Medical centre screening all patients in Dannevirke

Barraud Street Medical Centre administration team leader Tania Last and nurse team leader Michelle Wilson are screening patients before they enter the medical centre.Photo / Sue Emeny

Screening of everyone entering Dannevirke's Barraud Street Medical Centre has been put in place in the face of Covid-19.

This was one of several changes to appointments in the interest of patient safety implemented by Tararua Health Group yesterday.

Administration manager Tania Last said staff were screening outside the medical centre to protect the inside environment and its clinicians to enable them to provide health care to all members of the community.

Medical centre staff spent four hours on Sunday afternoon phoning booked patients to arrange telephone consultations.

"GPs will decide if a patient needs to be seen in person and in those cases, the clinical team will discuss how this will take place with the patient."

Different approaches may be required in certain situations.

"If a patient is over 70 we do have a mobile GP service to enable home visits were suitable," Last said.

The trauma room at the Dannevirke Community Hospital is being utilised for consultations with high-risk patients.

Last said this was another way of ensuring patient safety where there was an immune deficiency. Patients were asked not to be be alarmed by these measures.

They were simply part of Tararua Health Group's proactive approach to Covid-19 to slow its spread and were in line with Ministry of Health guidelines.

Last said the medical centre would continue to see emergency cases such as chest pain, shortness of breath and bleeding.

"Patients must absolutely come in for emergency treatment and will be seen straight away."

Tararua Health Group has also made changes to the way it deals with prescriptions.
All prescriptions will be sent directly to the pharmacy.

Patients will be asked to provide an email address at the time of requesting these in order to generate an electronic invoice that enables then to pay online.

For patients who do not have an email address Tararua Health Group will endeavour to post out invoices.

In the meantime, Tararua Health Group staff say:
Be kind
Wash and dry your hands
Stay home if you're sick

Yesterday afternoon Prome Minister Jacinda Ardern lifted the country to alert level three after 36 new coronavirus cases were reported. This was to lift to level four by tomorrow.

To keep up with these changes visit http://covid19.govt.nz/ for everything you need to know about Covid-19.