Creek Road General Practice now has stock of the most recent adult COVID-19 vaccination available: Bivalent Pfizer Original/Omicron BA.4/5 vaccine.

As winter 2023 approaches below is an update regarding COVID-19 vaccination recommendations:

An excerpt from the recommendations which answers most questions is below. The full ATAGI recommendations are available here. Please note these are general recommendations, if you have questions specific to your situation please discuss with your treating doctor.

• ATAGI recommends a 2023 COVID-19 vaccine booster dose for adults in the following groups, if their last COVID-19 vaccine dose or confirmed infection (whichever is the most recent) was 6 months ago or longer, and regardless of the number of prior doses received: 
  • All adults aged 65 years and over
  • Adults aged 18-64 years who have medical comorbidities that increase their risk of severe COVID-19, or disability with significant or complex health needs.
• ATAGI advises the following groups should consider a 2023 booster dose if their last COVID-19 vaccine dose or confirmed infection (whichever is the most recent) was 6 months ago or longer, and regardless of the number of prior doses received, based on an individual risk benefit assessment with their immunisation provider. 
  • All Adults aged 18-64 years without risk factors for severe COVID-19
  • Children and adolescents aged 5-17 years who have medical comorbidities that increase their risk of severe COVID-19, or disability with significant or complex health needs.
• ATAGI advises that a booster dose is not recommended at this time for children and adolescents aged under the age of 18 who do not have any risk factors for severe COVID-19.
• Regarding vaccine choice, all currently available COVID-19 vaccines are anticipated to provide benefit as a booster dose, however bivalent mRNA booster vaccines are preferred over other vaccines. These include: Pfizer Original/Omicron BA.4/5, as well as Pfizer Original/Omicron BA.1 or Moderna Original/Omicron BA.1. Moderna Original/Omicron BA.4/5 is currently under evaluation by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
• COVID-19 vaccine can be co-administered with influenza and other vaccines.
• Administration of a 2023 COVID-19 booster dose should aim to occur prior to June 2023  and at a time of 6 months or greater following the most recent COVID-19 vaccine dose or confirmed infection.

 

Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic, Creek Road General Practice has attempted to limit financial stress for patients and their families by minimising out of pocket expenses.

The costs of providing high quality medical care have risen considerably over the last two years, and we are no longer able to offer routine bulk billing for children or Health Care Card holders.

At Creek Road General Practice, we understand that personal circumstances may make this a difficult adjustment, and if you are adversely impacted we encourage you to contact your Federal Member of Parliament to discuss why your Medicare rebates have not increased in line with the increasing costs of providing quality medical care.

As we reach mid to late March this year (already!) thought turns to the seasonal influenza vaccination.

Our recommendation is to come in to Creek Road General Practice for your flu vaccination between mid-April to mid-May to give you the best cover over the expected peak flu season.

Updates from ATAGI

This year there have been a few updates from ATAGI (AUSTRALIAN TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP ON IMMUNISATION) which we summarise below:

• During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been reduced circulation of influenza virus and lower levels of influenza vaccine coverage compared with previous years. With borders reopening, a resurgence of influenza is expected in 2022.
• All COVID-19 vaccines can be co-administered (given on the same day) with an influenza vaccine.
• For adults aged ≥65 years, the adjuvanted influenza vaccine, Fluad® Quad, is preferentially recommended over standard influenza vaccine.
• Timing of vaccination – vaccination should ideally occur before the onset of each influenza season. The period of peak influenza circulation is typically June to September in Queensland.  And while protection is generally expected to last throughout the year, the highest level of protection occurs in the first 3 to 4 months after vaccination. Given this, and the fact that it does take a couple of weeks to achieve full immunity post immunisation, mid-April to mid-May is our recommended time to receive your flu vaccination.

Eligibility for influenza vaccines funded by the National Immunisation Program (No cost for the vaccine)

• Annual influenza vaccination is recommended and funded for all children aged 6 months to <5 years, and all adults aged ≥65 years.
• Annual influenza vaccination is also recommended for all people aged 5 to <65 years of age, but only funded in the following specific populations in this age group due to their increased risk of complications from influenza:
  – all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
  – people who have certain medical conditions (see Table below)
  – pregnant women (during any stage of pregnancy).

If you are not the in above group, we have plenty of stock of private flu vaccinations for $20.

If you would like to see the full recommendations from ATAGI, they are available here.

We are a COVID-19 vaccination provider

Creek Road General Practice is pleased to advise that we are an approved vaccination provider for the COVID-19 vaccines (currently only the Pfizer Vaccination is provided at this practice). We are happy to help provide COVID-19 immunisation for our local area and wider community.

Booking your COVID-19 vaccination appointment

You can book on online, or call our helpful reception staff on 07 3123 4829.

Make sure you book an appointment for your first and second doses of the vaccine, and remember your booster dose has to be 6 months after your second dose was administered. If you are immunocompromised, please contact the practice to discuss a 3rd dose, which can be given 2 to 6 months after your second dose.

Getting ready for your appointment

Please do not come to your vaccination appointment:
• if you are feeling unwell with fever, cough, runny nose or other symptoms that
could be from COVID-19
• if you are waiting for COVID-19 test results, or have tested positive for COVID-19
• if you are a close contact of someone with COVID-19, or
• if you are in quarantine.
If you have had another vaccine in the 7 days before your COVID-19 vaccine
appointment, please let us know as we may need to reschedule your appointment.

If you cannot make it to your vaccination appointment, please contact us to arrange a new appointment.
You can also read this patient factsheet developed by the Australian Government Department of Health:

https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/covid-19-vaccination-preparing-for-covid-19-vaccination

 

Creek Road General Practice is now online with QScript, which is Queensland’s new real-time prescription monitoring system, aiming to improve safety in prescribing and use of medication.

All Queensland health practitioners are required by law to check QScript for patient records before:

• prescribing a monitored medicine
• dispensing a monitored medicine
• giving a treatment dose of a monitored medicine

Whilst this will give the doctor writing a script a clear view of when medications have been prescribed and dispensed, and hopefully will reduce medication errors and overuse, it also adds a further step in prescribing many medications. Given this, all scripts will require an appointment with your doctor.

For more information on Qscript, please see the Queensland Health website.

 

 

The availability of Telehealth (telephone or video consultation) has been utilised by a lot of our patients since it was brought in at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. There have however been a few changes over time, and further changes are taking effect on the 1st of July 2021. With this is mind, here are a few important points regarding Telehealth at Creek Road General Practice:

• In order to access Telehealth under Medicare, you must have attended Creek Road General Practice in person for a consultation in the past 12 months
• Telehealth consultations (Telephone and Video) are billed at the same rate as in person appointments (see our Fees page for more details)
• From 1st of July 2021, the only available services via telephone are short and standard consultations (eg less than 20 minutes)
• GP Mental Health Care Plans, GP Management Plans , reviews of these plans and appoints longer than 20 minutes can only be conducted via Video consultation or in person consultation
• For this reason, we strongly encourage our patients to try a video call rather than a phone call. At Creek Road General Practice we use the Australian Health Direct Video Call which is platform independent, meaning you can use any modern device (any mobile phone which has data available or computer with a webcam) and internet browser. It is a wholly secure environment which leaves no digital footprint from any participants

Creek Road General Practice has been using eScripts for the past month with great success. eScripts can be sent directly to your smart phone via SMS during either an in-person or Telehealth consultation, reducing the chance of misplacing a script and saving trees! If you want more information regarding eScripts you can visit the Australian Digital Health Agency website.

With Autumn upon us, the Influenza Vaccinations for the 2021 season are almost here.

Creek Road General Practice will have stock of both Private Vaccinations and Government Vaccinations in early to mid April. With this in mind, this blog post will cover what you need to know regarding Flu Vaccination in 2021.

When should I have the Flu Vaccination?

As per current Queensland Health recommendations, April is the earliest you should have the flu vaccination, unless there is a specific exposure you are concerned about, and discuss with your doctor. Further details are available from Queensland Health, but here is a summary:

The timing of vaccination should aim to achieve the highest level of protection during the peak of the influenza season. Flu season in Queensland is typically from June to September, with the peak usually in August.

Vaccinating from April provides protection before the peak season takes place. While protection is generally expected to last for the whole season, the best protection against influenza occurs within the first 3 to 4 months following vaccination.

Which Flu Vaccination should I get?

All vaccinations available in Australia this year are quadrivalent, meaning they all cover 4 strains of the flu virus. The one vaccination which is a bit different is Fluad Quad, which is specifically targeted at over 65s. As per Queensland Health we strongly recommend that every patient over 65 visit their GP to have Fluad Quad, rather than receiving a standard flu vaccination:

It is an adjuvanted (or enhanced) vaccine which is a standard dose flu vaccine with an added adjuvant to help create a stronger immune response to the vaccination. The 2021 vaccine contains the same components as the vaccine provided for other age groups but has the benefit of inducing a greater immune response in older people.

The enhanced quadrivalent influenza vaccine is the best form of protection against flu for older Queenslanders for the following reasons:

• Older people do not respond as well to standard influenza vaccine as the immune system response decreases with age.

• The enhanced vaccine is designed specifically to increase the immune system’s response to the vaccine, especially against the influenza A/H3N2 strain which is more common and severe in people aged 65 years and older.

What about COVID-19 Vaccination and Flu Vaccination?

This year there are additional considerations with the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccination, and the recommendation from Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) that there should be at least a 2 week gap between the COVID-19 vaccination and flu vaccination (not due to any risk associated with having them together, but to better track any possible vaccination side effects).

Am I Eligible for Government Funded (Free) Flu Vaccination?

Per guidelines from NCIRS, Annual influenza vaccination is both recommended and funded under the National Immunisation Program (NIP) for people aged ≥6 months who are at increased risk of severe influenza, including:
– all Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged ≥6 months
– all children aged 6 months to <5 years
– all adults aged ≥65 years
– people with specified medical conditions (refer to List below)
– pregnant women (during any stage of pregnancy).

• Cardiac disease – Cyanotic congenital heart disease, Congestive heart failure, Coronary artery disease
• Chronic respiratory conditions – Severe asthma (for which frequent medical consultations or the use of multiple medications is required), Cystic fibrosis, Bronchiectasis, Suppurative lung disease, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Chronic emphysema
• Chronic neurological conditions –  Hereditary and degenerative CNS diseases (including multiple sclerosis), Seizure disorders, Spinal cord injuries, Neuromuscular disorders
• Immunocompromising conditions – Immunocompromised due to disease or treatment (e.g. malignancy, transplantation and/or chronic steroid use), Asplenia or splenic dysfunction, HIV infection
• Diabetes and other metabolic disorders  – Type 1 diabetes ,Type 2 diabetes, Chronic metabolic disorders
• Renal disease – Chronic renal failure
• Haematological disorders – Haemoglobinopathies
• Long-term aspirin therapy in children aged 6 months to 10 years

As always, if you have specific questions regarding the Flu vaccination and your own health, book in to discuss further with your GP.

Please see our amended hours for the Christmas & New Year’s holiday periods below. All the staff at Creek Road General Practice would like to wish you a happy and safe Christmas & New Year.

December 22 – 8 am – 5 pm
December 23 – 8 am – 5 pm
December 24 – 8 am – 3 pm (Christmas Eve)
December 25 – Closed (Christmas Day)
December 26 – Closed (Boxing Day)
December 27 – Closed
December 28 – Closed (Boxing Day Public Holiday)
December 29 – 8 am – 5 pm
December 30 – 8 am – 5 pm
December 31 – 8 am – 3 pm (New Year’s Eve)
January 1 – Closed (New Year’s Day)
January 2 – Closed
January 3 – Closed
January 4 – 8 am – 5 pm (Resume Normal Hours)

 

Dear Patients of Creek Road General Practice,

During November and December 2020, we conducted a questionnaire in order to collect feedback from our patients and would like to thank everyone who participated.

We have now completed our analysis of the feedback and would like to share some of the significant findings with you.

Overall, we found that:

• Most of our patients are happy with the level of healthcare they receive at our practice
• Most of our patients are happy with the service they receive from our administration staff
• There are several ways we can improve the level of healthcare and service that we provide
• Patients of the practice have been mostly happy with our booking processes and systems

We are very pleased to report that most patients rated all aspects of our practice as ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’. In particular, the highest rated areas in the questionnaire were:

• Your clinician treated you with respect
• Your clinician made you feel comfortable
• That you had enough time to talk about the things that were important for you

The feedback also indicated areas that we can improve, including:

• The time you had to wait after you arrived at the clinic
• Ease of parking
• Getting an appointment for a time that suited you

As a result of the feedback collected from our patients, we are planning to make some changes to improve the services and care we provide. We will give you more information about these changes when we have finished our planning so you can see how your feedback is helping us improve.

Thank you again for your valuable contribution. Please call us on 07 31234829 if you have any questions regarding the feedback.

We look forward to continuing to provide you with quality healthcare.

The GPs and staff members at Creek Road General Practice

“The Swab”, a “Nose Tickle” or even a “Brain Scrape”. These are a few of the names that we have heard the COVID-19 test called. Medically we call it a “Nasopharyngeal Swab”, but as there have been lots of questions about it as the pandemic continues on, we will try to answer the common ones below.

Do I need to have a test?

Often if you are asking this question the answer is yes! In a public health update issued on 24/07/2020 Queensland Health has recommended the following:

Who should be tested?
Anyone with any of the following COVID-19 symptoms, no matter how mild:

• Fever or history of fever
• sore throat, rhinorrhoea (runny nose)
• cough, shortness of breath
• acute fatigue/myalgia/arthralgia (muscle or joint aches or pains)
• Loss of smell, loss of taste

Does this include Children?

In short, yes. All of the recommendations above apply to all ages.

How do I arrange a test?

For current patients of Creek Road General Practice,  we recommend that you either book online or call reception on 07 31234829 to organise  a telephone or telehealth consultation with your GP to arrange a test. In most instances, if you have symptoms but are not unwell, your GP can then organise a form for you to either have a swab at a pathology collection centre (walk in) or a drive through centre. If during the consultation with your GP it is determined you need physical review this will be facilitated.

The other option is to attend an Australian Govt sponsored respiratory clinic  with no consultation or referral required.

If your symptoms are serious, you should seek urgent medical attention by attending an emergency department. If it is a medical emergency, please call 000.

What actually is done during the test?

During the test, a thin, soft, flexible swab is passed into a nostril, as well as the back of the throat. There are a few moments of discomfort during the test, and a funny feeling that lasts for 30 seconds or so after. It is a safe and quick procedure, and the pathology collectors are getting plenty of practice!

The above explanation is obviously not as good as a real example, which you can see in this post from The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne (Thanks to Nurse Jen for passing this on).

How do I get my results?

If you have your test organised through Creek Road General Practice, your GP will call you when your results arrive in – usually between 24 and 72 hours after the test. Some pathology providers or hospitals will also send a text message when a swab is tested as negative.

Where can I get more information?

If you want personalised information regarding your own health or have concerns please organise an appointment with your GP.

If you would like more general information regarding COVID-19 please see the sites below:

Australian Government COVID-19 information

Queensland COVID-19 Statistics