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Dr Brenda Gibson unexpectedly unavailable this week

Dr Brenda Gibson has had an accident over the weekend and, while she is okay, she is unable to come in to work for at least this week. We apologise to those we have had to reschedule this week and we appreciate your understanding. Please read on for important information about her inboxes, prescription requests, and appointments. Dr Gibson's inboxes We have closed off messages to Dr Gibson on the patient portal as she is unable to answer these. She is also unable to answer her ema...

Appointment availability and winter illnesses

As we come into winter, we're already seeing a rise in respiratory illnesses including COVID-19, the flu, and the common cold. Whooping cough has also recently been on the rise in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington. We ask that you please be aware of the following:We are very short on appointments for certain doctors - if you have a preference for seeing your regular GP rather than one of our other doctors, then you may need to wait 3 weeks or longer for your appointment. Dr Brenda Gibson in pa...

We're closed on Mon 3 Jun for King's Birthday - but Practice Plus is available

The Terrace Medical Centre is closed on Rāhina te 3 o Pipiri / Monday 3 June for King's Birthday.Take a look at our After Hours page for information on where you can access medical care outside of our hours. If your concern is not an emergency, and you don't need to see a clinician in person, then Practice Plus is available: same-day virtual appointments are available with NZ-based clinicians from the comfort of your own home between 8AM to 8PM on King's ...

Ministry of Health funding for COVID-19 appointments ending 30 June

At the moment, if you test positive for COVID-19 and you are eligible for the antiviral medication, then your GP consultation to discuss this is fully funded by the Ministry of Health. This is the only funding still left in place for appointments related to COVID-19. Unfortunately, this funding will be coming to an end after 30 June 2024. From Mon 1 July any GP appointments for those with COVID-19 who are eligible for the antivirals will not be funded by the Ministry of Health, and our stan...

Public Health Alert: Pertussis/Whooping Cough

13 cases of whooping cough (pertussis) have been notified so far since the beginning of May in Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui/Greater Wellington. ~What is whooping cough? Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a very infectious illness that can cause severe bouts of coughing and breathing troubles. It is sometimes called the "100 day cough" because it can last up to 3 months. You can pass whooping cough on to others before you even know you've got it. Pēpi (babies), tamariki (children), and the ...

New RSV vaccine available for 60+ year olds

Arexvy is available for people aged 60 years and older only Arexvy is not funded for anybodyThe current price for it here is $423.50 total ($379.00 for the vaccine + $44.50 for the nurse appointment/injection fee)The vaccine must be paid for on the day of your appointment Only 1 dose is needed currentlyYou can visit Healthify for more information on RSV and for more information on the Arexvy vaccine, including information on vaccine safety and who Arexvy is recommended for. You can als...

Update: Can't view your health records on the new portal yet?

Please see our post from April for information on this issue. In a recent update from Centrik, they reported that Medtech (our Practice Management System provider) have now identified the root cause of the problem but have not been able to provide an estimated time for the fix yet. Hopefully it won't be too much longer. We appreciate your patience in the meantime. ...

Changes to fees for nurse telehealth

In October 2023 we introduced nurse telehealth fees for the first time, following a long history of having a nurse available for 8 hours per day to take and return calls and provide clinical advice free of charge.  However, we soon found that our initial policy for when fees would apply to nurse calls was too ambiguous both for nurses and for patients, making it difficult to be consistent in charging.It is still not sustainable for us to continue providing free nurse telehealth - espec...

We're closed on ANZAC Day - but Practice Plus is available

The Terrace Medical Centre is closed on Thursday 25 April for ANZAC Day.Take a look at our After Hours page for information on where you can access medical care outside of our hours. If your concern is not an emergency, and you don't need to see a clinician in person, then Practice Plus is a great option: same-day virtual appointments are available with NZ-based clinicians from the comfort of your own home. Practice Plus is available 8AM to 8PM on ANZAC Day. ...

Opportunities for seniors with Age Concern - Wellington Region

Age Concern | He Manaakitanga Kaumātua Aotearoa provide a wide range of services to benefit seniors, including: Staying Safe Class for Older Drivers: free classroom-based refresher workshops for senior road users Steady As You Go exercise classes: classes designed to prevent falls by improving strength and balance Visitor Service: weekly visits from volunteers for over 65s for companionship Companion Walking: walks with volunteers who can accompany you around ...

Can't view your health records on the new portal yet?

We're sorry to report that unfortunately some of you who have registered for our new patient portal may not be able to view your health records through it yet, and we apologise for the inconvenience caused by this. It's not actually an issue with the portal causing this, but rather an issue with the way certain records were affected by the changeover of our Practice Management System (PMS) in November of last year. We can still access and view these records just fine on our PMS, but in some...

Surcharge on credit card and payWave payments from 12 Apr

Due to significant rises in costs we have had to introduce a 2.3% surcharge for credit card and payWave payments. This surcharge takes effect from 1.30PM today, Friday 12 April 2024. We have applied the lowest possible surcharge so that we are only recovering what it costs us to provide credit card and payWave services, and no more than that. Up until now we have fully absorbed these costs - but, unfortunately, it is no longer sustainable for us to do so. This surcharge will ...

Repeat prescription fee increase from 15 Apr

The new fees will be:$36.00 for a non-urgent prescription$43.00 for an urgent same-day prescriptionWe realise this may be difficult for some people. But unfortunately, as the cost of living goes up, our operational costs go up as well – and so we must increase our fees in order to keep covering these.We do not receive any subsidy from the Government for prescription costs, meaning we must charge the full amount for the time and expertise applied in providing each prescription. For every medica...

Free Wellbeing Workshops with Wellington Women's Health Collective | Wāhine Ora o te Waimāpihi

A non-profit Collective created by women for women, Wellington Women's Health Collective | Wāhine Ora o te Waimāpihi aims to provide a safe, welcoming, and accessible space for all women to improve their wellbeing through workshops, counselling services, and other support services. Visit their website here for more information. ...

We're closed over Easter - but Practice Plus is available

The Terrace Medical Centre is closed on Good Friday (29 March) and Easter Monday (1 April), but Practice Plus will still be available for same-day virtual appointments with Aotearoa-based GPs if you need support over the long weekend.Click here to go to the Practice Plus website. If you need to be seen in-person then there are three After Hour clinics around Wellington, the Hutt, and Kāpiti. If it is an emergency please call 111 or visit your nearest Emergency Department. ...

FLU VACCINES - bookings now available

We are now taking bookings for flu vaccines! You can make an appointment for your 2024 flu vaccine for Tues 2 April onwards. Please read on for more important information about: 2024 flu vaccine bookings 2024 flu vaccine options - and see attached PDF of flu vaccine comparisons for more info  Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about flu vaccines 2024 eligibility criteria for funded flu vaccines - or see attached PDF~~~~~Flu vaccine bookingsAs usual we will be running dedi...

Our new patient portal is live!

Today we've launched our new patient portal! We made the decision to move away from ManageMyHealth, our previous patient portal provider, after experiencing too many ongoing technical issues. We are pleased to have the support of our PHO, Tū Ora - Compass Health, in making the changeover to our new patient portal, Centrik and the Well app. You can access the Centrik portal either via your web browser on your computer or device or by downloading the Well app on your smart device.&...

Dr Brenda Gibson away on leave

From Mon 18 March Dr Brenda Gibson is taking a well-earned break and will be on leave for two weeks, returning to work on Tues 2 Apr. However, she is already booking up fast after her return and currently has no appointments available until mid-April.While Dr Gibson is on leave Dr Theo Meijer will be working as her locum, and our Nurse Practitioner Intern, Jasper, is also available to see patients. Dr Meijer, Jasper, and some of our other GPs are also available upon Dr Gibson’s return if you�...

Insight into the pressures on general practice

A recent article from Stuff illuminates the ongoing pressures faced by general practice and by GPs themselves as demand for GP services continues to increase both in quantity and complexity. It's worth taking the time to read. GPs throughout Aotearoa face immense strain and the risk of burnout. When you read that, for example, many full-time GPs who own their own practices are spending 10-20 hours per week on admin work on top of 40 hours per week of patient-facing time, and doing a great d...

Moving from Manage My Health to Centrik

We are very pleased to be able to confirm the dates of our changeover from Manage My Health to our new online patient portal!Moving from MMH to a new portalThe portal we’re moving to is called Centrik and, like MMH, will be accessible to you either by app or your web browser.Please take note of the important dates below:Thurs 14 March: Your access to our services through Manage My Health will be closed off at 4PM.This is to give our doctors and nurses enough time to work through...

Our Nurse Practitioner Intern

We're thrilled to see Jasper's hard mahi pay off as he now moves into his new role as a Nurse Practitioner Intern. Starting with us as a Registered Nurse in 2020, Jasper has been studying over the past 3 years to become first a Nurse Prescriber and now a Nurse Practitioner Intern: the final step on his journey to becoming a fully certified Nurse Practitioner. Jasper's Nurse Practitioner Intern clinic is now open and he is available Mon and Wed-Fri to see patients in this capacity. This mean...

Equity Project Lead Award

Congratulations to Jack (he/him), our Primary Care Practice Assistant (PCPA) and Equity Champion / Kaiāwhina Mana Taurite, who was the recipient of the Health Care Home Equity Project Lead award at the Health Care Home Celebration last night! 39 practices across Upoko o te Ika a Māui - including The Terrace Medical Centre - are part of the Health Care Home programme, which aims to provide a sustainable healthcare workforce and proactive model of care to our communities. Eight different aw...

GPs on leave in Feb & March

We’re going to be short-staffed with our GPs through February and March as multiple doctors are away on leave. Please take note of the leave time for your regular GP:Dr Julian Foster: 05 Feb to 14 Feb (back on Thurs 15 Feb)Dr Theo Meijer: 02 Feb to 26 Feb (back on Tues 27 Feb)Dr Martin Harris: 04 Mar to 15 Mar (back on Mon 18 Mar)Please be prepared to see a different doctor if your usual GP is unavailable when you need to be seen.  While Dr Foster and Dr Meijer are on leave we still ...

Funded shingles vaccine for 65 year olds

Turning 65? Or about to turn 66? Consider booking in for your FREE Shingrix vaccination. Shingrix is the shingles vaccine used in Aotearoa since 2022 and is available for free while you're aged 65 years only. Two doses of Shingrix are required, given 2-6 months apart, and both doses are free to you as long as you receive the first dose while aged 65 years. Even if you received Zostavax previously (the shingles vaccine used in Aotearoa before 2022) you can still receive your funded Shingrix...

ManageMyHealth issue - test results failing to upload

We are currently experiencing some technical issues with the patient portal ManageMyHealth. Usually test results and radiology reports would automatically upload to your MMH account once your doctor has viewed and filed them, but these are not uploading at the moment. ManageMyHealth Support is aware and has been working on this issue for us for some time, but unfortunately has not been able to resolve it yet. One of our clinicians will always contact you by phone if a result or report is ur...