News

This Year's Influenza Vaccine Program

This year's seasonal flu vaccine protects against three new strains of flu virus and includes the H1N1 (pandemic flu) virus strain. There are three important messages we want to convey:

We want to encourage everyone to have this year's flu vaccination, not just those at high risk.
The government has increased the eligibility criteria for free flu vaccination.
Have it as soon as possible - a second wave of H1N1 is expected to appear much earlier than the seasonal flu.

Health authorities are concerned that vaccination coverage currently remains below what is needed to protect the community against an anticipated second wave of pandemic H1N1 influenza this year. Based on northern hemisphere experience they are expecting the flu to arrive early, and more than 90% of that influenza, will be swine flu.

Why should everyone be vaccinated?

In the 2009 season, 38% of deaths from H1N1 occurred in people with no known risk factors and the median age of death was 53 years, compared with 83 years from seasonal influenza.

It is particularly important to vaccinate children, adolescents and young adults as pandemic H1N1 spreads more readily in these age groups.

Am I eligible for a free flu vaccine?

You are eligible for a FREE vaccination if you fall into the following categories:

Over 65 years old
Pregnant
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, or
If you have a chronic disease like:
- Diabetes
- Cardiac Disease (e.g. chronic heart failure, stroke)
- Lung Disease (e.g. severe asthma, COPD)
- Kidney Disease
- Impaired Immunity (e.g. Cancer, HIV)
- Neurological Conditions

For the convenience of patients who do not fall into these categories, we have stocks available at the surgery for purchase.

Our practice nurse is conducting Vaccination Clinics at the following times:
Monday afternoons 4:00pm - 5:00pm and
Wednesday & Friday mornings 9:30am - 10:30am

Please make an appointment

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From The Desk of the Practice Nurse

Isla is continuing to visit our over 75 year old patients in their homes to conduct our Annual Health Assessments. This has been a very successful program in the practice, aimed at preventing illness and accidents, keeping you as healthy as possible and at home for as long as possible. Dr. Pedler strongly encourages you to participate in this free health assessment as it includes questions which he may not always have time to discuss in detail with you and your family.

She also manages our Recall Program and is working closely with Dr. Pedler to target our patients who are at risk of Chronic Disease. So if you receive a letter from Isla offering you the opportunity to participate in a health check, we strongly advise you make an appointment. All chronic disease management conducted by our practice nurse is bulk-billed and free to you.

At this practice, we have always believed in the importance of preventive health care, and today this is being recognised by the government as they introduce reform and incentives to keep you educated in healthy lifestyle choices.

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Staff News

Well Educated Staff, the Key to Good Service

We believe the key to good service is staff who are well trained and committed to ongoing education. "The one thing that is constant is change" and this is particularly true of General Practice, so all our staff, not just the doctors, make an effort to keep well informed!

Lyn, who is a Fellow of the Australian Association of Practice Managers, recently attended a conference in Melbourne, where she received an award in recognition of 26 years membership.

One of the conference topics Lyn believes will be of most interest to our patients is the big leap forward in Electronic Health. The government is ready to issue every patient, health worker and healthcare organisation with a Unique Identification Number, in preparation for the secure exchange of health information over the internet. Our practice is already set up to send and receive encrypted electronic data but at the moment there are limitations on who can receive the information. This new initiative, however, will open up access and aims to put you in control of your personal health care record. Using your new ID number you will be able to access your health record from anywhere in the country, and other health professionals, using their ID numbers and electronic keys will be able to share and contribute to your health record. This is a revolution in Australian healthcare, focusing on the communication and storage of your health information - ultimately an electronic health record for everyone!

Debbie and Eve have updated their first aid skills and attained a Senior First Aid Certification. They have also attended a course in Emergency Medicine, which we hope they don't have to implement too often at the reception desk!

Dr. Pedler recently attended a Sports Medicine Cycling Conference. With widespread community interest in the Tour Down Under, his son's involvement in a sprint cycling development squad and his personal interest in riding for pleasure along the Linear Park, he was interested in the focus on cycling injuries, prevention and treatment.

Experts from the Australian Institute of Sport shared some considerations for setting up bikes correctly for comfort and performance. Dr. Pedler thought it might interest patients who also ride for fitness and pleasure, and has included it in an article in the current newsletter.

The whole team continue to be involved in a general practice education program - a "collaborative" with other practices where we exchange ideas, learn about new and innovative systems and share experiences to improve health outcomes for our patients.

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Every three months we present a newsletter to keep you informed of what's happening in the practice. To compliment the practice news and updates, we ask each of our doctors to submit an article of information they think might be of interest to you. This can include details on illness currently prevalent in the community, summaries of recent educational meetings they have attended, or topics relevant to their areas of special interest.

Current Newsletter: March - June 2010

Newsletter Archive:

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