5th May, 2020 

21st April, 2020

A current clinical trial is being conducted to learn more about the safety and/or possible side effects that the study vaccines (known as Afluria Quad/ Afluria Quad Junior) have on children aged from 6 months to less than 9 years.

All study related visits, exams, care and study vaccine(s) will be provided at no cost.

If you are interested please speak with your Doctor, ask for a brochure and/or contact Donna at AUSTRIALS Wellers Hill on 0410 212 115 or 3278 5255.

www.austrials.com.au

12th April, 2020

Happy Easter to all our wonderful patients! We understand celebrations are a little different this year and we hope you are keeping safe at home during this difficult time.

We will be open Monday 13^th April for PHONE CONSULTATIONS ONLY with Dr Nick Gianarakis from 8am – 10am. Eligible patients who fit the Medicare criteria will be bulk billed, and for those who don’t, the cost is $67 with a Medicare rebate of $38.20.

Bookings can be made from 8am Monday morning by calling us on 3848 2111.

31st March, 2020 

We, at the Wellers Hill Medical Centre wish to update you about how we are managing the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We have implemented several changes to our practice to address these issues.

• We will be offering telephone consultations, where appropriate, and looking at other innovative methods of consultations

• We will remain open and offer face to face consultations and will be mindful of those who are facing hardship

We have restructured our medical centre in the following way:

• All patients will be greeted at the main entrance by a nurse who will take your temperature and assess the risk of respiratory infection

• If you are immobile you may come up in the lift, ring the bell on the 3^rd floor and wait for a nurse to triage you

• Patients with respiratory symptoms will be asked to wear a mask and will be directed to the “Respiratory Clinic”. This has been structurally altered to create an area for waiting and consultations isolated from the rest of the practice

• Those with potential Coronavirus symptoms will be managed by telephone consult or seen in their cars, parked under our building in dedicated Coronavirus car parking spaces. Those patients must remain in their cars and will be given a mask to wear

• Patients with no symptoms of respiratory illness, will sit in the front waiting room or outside

We have done this to create a safe environment for all and to be able to safely continue with routine health measures such as influenza vaccinations and childhood immunisations.  It is vitally important that particularly the childhood vaccinations be given at the appropriate time.

We have a dedicated area for flu vaccine clinics.  We would like to bring to your attention that there is a supply shortage of these vaccines both private and government funded. We will keep updating our website and Facebook page to keep you up to date with what is happening.

We are mindful of social distancing and have marked separate entry and exit lanes, where to stand at reception and where to sit in the various waiting rooms.   We are erecting Perspex shields at reception.  We are also practising hand hygiene measures, wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment and wiping with disinfectant all surfaces, furniture, keyboards, mouse and equipment used after each patient has been seen

We would like to reassure you all that we are not operating as a “Fever Clinic”.  These clinics have been set up by the government to triage large numbers of patients considered “at risk”.  What we have done here at Wellers Hill Medical Centre is for the benefit of our patients and community.  We are doing our very best to ensure that any patient suspected of having Coronavirus is dealt with in ways that ensure they do not need to enter the practice at all.

We will continue to adapt as the need arises during these unprecedented times and will continue to support our community.

Thank you for your understanding.

19th March, 2020

The outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a rapidly evolving situation and as this situation unfolds, our priority is to care for all our patients and the local community. To support this, we are making important changes based on the advice and recommendations we receive from Metro South Public Health.

Making appointments over the phone

Before we can book appointments, our friendly reception staff will be asking a few simple questions to allow us to identify any patients that are considered at risk of COVID-19.

Triaging at entry points

Before entering our practice, we have one of our dedicated nurses screening each patient including taking their temperature. This is to ensure no at risk patients are entering our practice.

Waiting Rooms

We have dedicated our front waiting room for our patients who are well and our back-waiting room for our patients who are sick. We are hoping this will help minimise the spread of infection. We are also asking you to observe social distancing. This means taking a good step back from our front counter and not leaning on it when checking in or out.

Cleaning

Our practice has increased our already high level of infection control measures ensuring all horizontal surfaces and frequently touched areas are cleaned more regularly. This includes wiping down door handles, our front counter, pens, EFTPOS machines, lift buttons and railings.

Telehealth Services

Patients who are considered at risk of COVID-19 whether from overseas travel in the past 14 days or close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 can now make an appointment for a telehealth consultation with one of our Doctors who will also advise you instructions on next steps if further testing or treatment is required.

A telehealth consult may also be available for those patients who meet the Medicare criteria and have been seen at our practice in the past 12 months. Please contact us for more details.

We appreciate your patience and understanding during this difficult time.

19th March, 2020

13th March, 2020 

If you are experiencing symptoms of fever, cough, sore throat or shortness of breath and have:

• Travelled overseas in the last 14 days

OR

• Have been in close contact with a suspected or confirmed case of Coronavirus

PLEASE DO NOT ATTEND OUR PRACTICE, PHONE US ON 3848 2111 INSTEAD. 

Wellers Hill Medical Centre is in constant contact with Queensland Health, RACGP and Metro South Public Health to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our community by following all the recommended guidelines.

Please call us on 3848 2111 and we will advise you on the best course of action. In an effort to protect our community and contain the spread of this virus, it is safer to not enter our practice.

We thank you for your understanding and we will keep you updated with any new recommendations we receive.

3rd March, 2020 

At Wellers Hill Medical Centre we are taking precautionary measures to ensure the health and well-being of our staff members. This means you may see our friendly reception staff wearing masks and regularly wiping down the front desk. We hope this does not cause you alarm, but encourages you to think about your own personal hygiene and how you can best protect yourself from the flu and coronavirus.

The best ways you can protect yourself is to:

• Wash your hands frequently (with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub)
• Maintain at least 1 metre distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing
• Avoid touching your eyes, mouth and nose
• Cover your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Dispose of used tissue immediately

We thank you for your co-operation.

The Doctors at Wellers Hill Medical Centre are regularly fully booked and because of this we have patients who miss out on appointments and are on our waiting list to be seen in case of a cancellation.

We do understand that things pop up and you may need to reschedule or cancel your appointment, however, we do ask that you provide us with at least 1 hour notice prior to your appointment time so that we can attempt to fit in other patients.

 As of the 24^th of February 2020, in the event that you do not provide us with enough notice, you will be sent an account for a non-attendance fee of $55 incl GST. This amount is not claimable through Medicare.

19th November, 2019 

There has been a recent increase in the number of measles cases in Queensland and we need your help in preventing the further spread of the disease.

The symptoms of measles include;

• Fever
• Runny nose
• Cough
• Tiredness
• Irritated eyes
• Skin rash

If you suspect you may have measles or have been in contact with someone who has, please advise our reception staff at the time of your booking so we can follow our measles protocol.

We thank you for your understanding and help in preventing the further spread of measles.