This week some of the public swab clinics are struggling to keep up with demand, in particular the drive-through clinics at Rozelle and Summer Hill. There are lots of other options, so check the map for what’s closest to you – eg .Canterbury Hospital, Redfern Community Health, the pop-up clinic in Surry Hills.

One of our doctors can provide you with a request form for any of the private pathology companies, and this might be a quicker option. They include a drive-in clinic at Stanmore, and some pathology services at Marrickville and Earlwood. Please call for a quick appointment to organise a request form.

NSW Health recommends that anyone with respiratory symptoms or unexplained fever should be tested for COVID-19.

Relevant symptoms that could be COVID-19 related are fever ≥37.5, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath,  loss of smell and loss of taste.

Other reported symptoms of COVID-19 include runny nose, muscle pain, joint pain, diarrhoea, nausea/vomiting and loss of appetite.

If you have these symptoms you should stay at home and arranged to get tested.

In particular, we ask you to keep an eye on the hot spots and information about venues in NSW where known positive COVID cases have been traced, and follow the advice here. Note there are businesses listed here in several suburbs in the inner west and inner city, as well as the recommendation to have a low threshold for anyone who has been in the whole of Potts Point.

When attending a COVID swab clinic you should take your Medicare card and/or ID, wear a mask to attend, and be self-isolating before and after attending. This means that you need to wait for your test result until you go to work, shopping, go on public transport, attend the gym or do anything outside of your house that involves interacting with other members of the public.  The turnaround time is about 48 hours.

As per the Public Health Order you are required to self-isolate for 14 days if you arrived in NSW from Victoria from 8 July. Call if you need a phone consultation during this period

 If you have severe symptoms, like increasing shortness of breath, you should call you local Emergency Department and present there either by Ambulance 000 or taken by a family member. You need to let people know that you fit the criteria for suspect COVID-19 case so that they can treat you appropriately.

For further information, see this link about who to call.

Electronic scripts are now available – we have the technology! 

An e-script is a QR token, much like a boarding pass on your phone. This is how it will work: 

1. During a consultation your doctor will offer to send your script as an e-script (QR token) 
2. You can choose to receive it via SMS or email –we will use the details we have on file and check them with you before sending 
3. We will check that you have received the e-script before the end of the consultation. 
4. The script opens on your phone or computer as a QR token 
5. Print the QR token or take your phone to the pharmacy. They will scan the code and dispense your medication 
6. The pharmacy software will generate a new QR token for the repeats 

You can also choose to have the e-script sent to an alternative mobile number or email, for example if you need a family member to collect your script. 

Not every pharmacy is currently set up to process e-scripts, so it’s worth checking with your preferred pharmacy. You should discuss with your regular pharmacy if they are able to receive the token via email/SMS/app at their end.  

Hopefully this will mean no more lost scripts! If you do lose your phone or delete the SMS we can cancel the script and re-issue. We suggest you look at the possibilities of storing the scripts in a file on your smartphone (eg. on an iPhone you can created a folder under the Notes icon and save them there).

If you have fever or any respiratory symptoms, OR have been in a NSW hotspot, OR you have travelled to Victoria in the past 14 days, , you MUST call the practice first for a phone consultation initially.  This provides an extra layer of screening and safety for everyone. Your doctor will make appropriate arrangements if you need to be assessed in person.

Given there have been increased COVID-19 cases in Sydney over the past fortnight, we suggest that you opt for a phone or video consultation if you think your issue can be appropriately managed that way. We continue to offer face-to-face consultations for many issues, eg. immunisations, cervical screening, any issue that would warrant a physical examination.

Please note that as of 20 July 2020, the Government has advised that eligibility for Medicare rebates for phone/video consultations will be limited to patients who have attended the practice at least once in the past 12 months. This means that we might suggest a consultation at the practice if we haven’t seen you in the past 12 months, UNLESS we need to screen you out due to symptoms or possible exposure to COVID-19. In those situations we will triage you and make appropriate arrangements.

Attending the practice

For patients attending the practice, we will need to manage our waiting room according to physical distancing guidelines, and allow time for cleaning surfaces between patients. Our waiting room has capacity for 8 people.

Please take note of the following:

. Please bring your own mask

. Let our staff know you have arrived, but you may need to wait outside or in your car until your doctor is nearly ready.

. We will do our best to advise you if there is a delay in your appointment time. We can SMS to let you know when your doctor is nearly ready.

. As you enter the practice please clean your hands and follow any instructions from our staff about where to sit.

. don’t bring extra family members to the consultation if you can avoid it.

We appreciate your patience as we manage the constant changes. Don’t neglect your health needs – if in doubt please call.

If you have travelled from Victoria in the past 14 days, and have been in a COVID hot-spot   or arrived in NSW from 8 July, as per the Public Health Order 7/07/2020 you are required to self-isolate for 14 days on your return to NSW .

Please call for a phone appointment if you have fever or any respiratory symptoms while you are self-isolating. We can advise you about testing and make a plan to monitor you. Your doctor will make appropriate arrangements if you need to be assessed in person.

Refer to our Coronavirus page for further information.

Dr Jenny is having a well-earned three weeks off, from 18 June until Monday 13 July . She has handed over to other doctors regarding patients who are likely to follow up during this period. She will be available for telehealth consultations only from 13-24 July.

If you are a regular patient of Dr Jenny and need an appointment please call to discuss with our staff. They will arrange a time with one of our other doctors, who can hand over care back to Jenny if needed.

Dr Annabel will be away for the second week of the school holidays, the week starting 13 July only.

Dr Cara is away from 13-25 July.

Dr Wee-Sian is away from 20-31 July

Dr Nicolette is away from 27-31 July

Flu vaccine is still available – currently we have vaccines for anyone aged 65+, children 6 months to 4 years of age, and anyone else who meets the criteria for a free vaccine from NSW Health (see list below).

We do not currently have any private vaccines for sale, but can write a script for you to obtain one from a pharmacy.

Remember that if you are keeping yourself safe from coronavirus you should also be protecting yourself from flu. There has been less influenza circulating currently compared to the same time last year. The influenza season tends to peak in late June, and through July/August. It is still useful to get a vaccine later in the season.

Before your appointment

Once you have booked your appointment, please read the information below about flu vaccines for 2020 and the checklist. If you have concerns about anything on the checklist or if you feel unwell on the day of your appointment, please call and make a time to speak to one of our doctors. Download checklist here

On the day of your appointment

• If possible, only one parent/guardian should accompany a child into the session
• People must not attend the session if they or their child have symptoms of a respiratory infection (such as fever, or a sore throat, or a runny nose, or shortness of breath or a cough) or have returned from overseas in the past 14 days or have been told to self-isolate
• Let us know you have arrived but please wait outside the practice until you receive a call/SMS to ask you to enter

When you enter the practice

• Use hand sanitiser provided at the entrance to the reception or waiting area
• Please follow all instructions given by our staff

After the vaccination

• We will ask you to wait for 10 minutes
• You will receive an SMS the following day from Smartvax to check on any adverse reactions .You can also call the practice to report any concerns.

Eligibility for free influenza vaccine

Free seasonal influenza vaccine is funded by NSW Health for the following groups at higher risk of complications from influenza:

• all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 6 months and over
• all children aged 6 months to less than 5 years of age (including Aboriginal and medically at risk)
• all individuals aged 5 years and over with medical risk conditions, namely:
  • cardiac disease, including cyanotic congenital heart disease, coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure
  • chronic respiratory conditions, including suppurative lung disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and severe asthma
  • other chronic illnesses requiring regular medical follow up or hospitalisation in the previous year, including diabetes mellitus, chronic metabolic diseases, chronic renal failure, and haemoglobinopathies
  • chronic neurological conditions that impact on respiratory function, including multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, and seizure disorders
  • impaired immunity, including HIV, malignancy and chronic steroid use
• pregnant women (influenza vaccine can be given at any stage of pregnancy)
• people aged 65 years and over

Is the influenza vaccine safe?

As with any medications, vaccines can have side effects. The most common side effects following influenza vaccination include mild fever, headache, muscle and joint pain and injection site reactions. These can occur in the first three days after vaccination and can generally be managed safely at home.

Serious side effects are rare. In Australia, we have a system which monitors the safety of vaccines including seasonal influenza vaccines. This system uses a short SMS survey to ask patients, or parents of children, in a large number of general practices around Australia, if they experienced any health issues in the first few days after vaccination. In 2019, 93.9% of people that participated in the survey reported no adverse events following immunisation. Of the 6.1% of people that reported an adverse event the majority were generally mild and short lived.

A couple of days late for International Nurses Day, but we really need to thank our Practice Nurses – Amy and Ping, for all their hard work. It’s not always apparent to patients, but our nurses really keep the place running in so many ways.

In order to keep patients and staff we are asking every patient book a phone consultation with our doctors for any issue. After an initial consultation, your doctor may decide that it’s appropriate to bring you in for review or to manage your health issues over the phone. There are situations where really need to see you in person and we can make arrangements.

Fees will apply for phone consultations. Medicare rebates are now available and we are able to bulk-bill patients in a number of categories.

The exceptions to a phone consultation are: pregnant women needing a check up, newborn babies and children for scheduled immunisations, contraception procedures (Implanon/IUD). We might do some portion of these visits over the phone, and limit your time at the practice. If you think your medical issue will require a doctor to see you in person please discuss this with our reception staff.

If you are very unwell, please call rather than book online for a phone consultation. Our staff will ask you some screening questions to work out the urgency of your request.

Please note, you will need to be ready at the appointment time with your phone in a quiet place, just as you would for a face to face consultation.

What we are doing to protect patients already:

• asking people to wait outside until your doctor is ready
• clinical staff are wearing masks, gowns and gloves for examining patients
• alcohol handrub is available all over the practice
• wiping down surfaces in rooms between patients
• implementing social distancing between our staff within the practice

Please note that Healthdirect – 1800 022 222 has a phone service for advice regarding the Coronavirus outbreak and can direct you as to where best to seek medical advice if you are not sure.

If you have severe difficulty breathing please dial 000 and notify the operator of any travel history or potential contact with COVID-19 (Coronavirus).

If you are just after general information regarding the outbreak and how it applies to you, please visit the Healthdirect website https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/coronavirus

We are closed for the Public Holiday for Anzac Day this Saturday, 25 April. Please go online to book for appointments next week.

The COVID clinics are operating over the weekend. You should present yourself for testing if you have fever or any respiratory symptom, even something like a mild sore throat.