IT’S BEEN A BUSY YEAR AND WE WANTED TO SHARE SOME NEWS WITH YOU AS TO WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE AT CIVIC

NEW LOOK TO OUR NEWSLETTERS

Our newsletters will now look a little different,

We’ve been working on creating a more “user-friendly” version for our newsletters. If you 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 are some valuable information shared on 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.

COVID-19

Covid has kept us very busy since February,

We have had 2 years of keeping it out while we prepare to learn to live with it in our community. Civic has had over 2500 cases registered since late February 2022. That is 36% of our total patients and the number could be higher as not all cases are registered. We are currently averaging about 7 new cases per day. For most patients Covid-19 has been a mild illness but we have had some patients that have been severely ill. This load added to the nasty winter cold and flu illnesses that has had our entire health system under pressure and Civic has been no different. Below is a chart of the Daily Active Cases at Civic. We are looking forward to Summer and less of the nasty winter ills. 

CHANGES TO OUR GP TEAM

Doctors leaving…

Dr Ian Bryce is retiring from 29th September 2022. We have been very lucky to keep Ian around for another year and his help through these tough Covid times has been much appreciated. Ian has been a part of the Practice for 36 years and has doctored generations of patients. He has certainly seen some changes in those times and has earned a well-deserved retirement. We wish him luck on the golf course and some relaxing days on the water.  

Doctors staying…

Dr Henry McKee - Henry has been with us since April and will be with us until next April. He hails from Ireland and has worked and travelled to some interesting places. We are keeping him very busy and he has fitted in well as part of the Civic Team.

Dr Lynsey Cockerill - Lynsey is packing her bags in the UK at the moment and will arrive, with her husband and their Chocolate Lab – Boulder, at the end of September. We will settle her in and she will be a great asset to the Civic Team.

Looking for new doctors…

Watch the Space – We also have another Doctor looking at starting in April 2023 and he will be settling his family here permanently which is very exciting. We are just confirming final details and we will let you all know about him.

We are still actively recruiting around the world looking for new GPs. There is a NZ wide shortage of GPs so we have done very well to recruit as we have. We are using all our resources to entice them here to Marlborough and to CIVIC.  

We are aware of the gap in Doctors leaving some patients in limbo between Doctors. All our GP’s are here to help and as soon as we have some stability, you will be able to move to one of the new Doctors.

Please be patient with us while we try to find a way forward with a shortage of Doctors and still meeting our 7,000 patient’s needs.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT STAFF

Nurse Practitioner

Clinical Pharmacist

Claire has fitted well into our team and is seeing patients. She is an amazing source of knowledge on all things pharmaceutical. Claire will be able to educate patients about their medications and how they work together, side effects and monitoring. Claire and Sally are working together for patients with Chronic conditions who need any extra support in understanding their condition and medications.

APPOINTMENTS

We are aware of the long wait times to see a Doctor for a routine appointment at the moment. We have had a rough few months with dealing with Covid in our community and winter colds and flus. This has had an effect on our team with numerous staff absences. Unfortunately when a Doctor calls in Sick for a week, we have a weeks worth of patients to try and accommodate elsewhere. This puts pressure on the appointments available and our team trying to fit everyone in. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Routine appointments,

Please remember to book these well ahead to avoid disappointment. The wait time is still a few weeks out but we are improving all the time. Some warmer weather and less colds, flus and Covid will help with demand so we are all looking forward to Spring and some sunshine.

Same Day / Urgent appointments,

Calls for these appointments start at 8am and we have been inundated most days. The nurses do an excellent job of talking to/advising patients and squeezing urgent cases in where we can to see a Doctor. If we cannot fit you in, the Urgent Care Centre at the Hospital is the next option. They too have been stretched and the wait could be long so we will do our best to help, before we suggest you going there.

Phone & Virtual appointments,

If you think your needs may be met with a Phone or Virtual appointment, talk to our receptionists and they will arrange that for you.

Appointments are 15minutes long,

Patient appointments are 15 minutes long. If patients come with a long list of concerns, one appointment will not be long enough. Do not be offended if the Doctor limits the appointment.   

Our Doctors do sometimes run late and this can be frustrating for patients and us and puts the doctor under a lot of pressure. Sometimes this is due to an emergency and this cannot be helped. But often it is due to a patient having an unscheduled long appointment. 

You can help us relieve some of this frustration and anxiety by being aware that appointments are 15 minutes and planning accordingly.   

If you do have a list of concerns, please limit your consult to the most important thing to deal with first or please make a double appointment.

Check with reception as to whether your Doctor is running late. They often have an idea and can let you know. Please be kind.

EMAILS

We are seeing an increase in the use of emails by patients to communicate with their Doctor. This is through Manage My Health and also directly. This is a great way to send information and to send simple requests but the workload involved can be too much.

Please do not use emails for urgent enquiries,

Doctors will get to the emails but with a full day of patients and all the paperwork that it brings, these are not priority. This includes any emails received requesting a prescription – it may be longer than 48 hours.

Please do not use emails instead of a consultation,

If an email is received that is requesting medical advice, it may be rejected and the patient may get a call to make an appointment. 

Please be aware that email replies may incur a charge,

It takes time for our Doctors to answer emails and complete the work required, ie prescriptions, referrals or an email reply. This can equate to the time and work the same as a consultation and charges will be incurred for this work. Any email that requires more than a Yes or No answer will incur a charge.  

PRESCRIPTION REQUESTS

Normal prescription requests are a 48hr turnaround. We do our best to stick to this at least and try to do better if we can. If the request is after 2pm, it may be 48 hours after the start of the next day.

Same Day prescription requests,

When requesting a Same Day Urgent prescription,  there is a cut-off of 2pm.   Prescriptions requested after 2pm will not be completed until the next day to allow time for processing and Doctors to sign off.

GOODBYE TO THE R.A.C. (RESPIRATORY ASSESSMENT CABIN)

The Cabin in our Carpark has been a great asset to have during the past couple of months helping us keep the Practice safe and still enabling us to see Respiratory patients as needed. Thank you for your patience as we have navigated the changing world including Covid in our Community.

The Cabin will be removed shortly as we are now using a Consult room that is just inside the entrance of the Foyer before the Practice entrance. The plan will be the same as the Cabin and patients will wait in their vehicles until the Doctor comes out to invite them in. This keeps our waiting room and the Practice clear of respiratory patients and helps us to keep our team and vulnerable patients safe.

GOODBYE TO RECEPTION BORDER CONTROL

Please:

1. If you have any respiratory symptoms, cough, runny nose or flu symptoms, do not come into the Practice and call us to arrange the safest way for us to see you.

2. Please be aware of distancing when at the counter to help keep everyone safe.

3. If you are unable to wear a mask, let us know. We are happy to see you but need to ensure we are all safe so can arrange for you to be seen in Consult 10 and not have you wait in the waiting room for your safety and for our vulnerable patients.

BE KIND

We have really appreciated the kindness of most of our patients.  

We have been working in trying times with a lot of staff shortages. The staff that are left have been working hard and doing their best for our patients while under a lot of pressure.  

We are happy to listen to issues, complaints or ideas as this is how we learn and grow and we are here to help.

We are looking forward to Spring/Summer and saying goodbye to all the winter ills and chills.

Stay safe and look after each other – The Sunshine is coming.

GOOD HEALTH TO YOU,  FROM THE TEAM AT CIVIC HEALTH