As recommended by the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners and the Ministry of Health, we ask screening questions for respiratory and other viral symptoms, such as fever and diarrhoea, before making your appointment. The guidelines are that those with viral symptoms must not be in waiting rooms with others, to limit the spread of infection, both of COVID-19 and other viral illnesses. Most people are now unable to attend work, school or social gatherings, if they are unwell… and it affects our workforce too! This is also why we are still asking all adults to wear a mask to their appointments – we know it can be annoying but better safe than sorry!

We understand the perceived risk of COVID-19 in the community is low at present and this restriction may be frustrating for our patients. If you have respiratory or viral symptoms you will INITIALLY be offered a phone or video consultation. We are very experienced in assessing via video or phone and we can usually make a treatment plan which would not be altered by an examination in cases of mild to moderate illness.

Please be assured that we will arrange to see you within a few hours, either in the practice or your car, if we think you need an examination.

The COVID testing guidelines from the Ministry of Health remain the same, that anyone with COVID symptoms should be tested. Without maintaining steady testing of symptomatic people in the community, we cannot know if we have the virus circulating. We are able to offer testing in your car at the back of the practice, depending on weather and staff availability.

We have had to make a minor increase our fees to cover costs- click on services above and fees to see details.

Please phone to book via reception, online bookings will be opened soon. Remember a Covid-19 vaccine is the priority so be sure to allow 2 weeks prior or after completion of Covid vaccines before booking a flu vaccine.

Timing examples of necessary gaps required between vaccines:-

• Covid 1, (3 weeks gap), Covid 2, (2 weeks), Flu

• Flu, (2 weeks), Covid 1, (3 weeks), Covid 2

No flu vaccines can be given in the weeks spacing the 2 Covid vaccines.

The flu vaccines for people from 6 months to 64 years will be on the website to order from 1 May but will not be available for vaccination until around 10 May- we will update as the timing becomes clearer.

Start date and prioritisation period

The 2021 Influenza Immunisation Programme will commence on 14 April 2021, with a two-week priority period for people over 65 eligible for a free influenza vaccination. These dates are dependent on approval by the regulator. 

Vaccinators have been recommended to focus on immunising those who are eligible for a funded vaccination for the first two weeks of the programme to protect as many of those who are at greatest risk first, well ahead of the influenza season.

1. The first weeks of the prioritisation period is only for adults aged 65 and over and there is an additional vaccine this year that is specifically intended for this population.

2. The second week of the prioritisation period, from 21 April has been altered (update from previous report) and now no vaccines will be available until early May for under 65s including people eligible for a funded vaccination.

3. Vaccination can then be extended to include the general population from early May dates to be advised-

The influenza vaccination programme runs to 31 December 2021. All groups can be immunised through to December. Accessed from: https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/preventative-health-wellness/immunisation/influenza

At level 1 we are still actively encouraging video or phone consultations as well as doing face-to-face consultations.

We need to keep our waiting room as clear as possible so please arrive at your booked time- not early. You must wear a mask. If you do not have your own mask, we have them available for $2 each.

Please come alone unless you require a support person for mobility or other health need reasons – please restrict this to a maximum of 1 support person. A parent should only come with the relevant child.

For health and safety reasons, we need to actively manage the amount of time you spend on the premises if you have a face-to-face appointment. Consequently, extended appointments will generally not be available and we ask that you restrict the appointment to a single issue only. For more complex concerns that may require more than a maximum 15 minutes, we are likely to recommend that the appointment is continued virtually.

Monday to Friday please do contact us if you are concerned about your symptoms and would like to talk to a doctor about an assessment, or any difficulty arranging a test. There are no charges for these virtual appointments for symptoms of Covid-19. We do test our patients in their cars outside the practice at times but this depends on staff availability and weather- other wise we can advise you where to go for testing – or check the link here https://www.arphs.health.nz/public-health-topics/covid-19/where-to-get-tested/.

We will update this information as things evolve.

Thank-you for your patience!

If you’re aged 15 to 30 you may not be protected against measles. Measles is
a serious disease that can make you very sick. It’s about eight times more
contagious than COVID-19 so it spreads fast.
Getting immunised is the best way to protect against measles – it’s easy and
it’s free – 2 doses is all you need for life!
When you immunise against measles, you don’t just protect yourself. You also
protect your whānau, your community, and future generations from harm.
Info link: https://www.hpa.org.nz/sites/default/files/6.0%20MEA002%20Protect%20against%20measles%20factsheet-web.pdf

The practice will close for consults in the holiday period from end of business day on Wednesday 23 December until 28 December. A reduced service by a duty doctor will be available for urgent prescriptions and telehealth consultations on the days noted below.

Normal business hours will resume on Monday 11 January. Please note that some of our doctors and nurses will still be on leave after this date.

Days Open with Reduced Hours

Xmas Eve Thu 24 Dec  9am – 12 noon urgent prescriptions only , no appointments

Tue 29 Dec    9am – 12 noon

Wed 30 Dec    9am – 12 noon

Thu 31 Dec    9am – 12 noon

Tue 5 Jan    9am – 1pm

Wed 6 Jan    9am – 1pm

Thu 7 Jan    9am – 1pm

Fri 8 Jan    9am – 1pm 

If you are an enrolled patient with this practice and need healthcare on the dates we are closed please call our usual practice phone number to speak to a registered nurse.

Call our practice number (09) 521 5128

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

What a year it has been! We would like to thank everyone for their support and patience during these challenging times. Our practice team have had to adapt quickly to continue to provide quality healthcare to our practice population over the lockdowns and different alert levels. We are very proud of how our staff have coped with changes in systems and processes, in particular moving to virtual consultations via telephone and video consultations. These have proved to be popular and we will continue to offer these as an option for our patients.

With the holiday season fast approaching we suggest that you 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 plan ahead. Appointment slots before Christmas are filling up fast!

Meadowbank General Practice Holiday Opening Hours:

The Practice will close on Wednesday 23 December 2020, end of day. 

Normal business hours will resume on Monday 11 January.

Our practice team members will be taking well-earned breaks over the holiday period howevera reduced service by a duty doctor will be available for urgent prescriptions and consultations on the following days:

Tuesday 29-Thursday 31 December 9am-12 noon

Tuesday 5-Friday 8 January 9am-1pm

Please see our website www.mgpdoctors.nz for further information including opening times.

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 who can offer medical advice 24 hours a day.

If you need a virtual consultation when we are not available 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, (09) 5708899

Farewell to Dr Kerryn

The team at MGP are sad to say that Dr Kerryn van Rij will be leaving us in December. Kerryn has had a long association with MGP Limited and she is taking a break from General Practice to do some more study and keep up with her busy young family! We send our very best wishes and we will all certainly miss her.

The team at MGP will continue to care for her regular patients and we wish to welcome Dr Lydia Sulima who will be joining us in February

We wish you a happy, safe and restful holiday season,

From the team at Meadowbank General Practice.

The team at MGP are sad to say that Dr Kerryn van Rij will be leaving us in December. Kerryn has had a long association with MGP Limited and she

is taking a break from General Practice to do some more study and keep up with her busy young family!

We send our very best wishes and we will all certainly miss her.

The team at MGP will continue to care for her regular patients.