MFHC Patient Information 22/3/20

In light of COVID-19 there have been new nationwide recommendations for General Practice to reduce our face to face consultations with patients as much as safely possible.

However if a patient needs to be seen, they can and will be seen.

We are reducing this physical contact to protect the health of our patients , especially those who are unwell and therefore more vulnerable from Covid 19. With this in mind we are going to implement two main strategies.

1. Offer non face to face consultations.

We will be offering all patients phone or email consultations when this is appropriate for their specific needs. We understand not all problems can be dealt with this way but a certain number will be and the challenge will be to identify those that can be safely managed by phone Tel: 03 385 3114 or by emailing us at admin@marshlands.pegasus.net.nz. Our usual consultation fee will apply whether seen in person or the consultation is managed on the phone/email.

1. Closing the waiting room.

The waiting room has been shown to be a frequent source of transmission of COVID-19 and so we have been advised to avoid patients waiting together.To this end those patients that do need to be seen in person and have come to the practice will be asked to follow these instructions.

• Patients will be asked when they arrive to wait in their cars
• Once they arrive to ring reception to let us know you are here, and which car you are in Tel: 03 385 3114
• The doctor seeing you will then come and escort you from your car to the consultation room
• IF you don’t have a cellphone, please come in and talk to reception then go back to your car
• IF waiting in your car isn’t possible ( e.g. you aren’t in a car) please alert us and we will arrange alternative waiting space
• IF you feel unwell while waiting, or you are concerned about how unwell you feel (ie significant breathlessness, chest pain, feeling faint ) please let reception know.

Our priority with these measures is to avoid any spread of Covid 19 while providing safe and appropriate medical care to our patients.

All online booking will be blocked at present. Any appointments will need to be made by ringing reception so we can help decide whether you will need to be seen in person. If possible we will fax prescriptions to pharmacies to save them being picked up in person, online payment is preferable to paying in the practice and all medical certificates, forms can be scanned and emailed to you.

As before if you have symptoms of fever, cough, breathlessness or body aches, have recently traveled overseas or been in contact with a case of covid 19 please alert us to this straight away.

Thank you for your understanding and patience in these unusual and stressful times. Please be assured we will be here to provide the healthcare you need.

This is a quickly evolving situation and so we will endeavor to keep you up to date with any changes as promptly as possible.