Family Health Care

COVID-19 Update

Kia ora kotou katoa. Things are changing fast here at THC as we try keep ahead of COVID 19. Please see below for important announcements.

• Flu vaccines are available only by appointment, for over 65 year olds, and anyone with a chronic medical condition (if you have had one funded previously, then this still applies). By mid April we plan to start doing them for everyone else, please await further notice regarding this.
• Please like our facebook page for daily updates: www.facebook.com/taupohealth
• We are here for you, and still all working and taking appointments. To keep you and our staff safe, we aim to do as many appointments as possible over the phone.
• You can not make an appointment with your specific doctor until further notice, but you can request a message be passed on to them. This is so we can remain flexible and ready for whatever comes our way in the next few weeks.
• We aim to have no one entering the surgery unplanned. All scripts will be faxed to pharmacies. All forms will be emailed, faxed or posted. We would never turn anyone away unwell, but appreciate if you can call us first, to arrange for this to be done in the safest way possible (for you and our staff).
• You can continue to contact staff, including your doctor, via the managemyhealth app. However, please consider how busy our staff are currently, and that they may take a few days to reply.
• If you have a current booked appointment, you will be contacted to see if this can be changed to a phone consult.
• If anyone is struggling, feeling overwhelmed, or has mental health concerns, you can book a phone consult with one of our great ‘HIPs’, or call or text 1737 anytime, for support from a trained counsellor.

Need a routine appointment? Call and you can be booked in for a phone consultation (we’re working towards being able to soon offer you video consults too!).

Need a same day/urgent appointment? Our receptionists will take your details and someone (a nurse or a doctor) will call you back within the hour (possibly 2 hours if we’re very busy) to help assess if you need to come in, or if your matter can be safely managed with a same day phone consultation with a doctor. For emergencies please call 111.

Concerned you might have COVID19? Call 0800 358 5453, someone can help arrange for you to be tested if required. We have a separate clinic in Taupo that is doing all our testing, so do not come to our clinic. HOWEVER, if you are really unwell we need to know, call us!

Need something done at our clinic? Anything that can be postponed, e.g. liquid nitrogen, blood pressure checks, etc, we’d appreciate if you could wait until we are back to COVID-19 Status 2. For anything that can’t wait, please call give us your details, a nurse can call you back to arrange an appointment time, e.g. vaccines, minor surgery, women’s health procedures.

Child due their immunisations? These are going ahead as usual, and should not be postponed, unless someone in the family is unwell with cold symptoms. Please call us, as above, and a nurse will be in touch to schedule this.

Thank you everyone for your support and understanding whilst we adapt and adjust to keep our community safe. These are testing times, but together with a bit of mahi and aroha we can get through this.

Kia kaha.

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