Featured image for “Become a smarter shopper – join our free Feb 19  workshop”
04/02/20

Become a smarter shopper – join our free Feb 19 workshop

Join our practice dietitian Carole Richards at our free, one hour workshop on Wednesday, 19 February to celebrate Smart Eating Week.

You’ll gain the know-how to decipher food labels and solve the mystery of the “nutrition panel”,  allowing you to make smarter choices when confronted by more than 30,000 packed food items stocked by our supermarkets. 

Carol’s informative, relaxed workshop starts at 2pm at Queen Street Medical Centre’s Moruya meeting room. Please make a booking by calling our reception team.

 

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Featured image for “Business as usual from today. Thank you Firies.”
13/01/20

Business as usual from today. Thank you Firies.

It’s business as usual by appointment for our Moruya and Broulee practices from today –  13 January.

We are anticipating a higher than usual phone call load this week so if you are in the queue on the phone press 2 for an auto-call back – you won’t loose your place in the queue. Remember you can also book appointments and order most scripts on line so do give this a try. 

Sincere thanks to our practice team who have done their very best to keep the practice up and running whenever we could safely open during these days of crisis. 

We pay tribute to all our brave and couragious RFS firefighters – their support teams and families, our emergency services and the army of volunteers helping our community and wildlife – our heartfelt thanks to you all.

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09/01/20

Open until midday tomorrow – 10 Jan

Our practice will be open tomorrow morning from 8.00 am until 12.00 pm for appointments and walk-in services.

The practice is closing at midday due to the anticipated fire threat to Moruya and region due to deteriorating weather conditions forecast. Patients with afternoon appointments on 10 Jan will be sent an SMS message to please phone the practice to re-schedule their appointment.

We plan to open for “business as usual” from Monday 13 Jan at our Moruya and Broulee practices and will issue any updates as required. Also stay tuned for Radio ABC South-East for updates about our practice.

 

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06/01/20

Open for appointments and walk-in services

Our practice is open for patients with appointments and we are offering walk-in medical services – our doctors will endeavour to see all who require medical attention on a priority (triage) sit and wait basis.

Our Broulee practice will remain closed until further notice and the phone is diverted to our Moruya practice. We cannot offer any immunisations due to the power outages as the vaccines cannot be stored without refrigeration. Our thoughts and wishes remain with you all – please remain alert to bushfire conditions near you. 

Message to our staff and doctors: Your safety is our utmost priority – do not attend work unless it is safe to do so.

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01/01/20

Walk-In service 2 and 3 Jan 2020

Due to the bushfires our practice will offer limited, walk-in services only on 2 and 3 Jan 2020. The practice is without power and IT and many of our team are unable to work due to the distaster situation.

Doctors will strive to see anyone who requires attention on a WALK IN basis only. There will be NO appointments and we cannot advise on waiting times. Patients will be triaged and seen on a priority basis.

We will continue to monitor the situation during the coming days and issue advice when possible. Please understand the practice may have to close without warning due to the fires and road closures.

Queen Street Medical Centre Broulee will be closed 2 and 3 January.

Message to our staff and doctors: Please attend work only when it is safe for you to do so. The safety of you and your family is paramount and our thoughts and wishes are with you.

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31/12/19

Limited services today

Dear patients, due to the bushfire emergency across our region our Moruya practice is running limited services today, 31 December. Please phone the practice before you come in as many of our doctors and staff are protecting property or evacuating. We are also experiencing power blackouts and may close the practice at any time. 

Ensure you remain alert to all fire warnings and road closures – listen to radio ABC South East and also see important links in the previous news post – above all stay safe.

Our Broulee practice is closed due to the fire emergency.

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19/12/19

Bushfires – watch, act, stay safe

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has declared a state of emergency across the state for the next seven days. Your safety and welfare is on our minds and we extend our wishes to everyone affected by these devastating bushfires.

Leaving early when threatened by fire is always your safest option and you should never wait and see what happens when a fire is threatening.  Staying alert to what’s happening in your area is essential – visit this site https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fires-near-me and download the free fires near me app to receive updates and alerts.  Click Read More for more essential information links and the RFS information line.

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Featured image for “Avoiding dehydration – a risk for babies and children in hot weather”
19/12/19

Avoiding dehydration – a risk for babies and children in hot weather

With record hot temperatures across the state, our registered practice nurse Kate Tiller advises it’s important to be particularly aware of dehydration. Dehydration happens when your body loses more fluid than it’s been taking in. Kate, who holds qualifications and experience in paediatric nursing,  is keen for parents and carers to be aware that infants and children are at greater risk of becoming dehydrated. See Kate’s article and download The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne fact sheet.

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Featured image for “Measles is serious – and one of the most contagious diseases ”
09/12/19

Measles is serious – and one of the most contagious diseases 

Australia has already seen more cases of measles within the first four months of 2019 than it did for the entirety of 2018. It’s one of the most contagious diseases affecting humans, but it’s also preventable, with an effective vaccine that’s widely available. Measles is a serious, highly infectious viral illness. It’s spread through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Sometimes even just breathing may be enough to spread the virus. It’s highly contagious: if you’re not immune to the virus and you come into contact with someone infected with measles, you have a 90 per cent chance of getting sick. A single infected person can typically make between 14–18 other people sick. If someone with measles enters a room and coughs, the virus can stay in the air for some time after that person leaves the room—sometimes for up to two hours. An infected person is contagious from the first day of symptoms. These typically don’t appear until about 10 days after exposure. It’s not just the unvaccinated who pose a risk to public health: many people in Australia may be under-vaccinated without realising it. ABC News 9 December 2019: How a past tragedy saw anti-vaxxers help unleash a measles epidemic on Samoa. More than 63 children in Samoa have died from measles. After a mass vaccination campaign, authorities are hopeful the spread of the highly contagious virus has been contained, but remain on edge. How did it come to this?  Full stories:   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-09/anatomy-of-an-epidemic:-how-measles-took-hold-of-samoa/11773018 https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/complacency-enacts-a-terrible-price-as-measles-grips-samoa/11778606    
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Featured image for “Smart new phone system to help enhance service”
25/10/19

Smart new phone system to help enhance service

It’s been a long, long wait for the NBN to arrive at our doorstep but now our practice is all hooked up we are able to install the latest phone technology – this significant investment is good news as it’s vastly improved functionality is expected to enhance service and efficiency.  We are experiencing a very strong demand for appointments. Our patient services team manage hundreds of calls daily – answering our reception phones can mean we are managing appointment requests or any number of other more demanding scenarios – perhaps a life-threatening emergency or urgent, serious health problem. We sincerely appreciate your polite and respectful requests while our team do their best to provide assistance. The new phone system will be operational from Monday, 4 November 2019.
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Featured image for “Announcing Better Medicines clinics with our new practice pharmacist”
29/08/19

Announcing Better Medicines clinics with our new practice pharmacist

We are pleased to announce the appointment of our clinical pharmacist Ms Joanne McMahon to provide medication-related advice to patients at no charge. Jo will work closely with our doctors at our practices in Moruya and Broulee conducting our our new ‘Better Medicines’ clinics – aiming to help patients to improve their use of medicines.

According to the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) January 2019 report “Medicine Safety: Take Care” problems with medications can occur at anytime during their use.

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Featured image for “Pathology home visits for Tuross patients”
27/08/19

Pathology home visits for Tuross patients

Michael Storey regional manager of Southern IML Pathology has set up a home visit service to start Monday 2nd September 2019 for Tuross patients. Michael says, “Southern IML Pathology is very happy to continue providing services to the people of Tuross Head following the closure of Queen Street Medical Centre Tuross. Our plan is to continue with services on Tuesday
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Featured image for “Queen Street Medical Centre Tuross to <br>close                Friday, 30 August”
02/08/19

Queen Street Medical Centre Tuross to
close Friday, 30 August

Commenting on the closure of  Queen Street Medical Centre Tuross, GP Partner Dr Neil Starmer says “Closing the Tuross Practice is confronting and disappointing decision to have to make. As a partnership we thought we could weather the storm comprising static government rebates, poor GP workforce distribution and rising costs.  We have exhausted every avenue available to keep the practice open. This decision should have been made 12 months ago from a business perspective. The only consolation I can offer is that your medical care can continue with the same doctors in Moruya. We can provide the continuity of care, just not at Tuross.” Queen Street Medical Centre Tuross patients please note, from 2 September:  All existing appointments will remain as booked with your usual doctor who will be consulting at Queen Street Medical Centre, 49 Queen Street Moruya. If you are unable to attend your appointment in Moruya, please phone as soon as possible to cancel or change this appointment. New appointments can be made with your usual doctor who will be consulting at Queen Street Medical Centre Moruya.
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Featured image for “Chronic pain management group starts 9 October 2019”
18/07/19

Chronic pain management group starts 9 October 2019

If you suffer with chronic pain our second six week group programme aims to help you learn how to self-manage your pain and other symptoms. Starting Wednesday, 9 October 2019, this no-fee programme will be conducted for up to 10 patients by GP Dr Aidan Lawrence and Exercise Physiologist Hamish Gorman. You will need a referral from your usual GP for an initial consultation with Dr Lawrence.

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Featured image for “Flu jab crucial as winter sets in”
01/07/19

Flu jab crucial as winter sets in

NSW Health Director of Communicable Disease, Dr Vicky Sheppeard, says 115 children have been admitted to Children’s Hospital Westmead with flu this year, including two needing critical care. “So we are again encouraging parents and carers of children from 6 months up to five years old to take advantage of the free flu vaccine”.

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Featured image for “What is Q Fever and are you at risk?”
01/07/19

What is Q Fever and are you at risk?

Q fever is an illness caused by a bacterium called Coxiella burnetti which can be caught by humans via direct or indirect contact with infected domestic and native animals or animal products. Cattle, sheep and goats are the main sources of infection. The illness in humans is usually mild, but may sometimes be severe with long lasting consequences. Our Eurobodalla region was declared a high risk area – mainly due to extreme dry conditions throughout the region. If your work puts you in contact with high-risk animals or animal products you have a high risk of  Q fever infection. The vaccine is strongly recommended for people aged 15 years and over who work in high-risk occupations.
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Featured image for “Better Health Diabetes Group is a “kick start” for patients”
26/04/19

Better Health Diabetes Group is a “kick start” for patients

Many patients with Type 2 Diabetes attending this weekly exercise/diet group  are reporting the group has given them the kick start they needed feel more motivated to improve their health. Our QSMC Dietitian/Diabetes Educator Carole Richards leads the group – launched in October 2018, in conjunction with Aden Reynolds from Eurobodalla Health & Fitness. You can join this group at any time – it runs on Fridays at the QSMC Moruya meeting room, starting at 11.30 and is Medicare funded.

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Featured image for “Flu is on the prowl so let’s be prepared this season…”
18/04/19

Flu is on the prowl so let’s be prepared this season…

Well here we in beautiful Autumn so once again we are encouraging our patients to have the flu shot and to do as much as possible to protect themselves and others in the community. We are now receiving our first free vaccines under the National Immunisation Program and we have plenty of Flu Vax clinics set up so please don’t worry if you can’t find a spot immediately and there’s no need to rush.

The flu vaccine is available free of charge to some people who are in the nominated Program categories, and we have vaccines available for purchase at QSMC Moruya. Remember you can pass on the virus just by being out and about – this is why prevention is better than catching the flu. For more important advice and good reading click on the Read more link below.

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Featured image for “Our Dr Tim says thank you for energy, wisdom and friendship…”
04/03/19

Our Dr Tim says thank you for energy, wisdom and friendship…

February saw a fitting farewell for our Dr Tim Shepherd who has retired after 35 years of wonderful service to our community. We feel it’s not the end of an era but the beginning of the new for Tim and his wife Jann who’ll be enjoying their love of the “great outdoors” – hiking, kayaking and camping. Our Dr Tim hopes to be making what he says are “cameo visits” to consult from time to time when other GPs are on leave.

“To all my patients who have been a huge part of my life for 35 years – you will know how my time will be spent. This photo is just a sample! I will miss the day to day interaction with these friends who have been intimately connected to my life – and in many cases, from whom I have received energy, wisdom and friendship . Thank you to you all – it’s reassuring to know there is a wonderful team to continue “after Tim”.

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Featured image for “Medicare rebates now apply for eligible MRI scans”
27/02/19

Medicare rebates now apply for eligible MRI scans

For over two years South East Radiology (SER) has been campaigning for Medicare rebates to be available on the MRI scanner in Moruya. SER is happy to announce their MRI site, located in the Mirrabooka wing of our Queen Street Medical Centre, has been granted a full Medicare license by the federal government today. This license will enable patients with an eligible referral from a specialist or GP to access Medicare item numbers and now have their examination bulk billed with no out of pocket payment.

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Featured image for “Join our Diabetes Exercise and Diet Group – every Friday at Moruya”
06/01/19

Join our Diabetes Exercise and Diet Group – every Friday at Moruya

If you have Type 2 Diabetes and would like to improve your health and fitness this year why not join our weekly group programme – it’s bulk billed and run by Exercise Physiologist Aden Reynolds and our Dietitian/Diabetes Educator Carole Richards. Working at your own pace, your supervised hour-long session is conducted over eight weeks on Fridays starting at 11.30am at our Queen Street Medical Centre meeting room.
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Featured image for “The joy and the challenge – help for new parents”
31/12/18

The joy and the challenge – help for new parents

Welcoming a new baby into the family is an exciting time, but it can also be a time when you need some extra support. Our QSMC registered Child and Family Health Nurse, Nicki Vukasin has many years experience in helping new parents – she’s provided these great resources available locally and on the web.

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