Measles Outbreak
Please see the advisory from Te Whatu Ora regarding the latest Measles outbreak.
Dr Chan Dassanayake to leave KMC in December
KMC will be saying goodbye to Chan at the end of December, after 27 years here. If you are registered with Chan please call or chat with us next time you are in about registering with one of the other members of the GP team. A letter to patients from Chan is below.
September 2023
Tēnā koe
My dear patient
I am writing to you to let you know that I will be leaving Karori Medical Center (KMC) at the end of this year – December 2023.
I signal this to you, ahead of time, to give you plenty of notice and to allow you time to find a new GP, to be your partner, on your health journey.
I have been at KMC for 27 years, and it has been a wonderous journey, and a time when I have grown as a person and doctor with your help. Being a GP has been a vocation, and I have tried to provide a professional, and caring service, based on honesty and integrity and to the best of my ability with the resources available. I know I have not always lived up to the standards I set myself, and I apologise if I have failed you in any way during my time.
It has not been an easy decision to leave, but while I am ‘young’ enough, I would like a change in my life and a new set of challenges. I have no idea what is next, but I need to leave KMC, to free up time for myself, to be available for new ventures within primary care.
KMC has been my second home and will always be special to me. I cherish all the people who I have worked with at the medical center. They are an amazingly resillient, adaptable, capable and caring group of professionals, who go beyond what is required in their roles, often making personal sacrifices to do their jobs and often without recognition.
I have the upmost confidence in their ability and the future of KMC. My family are currently and will continue to be registered with the Centre, because of the trust I have in them. The Centre has a wide variety of doctors, of varying ages and with varying sub specialties, and so I would urge you to start the process to find your best fit, given my pending abscence.
I am so grateful to have had the privilege to look after you and to be a part of your lives, during the joyous moments as well as sharing the unfortunate downs that are an inevitable part of being human. There is no other job I would have rather done because it has touched me to the core, to be a part of your life, and often your families’ lives, in Karori and the suburbs and sometimes beyond. Thank you so much for that honour.
I wish you all the best, and know that there are amazing health professionals at KMC who will be able to care for you, as I have done, or better!
Noho ora mai
Chan
Ahakoa whati te manga, e takoto ana anō te kōhiwi
Although the branch is broken off, the trunk remains
Flu and Additional Covid Booster Update
From April 1st all Karori Medical Centre enrolled patients are able to book an appoinment for either flu vaccination, an additional Covid booster, or both at the same appoinment.
We will also be offering Saturday morning appoinments for 3 out of the 4 Saturdays in April to enable better access for our patients.
FLU VACCINATION
- The flu vaccine is free for people at higher risk of getting very sick from the flu including:
- children aged 6 months to 12 years old
- pregnant people
- Māori and Pacific people over 55
- people aged 65 and over
- people with underlying health conditions including heart disease, cancer, diabetes and serious asthma
- people with significant mental illness such as schizophrenia or those currently accessing mental health services.
- For those not funded, the flu vaccine will cost $36 for those over 12 years of age and $49 for those aged 65 and over that choose the unfunded Fluad Quad vaccine.
COVID-19 BOOSTERS
- From April 1st all New Zealanders you are eligible if:
- aged 30 and over or
- at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
It will need to be at least 6 months since your last COVID-19 booster or a positive COVID-19 test. COVID-19 vaccination is free to all New Zealanders.
High-risk groups include:
- people aged 65 years and over
- Māori and Pacific peoples aged 50 years and over
- residents of aged care and disability care facilities
- severely immunocompromised people
- people aged 16 years and over who have a medical condition that increases the risk of severe breakthrough COVID-19 illness
- people aged 16 years and over who live with a disability with significant or complex health needs or multiple comorbidities.
Call us on 9204562 to book an appoinment, or if you have any questions about flu or Covid-19 vaccinations.
Manage My Health Update
As a practice we have reviewed the way the Manage My Health is working. We want to maintain this service as it is an effective and convenient way to access your health record and provider. However, the workload that is involved in offering this service to our patients has increased dramatically and we find ourselves unable to continue with the current structure.
From January 16th 2023 the following will apply: a $25 payment will be required to email your GP via Manage My Health for brief medical contact.
The existing $25 charge for a prescription request remains unchanged.
If your GP believes that your question or concern requires an appointment then the $25 Manage My Health fee will be credited toward the cost of your consultation.
Christmas & New Year Opening Hours
Merry Christmas from us all at Karori Medical Centre
We will be open the following days and hours over the Christmas / New Year break.
Friday December 23rd – closing at 5pm
Saturday December 24th – closed
Monday December 26th – closed
Tuesday December 27th – closed
Wednesday December 28th 8am-5pm
Thursday December 29th 8am-5pm
Friday December 30th 8am-5pm
Saturday December 31st – closed
Monday December 2nd – closed
Tuesday December 3rd – closed
Normal hours resume Wednesday December 4th
Measles Advice
Please click on the link to see the latest advice from the Immunisation Advisory Centre. https://www.immune.org.nz/hot-topic/measles-overseas-and-new-zealand
Dr Peter Moodie is retiring
After a career covering 43 years, Dr Peter Moodie has made the decision to retire. Peter was a founding partner of the medical centre in 1976 when a group of four GPs moved in to the purpose built premises here at 11 Parkvale Road. He also held the position of Medical Director at Pharmac for 14 years until 2013 while continuing to work part time as a GP.
Karori Medical Centre has had some notable achievements over these years including becoming the first practice in the country to become fully computerised (1986); one of the first to bring in capitation; the first to become an IPA (Independent Practice Association) and becoming a single practice PHO (Primary Health organisation- 2004). Peter has championed the use of the patient portal, ManageMyHealth, for our patients and we continue to have to best enrolment rate nationally. Our current focus is the implementation of the Health Care Home model of care and Peter has kept the momentum going at KMC while also contributing to discussions to ensure that the model is appropriate for the wellington environment. Peter’s vision for patient care and his energy have kept the practice at the cutting edge of modern primary health care. With his particular interests of diabetes, medical applications and IT, data collection and analysis he has maintained an interest in developments in patient care. He has represented the medical centre across the health sector and in 2016 chaired the Primary Care Working Group which produced a report to the Ministry of Health, providing a series of recommendations around primary care sustainability and the Very Low Cost Access Scheme. He has recently completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Clinician Performed Ultrasound. These are only a few of his many achievements.
Peter would like to thank all of the patients who have seen him over the years. He commented that his interactions with patients were enriching and that he is very aware that none of his achievements would have been possible without you, the patients.
Peter will finish on the 31st July and we wish him well in this next phase of his life, including a trip overseas to meet up with his newly arrived French/Kiwi grandson, Théo.
Many of you regard Peter as ‘your doctor’ and may be wondering which doctor you can see in the future. The Directors and staff at Karori Medical centre value having you as a patient of the medical centre and are committed to ensuring that we meet your health needs. We want to reassure you that there are other doctors who are able to help you. If you are not sure who to see or have any queries, please talk to our staff who will be happy to tell you more about your options.
Health Navigator- information you can trust
How to navigate the health system, and make choices for you and your family and whanau
Stretched GP practices screen patients by phone
“Family doctors are prioritising phone calls from patients to ensure that those who are acutely unwell can get appointments the same day. It’s among a raft of changes being adopted by GP practices to deal with rapidly rising demand and an increasingly stretched GP workforce.”
See the full article here
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/328211/stretched-gp-practices-screen-patients-by-phone
Listen to the audio here
Karori Medical Centre uses a website allowing patients to get advice and check records online
Charles is a fan of the Manage My Health website offered by Karori Medical Centre that allows patients to view their own medical records via the “patient portals” system. He was our first patient to sign up for the service and there are now nearly 5000 users.
Karori Medical Centre patient Charles Stewart talks about his experience using Manage My Health
