a large group of people including: 

• pregnant people
• over 65s
• Māori or Pasifika aged 55+
• long list of underlying health conditions

Very valuable but note funding has changed as below:-

Almost everyone is at risk of shingles because they are likely to have been exposed to chickenpox, even if they have no history of clinical chickenpox or chickenpox vaccination. Following chickenpox infection, the virus lies dormant and may re-emerge many years later as shingles. Shingles most commonly affects older adults or people of any age with a weakened immune system.

FUNDED VACCINE

One dose of Zostavax^® is indicated for the prevention of shingles. It can be given to patients who have previously had shingles. 

• One dose of Zostavax is funded for adults aged 65 years.(ie from your 65^th birthday until the day before you turn 66)
• The catch-up programme for people aged 66–80 years ended on the 31 December 2021. So these are no longer funded.
• Funded vaccine doses are only available through general practice. 

NON-FUNDED VACCINE

Two doses of Shingrex^® are indicated for the prevention of shingles. It can be given to patients who have previously had shingles. 

• Shingrix is available for people aged 50 years and over.  
• Shingrix is a 2-dose course.
• It needs to be ordered in so please speak to the Practice Nurse for information, and to place an order.

How to book with MGP…

FLU vaccinations are well underway – please book online via ConnectMed or phone Reception to make an appointment. No walk-in flu clinics this year, again due to Covid-19 appointment spacing.

Alternatively, if you have an onsite appointment, you can take the opportunity to have your FLU vaccine at the same.

This year’s strains:

• A/Victoria/2570/2019 (H1N1) pdm09-like virus

• A/Darwin/9/2021 (H3N2)-like virus

• B/Austria/1359417/2021-like virus

• B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus

Covid-19 Booster doses for 16 and 17-year-olds

Medsafe has approved the use of Pfizer booster doses for rangatahi aged 16 and 17, from today onwards.

For this age group (16 and 17 year olds), an interval of at least six months is required after completion of a primary course (for most people, this is two doses).

As with all COVID-19 vaccinations, at least a three-month interval is required post-COVID-19 infection.

Uni-students: 2nd Meningitis vaccine

Bexsero vaccinations for Uni students potentially coming home in their holidays – please remember to let the Nurse know ASAP if you are wanting your 2^nd Bexsero meningitis vaccination while in Auckland as these vaccines need to be ordered in and will need 1-2 weeks’ notice.

Previous info from January below…

Check your Uni enrolment packs for required and recommended vaccines.

Funded Meningitis vaccine: MenACWY-D (Menactra) for:

• Adolescents and young adults aged 13–25 years inclusive who will be living or are currently living in close proximity to others e.g., a boarding school hostel or university hall of residence, military barracks or prison (group accommodation), or long-term institutional care.

Non-funded (but recommended) Meningitis B vaccine: Bexsero

See links below for info about Meningitis:

Meningococcal disease | Immunisation Advisory Centre (immune.org.nz)

DiseaseMeningococcalImac20210909V01Final.pdf (immune.org.nz)

Phone to book an appointment or discuss with the Nurses.

POSTIVE RAT TESTS

Adults:- We are not able to contact all our patients who have positive RAT tests as we are receiving so many notifications and often with some delays, we do not have the capacity to do this. If you have not yet been sent any info how to self-manage, please see this link: https://covid19.health.nz/advice/positive. If you are needing medical advice or are concerned, please phone Reception 09 5215128 and advise your positive result so you can be given priority for a virtual appointment as needed. If it is non-urgent you can still book via the portal. After hours contact Healthline 0800 358 5453 for advice. See further information in our earlier latest news post, ‘Resources for you and your Family’ for other useful links. We highly recommend Whanau HQ (link in the previous post as mentioned). Most people will be fine to self-manage and we wish you all a rapid recovery!

Children – if your child has a positive RAT test phone 0800222 478 for them to upload result.

Resources noted – we keep updating this and know these sites are being updated frequently too…

COVID ADVICE FOR HOME QUARANTINE (level 2):-

https://immunisation.northernregion.health.nz/whanauhq/

• Superb video on mask use and clever ways to ensure functions – everyone should watch this!

Covid-19: GP shows how to fit your N95 and surgical mask at home | Stuff.co.nz

• Excellent website with wide range of Covid information being regularly updated

The Health Navigator team have created some helpful resources we would encourage you to share on social media with your community. These videos have been updated for Omicron and are being adopted by the MOH teams.  

https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/health-a-z/c/covid-19/

• Preparing for Covid/ Omicron  in the community and your household:-

https://covid19.govt.nz/prepare-and-stay-safe/be-prepared-for-covid-19/#2-have-what-you-need

• More specific information and gems from HealthNavigator and other resources worth watching:-

How to isolate (taratahi) at home
This video outlines how to isolate (taratahi) at home when you are COVID-19 positive. Watch the related page and video.

Managing your Covid-19 symptoms
This animation provides a simple summary of the key things you can do to manage your COVID-19 symptoms. Watch the video.

When to seek help for your COVID-19 symptoms
This animation explains how to monitor your COVID-19 symptoms and outlines when to seek medical advice. Watch the video.  Scroll down to view on the symptoms page.

Other useful links – printable PDF resources from Health Navigator

• How to use a pulse oximeter in adults     
• How to manage your COVID symptoms
• Stop the spread of COVID-19
• What symptoms can I expect?
• Symptoms and when to get help

We are able to do some supervised RAT tests, as per MOH guidelines for appropriate indications for RAT testing and these are offered when our team are available.