Thank you for taking the time to read this important update from Creek Road General Practice. Extra measures are still being taken to ensure that we continue to support you physically and mentally through these  times. These measures are outlined below:

We are transitioning back to our usual billing policy. Please speak to reception for more details regarding our phased return to usual billing practices.

We are continuing to offer Telehealth (video or phone consultations) to all patients. You can book these appointments online through the HotDoc app with your preferred practitioner.

All mental health and physical health care plans (GP management plans) can be performed via Telehealth. These remain Bulk Billed.

In-person consultations must be booked by contacting reception via phone. Rest assured that should you need to attend for a physical appointment that we are maintaining strict infection control practices.

When arriving for an appointment, patients are to wait in their car until called through to the Doctor’s office. Please call reception when you arrive, and they will advise your Doctor that you are waiting in the car park.

Where possible please limit the number of people attending the appointment with you. Fewer people in the practice allows us to better keep the space safe for everyone and adhere to social distancing rules.

These measures help keep all of us safe and give you peace of mind that our surgery is a safe place to attend to receive medical care.

Thank you for taking the time to read this important update from Creek Road General Practice. We understand that this pandemic has been a difficult time for us all. Please be reassured that as your Doctors we endeavour to provide the best quality of care to you and your family now and in the future. Extra measures are being taken to ensure that we continue to support you physically and mentally through these unprecedented times. These measures are outlined below:

Most services will now be BULK BILLED until the pandemic subsides. We understand that our community as whole is under financial strain. We will notify you in advance of changes to our billing policies when they eventually occur.

We are offering Telehealth (video or phone consultations) to all patients. You can book these appointments online through the HotDoc app with your preferred practitioner.

All mental health and physical health care plans (GP management plans) can be performed via Telehealth. These remain BULK BILLED.

In-person consultations must be booked by contacting reception via phone. Rest assured that should you need to attend for a physical appointment (eg vaccination) that we are maintaining strict infection control practices.

When arriving for an appointment, patients are to wait in their car until called through to the Doctor’s office. Please call reception when you arrive, and they will advise your Doctor that you are waiting in the car park.

Where possible please limit the number of people attending the appointment with you. Fewer people in the practice allows us to better keep the space safe for everyone and adhere to social distancing rules.

These measures help keep all of us safe and give you peace of mind that our surgery is a safe place to attend to receive medical care.

Finally, we have become aware some organisations are advertising “Free Telehealth” appointments. This care is often rushed, fragmented and of suboptimal quality. We recommend you contact us if you need medical support and care. We provide Telehealth and safe physical appointments for all our patients. We aim to provide the best quality of care and would like to support you through this pandemic and beyond.

If you want to read more about why you should perform Telehealth with your usual General Practice, please click here.

With the emergence of COVID-19 there has been a huge shift for society in general and innovation in many industries. One of the most exciting changes in healthcare in Australia is the ability to now perform Telehealth (either phone or video) consultations with GPs and Specialists.

These new arrangements, however, create new decisions for patients – in particular who to consult. Along with traditional local General Practices offering Telehealth there are also some online organisations who advertise heavily. With this in mind, below we list 5 reasons why we believe you should continue to access your regular General Practice for your Telehealth care.

1. Continuity of Care. This is a cornerstone of general practice. The ability to be seen at the same practice long term has proven benefit. Fascinatingly, not only are you less likely to end up in hospital if you go to the same practice, it is also associated with a lower risk of dying. For those of you who like to read scientific articles, here are a couple of references for this point – https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/8/6/e021161 , https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4979943/

 

2. The ability of your Doctor to view your entire medical record, including recent visits to the practice, allergies, medical history, current medications, previous investigations, referrals and letters from Specialists. How many of us can recall all of the aforementioned points? If you are a long-term patient of a practice, your Doctor will have this information at their fingertips to help inform their decision on both diagnosis and management of your condition.

 

3. The ability of your Doctor to review you physically if you need it. There are many problems that we are now finding can be safely and effectively managed via Telehealth. However, there are certainly times that during a Telehealth consultation we will determine that an examination with your Doctor is required. Should you use a purely online service, the only available advice would be to either present to another GP and duplicate the history you just went through, or to perhaps attend an emergency department. Clearly seeing the GP you have just told your history to is advantageous.

 

4. The ability to choose which Doctor you see. A number of the online platforms do not give you an option which Doctor you are assigned to. Doctors come in varying levels of experience, qualifications, special interest areas and not to mention personality! If you have a specific problem, you may well benefit from seeing a GP who has an interest in that area. In our experience, almost all bricks and mortar General Practices have both their GPs’ qualifications and special interest areas available on their websites. Obviously if you have met your doctor before in person you will both be familiar with each other’s communication styles which makes talking to them on the phone or via video consultation easier as well.

 

5. The ability of your Doctor to follow-up results and letters back from Specialists. Many studies over the years have shown that people on average recall about half of what is recommended in a medical consultation. (See here if you want a recent study showing this https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0191940#abstract0). When you get a referral from your regular GP, once the Specialist has seen you, they typically will return a report to the referring doctor, usually with a diagnosis and management plan. This is typically read by your GP, and then recommendations are put in your file, along with reminders regarding required follow-up, and changes may be made to your medical history and medications. Having this valuable health information in the hands of a practice you will see long term is beneficial, compared to having this information sent to a Doctor you will likely never meet in person and possibly never speak to again.

 

Important Information Regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19)  – Telehealth Available to ALL Patients

As of Monday 30/03/2020 all medicare card holders are entitled to access bulk billed (ie, no out of pocket cost)  telehealth consultations with their GP. Quite a number of consultations that we previously needed to perform in person can be performed over the phone or via video consultation to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 to both you and your GP.  This includes, but is not limited to; organising scripts or referrals, discussing results, mental health consultations and chronic disease management plans (care plans).

There are however a number of types of consultations which patients need to attend the practice, including vaccinations (eg flu vaccination or children’s vaccinations) and any problem which requires being physically examined by your GP.

Given the above, we have changed our online booking system to only allow telehealth consultations to be booked online. Should you require an in person consultation, please call the practice on 07 31234829 to work out the best way of caring for you.

Important Information for All Patients Regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) 

As of Monday 16/03/2020 we are asking all patients who have a fever or respiratory symptoms to call the practice on 07 31234829  before booking to work out the best way of caring for you, and protecting other patients of the practice.

Patients who meet certain criteria – either being a “case suspect” or being at higher risk of complications from Cornovavirus may be able to organise either a phone or video consultation with their usual GP rather than attend the practice – further details are below.

Given the above, we are currently suspending our morning kids clinics until further notice.

Case Suspect Definition

The definition of a “case suspect”, that is, someone who is considered to possibly have Coronavirus has just changed with the emergence of transmission of the virus in Australia (ie, now not just people returning from overseas travel). According to current advice available here  all patients who meet the below criteria should be considered to possibly have Coronavirus:

• you have returned from overseas in the 14 days before you feel unwell
• you have been a close or casual contact of a confirmed COVID-19 case in the 14 days before you feel unwell
• you have a fever or acute respiratory infection (e.g. shortness of breath, cough, sore throat) with or without fever
• you have a severe community-acquired pneumonia and no other cause of it is clear to your doctor, with or without recent international travel
• if you are a healthcare worker with direct patient contact and have a fever (≥37.5) and an acute respiratory infection (e.g. shortness of breath, cough, sore throat)

Given the above, we ask all patients who meet any of the above criteria to phone the practice on 07 3123 4829 before booking an appointment.  If you have serious symptoms such as difficulty breathing, call 000 for urgent medical help.

Who Qualifies for Phone or Video Consultations?

Patient at risk of COVID-19 virus means a person that:

(a) has been diagnosed with COVID-19 virus but who is not a patient of a hospital; or

(b) has been required to isolate themselves in quarantine in accordance with home isolation guidance issued by Australian Health Protection Principal Committee; or

(c) considered more susceptible to the COVID-19 virus being:

(i) at least 70 years old, or

(ii) at least 50 years old or over if of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent; or

(iii) pregnant; or

(iv) a parent of a child under 12 months; or

(v) a person under treatment for chronic health conditions or who are immune compromised

OR

Health professional is at risk of COVID-19 virus means a person that:(a) has been diagnosed with COVID-19 virus but who is not a patient of a hospital; or(b) has been required to isolate themselves in quarantine in accordance with home isolation guidance issued by Australian Health Protection Principal Committee; or

General Coronavirus Information

The Australian Government has now created a dedicated page about Novel Coronavirus which can be found here. This page is being actively updated as more is learnt about the virus and it’s activity in Australia.

 

New Service-Kids Quick Clinics

At Creek Road General Practice, we understand that kids can get sick unexpectedly, and how stressful it can be to find an appointment with your GP.

For this reason, from Monday 17th of Feb 2020, we will be running Quick Clinics for unwell kids every weekday morning at 8am. There is no need to make an appointment – you just turn up with your unwell child and they will be seen by one of our experienced doctors for a short consultation. These appointments are perfect for reviewing children with fevers, rashes and other acute problems. We can also assess if your child is well enough to go to school or daycare.

Depending on demand on the day, there may be a short wait for your child’s appointment.

Please note: this service is currently available to existing patients and is not for routine age health checks or chronic conditions. As always you can make a normal appointment by ringing us on 3123 4829 or booking through our website www.creekroadgp.com.au.

 

The Australian Government has now created a dedicated page about Novel Coronavirus which can be found here. This page is being actively updated as more is learnt about the virus and it’s activity in Australia.

Current advice is that in Australia, people most at risk of contracting the virus are people who have:

• been in mainland China recently
• been in close contact with someone who is has a confirmed case of coronavirus

If you have travelled to mainland China within the past 14 days, or have been in close contact with a confirmed case, you must isolate yourself in your home for 14 days after returning or after contact.

As there are still a large number of unknowns with the emerging health issue of novel coronavirus, as a practice our advice remains the same as our previous post update available here:

All patients who have signs of fever, cough, sore throat or breathing difficulty need to contact the practice before their appointment on 07 3123 4829.

 

 

There are still a large number of unknowns with the emerging health issue of novel coronavirus. Given this uncertainty, as a practice we want to protect your health along with the health of other patients of the practice. For this reason we ask that all patients who have signs of fever, cough, sore throat or breathing difficulty contact the practice before their appointment on 07 3123 4829 to get advice on how to best care for you.

Current advice from the Australian Government is available at Statement on Novel Coronavirus on behalf of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), with the key new updates being:

1. People who have been in contact with any confirmed novel coronavirus cases must be isolated in their home for 14 days following exposure;
2. Returned travellers who have been in Hubei Province of China must be isolated in their home for 14 days after leaving Hubei Province, other than for seeking individual medical care.