September 2024 Newsletter

CIVIC NEWSLETTERS

Our newsletters continue to be well-received by patients and we’re continuously working on getting this out to as many patients as possible. If patients wish not to receive these emails and updates, please select the “Unsubscribe” button located at the bottom of this email to remove your email address from our mailer list.

There’s some valuable information shared in these updates and our aim is not to flood your inbox with unnecessary emails, but to keep you updated every once in a while, as to what’s happening here at CIVIC.

It is with regret that CIVIC Family Health Care has increased the fees we charge patients for consultations from the 1st September.    The details of the new fees are on our website – click here.

This decision was not one we wanted to make and has not been made lightly.   We know many households are struggling with the increased cost of living and understand this increase will sadly only make healthcare more unaffordable and more inequitable. 

We want to be transparent with patients about the reasons for the fee increase.   With government funding for primary care increasing at only 4% in the last year and our costs having risen more than 9% this last 12 months alone, we have been left with no choice. 

Many of us in primary care have made repeated calls for the government to at least increase funding levels to cover rising costs.    Our efforts have not resulted in sustainable funding for a number of years now.    Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora has directed that any funding shortfall is to be made up by patient fee increases, not government funding.  

We will continue to offer reduced costs or free services for children and CSC holders.  We also have some access to limited funding streams that we can use to help certain patients access medical care.   If you are worried about paying your account with us or accessing healthcare, please talk to our team who will be able to advise and help or email business@civichealth.co.nz. We are very happy to help where we can.  

We will continue to put our case to the government and if you, like us, feel that the funding of healthcare in New Zealand needs to be reviewed, we encourage you to reach out to our local MP or the health minister Hon Dr Shane Reti - s.reti@ministers.govt.nz 

The Team at CIVIC Family Health Care wants to assure you that your wellbeing is our top priority, and we remain committed to providing you with the best care possible. 

There will be various options available for patients on the day, should they require medical assistance.

1. A Nurse will be available to take your call through our afterhours service. They will triage your symptoms and advise the best plan for the day. Calls can be made to our standard practice number on 03 578 0199. Your call will automatically be diverted to our afterhours service.

2. PracticePLUS will be available as an alternative option for acute care to patients and offer Same Day Virtual Appointments. They are available weekdays until 10pm and weekends and public holidays 8am – 8pm. To book an appointment. Click HERE

3. A local pharmacy can also offer advice and treatment on a range of ailments such as;

   Athletes Foot, B12 injection, Constipation, Cold Sores, Coughs and Colds, Conjunctivitis for those aged over 2 years, Contraceptive pill, Covid vaccinations and antivirals , Dry skin, nappy rash, small patches of impetigo (less than 3 areas), abrasions, bruises, insect bites & sunburn, Emergency contraception, Head lice, Mouth ulcers, Pregnancy vaccinations, Pain relief, Piles, Flu vaccinations, Hay-fever, Sore throats & earache for less than 3 days, Smoking cessation, Thrush (between ages 16 to 65), UTI (between ages 16 - 65, not pregnant), Warts & verruca’s. Visit them on the day for further information or advice.

4. Healthline also offer FREE 24/7 health advice over the phone. Contact them on 0800 611 116.

5. The Marlborough Urgent Care Centre will be open between 8am and 8pm on the day if patients need to be seen urgently by a GP on the day. They are located on Wairau Hospital Grounds on Hospital Road. Contact 03 520 6377.

6. The Emergency Department located at Wairau Hospital will be available for medical emergencies, afterhours (10pm onwards). This option should be kept as a last resort for urgent medical care.

7. In the event of any other medical emergency, please contact 111. This could be in circumstances such as, Chest pain, Difficulty breathing, Severe bleeding, Severe pain.

Monthly Health Promotion

CIVIC shared some information earlier this year about a Monthly Health Campaign that we started.

What this means is that every month we focus on a specific health topic or condition and throughout the month the team promotes this to patients. This could include:

• Discussions between patients and their clinician(s)

• Physical resources patients could take away which will be displayed on our notice board or around the waiting areas.

• Full, detailed information on our website with links to additional resources. The information will also be available throughout the year for patients to refer back to and,

• Facebook posts for patients who follow us on FB

Having a monthly health focus enables our team, clinical and administration alike to learn more about certain conditions and share valuable resources amongst each other that’s beneficial for staff and patients. This also enables our team to educate patients regarding certain symptoms and conditions they may not be aware of or help others understand more about various diseases if they have a friend or family member living with such a condition

This month we are focusing on Men’s Health. We delve into topics such as prostate cancer, general men’s health as well as additional resources to issues including diabetes, blood pressure, mental health, erectile dysfunction and more. Our website has heaps of information including “The Man WoF” by Scotty Morrison, Health Quizzes + Questionnaire by “menshealthweek”. Men, you don’t want to miss out on what we have instore for you! Visit our webpage for full details HERE.

If you take 30 minutes, even if only booked for 15minutes, you may be charged for two consultations. 

Our doctors try not to run late but having patients taking longer than 15 minutes is the biggest cause.    When a doctor runs late, this makes it very hard on the patients following and often it has a roll-on effect with the doctor running later and later.     

Please be considerate of the patients after you and keep to 15 minutes. 

Make the most of your time with the Doctor by prioritising what you are here to see them for.     If you have a list, the doctor will help you to prioritise, and what can be dealt with in the appointment time.  

If you have a long list, make a double appointment with the doctor to ensure you can deal with as much as possible.    

Reason for visit/booking

When you phone to book an appointment or when you book an appointment on the patient portal, please do not be offended when you are asked for the reason for your visit.  We are not just being nosey.    This information is to help our doctors organise their day and be prepared for what is coming in the door.   It can also help with organising a longer or different appointment if we think this is needed.    

We just need it in a couple of words to highlight your appointment for the doctor – not all the details.  If you prefer not to say,  please just say that.   

We are here to help and make everyone’s days go smoothly.   Thank you for your help with this.  

Monthly Statements

If you do not pay on the day, we will send a statement at the start of the next month as a reminder.   If we do not have your email address or you are not on the portal, this will mean we post the statement to you.     The cost of postage, printing and envelope is now very expensive, so we are going to have to start charging a monthly statement fee of $3 on these accounts. 

To avoid this fee patients can: 

• Pay the account on day of consult or prescription, or 

• Have their email on file so we can email any statement, or 

• Register on our patient portal – MyIndici – We can send the statement through this and you will also be able to make payment via the portal, see your notes, order prescriptions for cheaper and book appointments. 

Awatere Valley Patients

CIVIC Family Health Care is considering establishing a GP clinic in Seddon.  We have quite a cohort of Awatere and further South patients.   This clinic would only be for those patients enrolled with CIVIC in the Awatere/Ward area.     At this stage, it is an investigation as to viability and in the planning stages.   As part of that we would like to know who would support this.  We would like to ask a couple of questions of our wonderful Awatere patients to gauge local support.  Visit the link provided below.

We continue to have issues with the Southern Cross claiming system.    As a result, we will be discontinuing the use of it from the 1st of October 2024.   

We have tried to resolve the issues but with the limits the system sets, how unreliable it is and the variety of policies that our patients have, it has become untenable for us to keep using this system.   We will keep in contact with Southern Cross and if the system is upgraded in the future, we will have another go.  

We apologise for this inconvenience, but patients will need to pay for their appointments, etc and make their own claims with Southern Cross from the 1st of October 2024. Thank you for your understanding.

About Them

The Marlborough Sustainable Housing Trust is a not-for-profit charity.

The Trust’s Purpose

The purpose of the Trust is as follows: To undertake actions, initiatives and programmes to promote and provide affordable housing to benefit people in charitable need with significant housing needs in Marlborough, particularly those in housing need associated with age, health problems or disability.

The Purpose is supported by and may include without limitation:

• To carry out land development and/or residential building in Marlborough.

• To work with organisations and parties interested in the development of affordable, accessible housing.

• To assist those referred to in 4.1 through education and advisory services to access appropriate, adequate and affordable housing.

• To acquire assets as are necessary to achieve the charitable purposes of the Trust.

• To generally do or perform all such acts, matters or things as may be incidental or conducive to the attainment of any of the foregoing purposes.

Click HERE to visit their website for more information or if you would like to register your interest, follow the link below

Marlborough Community Vehicle Trust

The Marlborough Community Vehicle Trust (MCVT) is a charitable trust operated 100% by volunteers.

Their mission is to provide safe, reliable, and affordable transportation services for people in Marlborough who need to travel to medical appointments within the Nelson Marlborough region. As a registered charitable organisation, they strive to improve the quality of life for Marlburians.

You can expect professionalism and care from each of their trained and vetted volunteer drivers. With over 2,000 successful trips completed since our founding in 2016, you can count on then to get you there.

Travel with them is available to anyone in Marlborough via a $20 lifetime membership fee.