Covid-19 Update

Your safety is important.
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East Ryde Family Medical Practice is still open.

We have the added service of telehealth consultations as well as continuing our face to face consults.

Face to Face Consults

Important Information regarding in room appointments:

  • If you feel unwell, no mater how mild your symptoms are (even if it is just a runny nose), please DO NOT arrive at the surgery, but rather phone 9888 1083 to discuss your symptoms with a GP.
  • You MUST wear a MASK whilst in the surgery.
  • Please SANITIZE your hands on entry.
  • If you need to bring a chaperone – please limit this to only one other person.
  • Do not arrive any earlier than your appointment time.

Emergencies for serious and urgent matters please phone 000.

Telehealth Consults

Important information regarding Telehealth Consults:

You must have been seen via a face to face consult with in the last 12 months to have access to rebateable telehealth (this is a legislation rule). If you have NOT been seen with in 12months – a FULL consult rate applies.

  1. To book a Telehealth consult online or phone 9888 1083.
  2. Our GPs offer telephone consults.
  3. Please have your mobile device fully charged and ready for the call at the time of your booking.
  4. Please ensure you answer the call on the first attempt.
  5. If you miss the call you may need to re-book for another time (and cancellation fees may apply).
  6. During your call you may need scripts or referrals; we can then forward these direct to you via E-health services.
  7. After your call, please phone reception after your consult to make payment over the phone with your credit/EFTPOS card (we are able to process Medicare rebates over the phone too)
  8. Fees – After reimbursement, your out of pocket costs will be $55-$75 for all Telehealth calls, this is only available to patients that have had a Face to Face appointment in the last 12 months, if you have not had a face to face appointment Full Rates will apply.

Examples of Telehealth Consults

  • Script renewals
  • Referrals (not mental health care plans – please books a F2F for these)
  • Check ins
  • Medication Reviews
  • Result discussions
  • And more

Please note delays do occur in general practice and this is no exception with phone consults either, Our GPs will try their best to get to you at your booked time, but unfortunately due to circumstances out of our control your phone consult may be slightly delayed.

Fees

Please see our fees, Under new legislation, in order to access rebateable telehealth consults, you must have been seen Face to Face with in the last 12 months at our Surgery, if not a Full Charge will apply.

COVID-19 Testing

East Ryde Family Medical Practice recommends you continue to test your self at local pathology centres (drive thru) via a PCR (RAT Testing are not always accurate or delay a postive result), should you have ANY symptom, no matter how mild (could be a sniffle or scratchy throat or slight cough or nausea or out of breathe or fever or fatigue).

Immunisations

Now more than ever, it is important to maintain high vaccination coverage levels to prevent outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases in the community. Immunisations should not be delayed. If you or your child is due for an immunisation please phone the surgery for a face to face consult.

Flu Shots We have these in stock for all ages, please book a dedicated appointment with your GP (you will need to phone 9888 1083 to do this).

Shingles Vaccines Patients aged between 70 -79 can receive a government funded vaccine that will help prevent shingles.

Pneumococcal Vaccine Patients aged 70 and above should receive at least one dose of the Pneumococcal Vaccine. This vaccine helps protect against serious infections caused by types of pneumococcal bacteria.

Preventative Health

Please do not put your health on hold and wait for Covid-19 to pass. Please keep to your regular intervals and touch base with your GP via the phone, as you would normally do in person pre COVID-19. After speaking to your GP over the phone, he or she may book you in for physical reviews such as:

  • Pathology
  • Pap Smears
  • Skin checks
  • Immunisations
  • and more

We are limiting the number of people in our surgery at one time. Our waiting room is essentially closed and we ask people to wait outside or in their car while they wait for their appointment.

Health reminders

We are continuing to send health reminders / result alerts via SMS. When you receive the SMS please click on the link and enter your SURNAME and DOB to view the encrypted message:

More information

Information regarding Covid-19 is always evolving, and we will endeavour to update our patients and staff accordingly to the guidelines set by NSW Health.

Please follow us on Facebook to review our Health updates.

In order to slow the spread please remember to

  • Practise good hand hygiene
  • Social distancing
  • Follow the limits for public gatherings
  • Understand how to self isolate when directed to do so.