Dr Joe has been away the past 2 weeks, but returns on Friday 7th September.

Dr Patti will be away for the first 3 weeks of September, returning on Tuesday 25th September. In her absence Dr Catherine Pratten will be working on some of the Wednesdays and Fridays. Catherine has worked in general practice for many years, and also works at Family Planning NSW.

Dr Jenny is away the first week of the school holidays in October, and then Dr Annabel will be away in the second week, returning on Monday 15th October.

After that, things settle down for a while! Please make a time to see another doctor if your regular doctor is away, and we will ensure that any ongoing issues are handed over.

Dr Cara is away now and will be back on 16 August
Dr Jenny will be away from 3 August, returning to work on 13th August
Dr Joe will be away for 3 weeks starting 19 August

As always we will hand over your care as required to other doctors in our absence.

On July 1st 2018 Erskineville Doctors will be introducing a small increase to our fees. For a standard appointment it will cost $80 and for a long appointment $128. Your medicare rebate has increased by 1.5% for these items (now $37.60 and $72.80) which will help limit your out of pocket costs.

This is a first increase for Medicare rebates since 1 July 2014. It is a positive start, however a 1.5% increase in Medicare rebates for a limited number of attendance items is still well below the annual increase in our operating costs.

The fees charged by this practice cover all of our practice costs including employing receptionists and practice nurses, and meeting our operating expenses such as rent, medical equipment, electricity, computers and insurance. These costs increase annually.

If you have extenuating circumstances and are unable to afford this increase, please do discuss these with your treating medical practitioner.

December already! Just a heads up on what our doctors are up to over the next 2 months:

The practice will be closed on any public holidays in December and January.

Dr Annabel is away from Saturday 16 December and will be back on Tuesday 2 January. She is then away for the last week of January, starting Monday 22 January and back when school starts on Monday 29 January.

Dr Jenny will take a break from Thursday 21 December, and be back at work on Monday 8 January.

During the Xmas/NY week, the practice will be open in the mornings only on Wednesday 27, Thursday 28, Friday 29 and Saturday 30 December. Dr Shereena will be the only doctor working on those days.

Through January the other doctors will work their usual hours. Please be assured our doctors will hand over to each other to make sure you have continuity of care for any ongoing medical issues.

From 1 December 2017 there are some important changes the Pap test screening program (now known as the National Cervical Screening Program).

The key messages  are:

Younger women can wait to have cervical screening tests at the age of 25, where it used to be 18

Older women should have their next test at the time it is due (that is 2 years since your last Pap test, or sooner if you have been advised to do so previously)

Women will now be offered ongoing screening up to the age of 74

The test will still be like a Pap test, using a speculum, and with the doctor checking the cervix and taking a sample. The first test the lab will do is for Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) – this is the virus known to induce changes in cervical cells which could lead to cancer

If your result is negative for HPV, this is regarded as “low risk” result and you will be advised to have screening again after another 5 years

If your test is positive for HPV, the lab will do further testing to look at the cells and will provide advice about referrals or the optimum timeframe for ongoing monitoring

Even if you have had HPV vaccination (Gardasil) you should still participate in the screening program

If you are very nervous about having  a Pap test please discuss with your doctor. There is an option for women over 30 to provide a self-collected sample, though this has lower pick up rate for abnormalities.

This test is a screening test, which means that it is for a woman who does not have any symptoms. If you have any symptoms such as bleeding between your periods or after sex, an irregular menstrual cycle, vaginal discharge or pelvic pain you should come and see a doctor

Regardless of the timing of your cervical screening test, it’s a good idea to discuss sexual health screening with your doctor at any time and at any age if you have ever been sexually active. This is especially the case if you have a new sexual partner. This could include tests for sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia.

________________________________________________

We encourage all women to participate in cervical screening. Since it’s introduction it has had a significant impact on the rates of cervical cancer in Australia, but there are still cases diagnosed every year. The group of women who are haven’t had screening in more than 4 years are at higher risk.

Several organisations have put together more detailed information about the changes, and we are including some useful links below. If you still have questions, please talk to your doctor and make a plan for your next test. We can put a reminder in our system to email you when it’s due.

Some useful links

Family Planning NSW https://www.fpnsw.org.au/changes

Department of Health http://www.health.gov.au/internet/screening/publishing.nsf/Content/about-the-new-test#1

http://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2017-09-20/what-you-need-to-know-about-pap-smears-being-phased-out/8753278

http://theconversation.com/five-myths-about-the-new-cervical-screening-program-that-refuse-to-die-74077