FLU

The Flu Vaccine will be available at Coastal Medical Rooms from 2nd April 2024.

Everyone from the age of 6 months is recommended to receive an annual influenza vaccine to reduce the spread of the influenza virus, and for the direct protection against severe illness.

The flu vaccine is free for some people:

• pregnant people
• everyone aged 65 years and older
• adults with underlying health conditions including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, and serious asthma or respiratory disease
• adults with an autoimmune disease, a cochlear implant or Down syndrome
• anyone with mental illness such as schizophrenia or those currently accessing mental health services.

If you are unsure of your eligibility, please have a chat to one of our nurses or visit Flu (influenza) vaccine | Immunise | Te Whatu Ora for further information.

The cost for patients who are not eligible for a free influenza vaccine is $40

This year the practice is providing two different influenza vaccines:

• Influvac Tetra - free to those who meet the eligibility criteria
• FluadQuad - not funded but can be privately purchased at a cost of $50.00 but is only available to those over 65 years of age.

You can book you flu vaccine on myindici or by calling the practice. If you are wanting FluadQuad, you will need to call the practice to book as we hold limited stock on site.

COVID

We also offer free Covid vaccinations.

The Covid vaccine is free if you meet one of the below criteria:

• aged 30+
• Pregnant people aged 16-29 years
• People aged 12-29 years at higher risk of severe illness from Covid
• Six months or longer since your last Covid vaccine or Covid illness

If you are unsure of your eligibility, please have a chat to one of our nurses.

To book your Covid vaccination, please call the practice.

New GP - Dr Daphne Stol

We are pleased to welcome Dr Daphne Stol to our practice. Dr Stol is an experienced General Practitioner from the Netherlands. She will be at the practice 2 days a week and you can book an appointment with Dr Stol by calling the practice. myindici appointment bookings will be available shortly.

Fee Increase

We understand visiting your doctor can be costly. Our fees have remained unchanged since August 2021. Sadly, we are unable to maintain these rates without compromising the range, quality and accessibility of services we offer.

Our fees will increase from 1st September 2023 and apply to the following services:

• Standard Consultations (GP & Nurse)
• ACC Consultations (GP & Nurse)
• Drivers Medicals
• Standard Prescriptions
• Urgent Prescription Charge
• Enrolled patients Under 14 years remain free
• Enrolled patients with a Community Service Card (CSC) - no change as these fees are capped

Our updated fee schedule can be found here.

Access to Services

Healthcare services in New Zealand are evolving to meet the needs of the people more equitably.

Accessibility has increased through the introduction of online portals such as myindici, enabling you to connect with your health care provider for appointments virtually and in person, order repeat prescriptions, direct messaging and much more.

• Direct messaging
  myindici messages are intended to be used for shorter problems or quick queries that can be responded to in 5 minutes. This service should not be used for urgent matters, emergencies or to replace a visit to your doctor. Please allow 5 working days for a response. There is a fee for this service which is calculated from the length of time taken to read, action and reply to your message. Fees for this service start from $20 ($6.50 for CSC holders).
  
  You may be asked to make an appointment if your message cannot be answered within a reasonable timeframe. Please note, the response may not be from your GP. Your message will be assessed and may be referred to a nurse, Health Improvement Practitioner, Clinical Pharmacist, or other health professional within the Coastal Medical Rooms clinical team to resolve.
  
  
• Appointments
  Online bookings (in person, video, or phone) are for standard routine appointments only. Not all our appointments are available to book online. If you need to see a doctor sooner, please call us and we will find an appointment for you.
  
  For more complex matters (as these will take longer than the standard 15 minutes), such as drivers or other medicals, immunisations, travel consultations, or if you think you will need longer than 15 minutes with your doctor, please call us to book your appointment.
  
  Online bookings are not yet available for nurse, Health Improvement Practitioner, Clinical Pharmacist or Health Coach appointments, please call us to book. Masks are still required to be worn in doctors clinics.
  
  
• Prescriptions
  Access to myindici has made it easier for you to order a repeat prescription at your own convenience, however the prescribing clinician still needs time to review your medications, notes, and check that your prescription meets clinical and legal requirements.
  
  Should your medication need to be reviewed or changed you may need to see a doctor or clinical pharmacist. If this is the case, we will contact you.
  
  We recommend you should always have at least 3 weeks' worth of medications on hand in case of unexpected situations and to avoid the inconvenience of ordering an urgent prescription.
  
  Please allow four working days for a prescription to be sent to your selected pharmacy.
  
  If you need help with myindici, please call the practice and one of our friendly staff will be happy to assist.
  
  
• Practice Plus
  To help provide same day appointments including after hours and weekends, we have partnered with a telehealth service that connects you with a clinician on the same day through telephone or video from the comfort of your own home. If you or your family require a same day appointment, then consider using Practice Plus on the following link: https://practiceplus.nz/ Fees apply.

Free Cervical Screening

If you have never been screened (this is your first screening test) or have not been screened in the last 5 years, you may be eligible for free screening. Please call the practice to find out if you are eligible and to make an appointment.

Free Winter Wellness Checks

Free Winter Wellness checks are available to eligible enrolled patients. Please contact us to check your eligibility and make an appointment with a nurse.

Flu Vaccinations

It's not too late for your flu vaccine. Call now to make an appointment. The flu vaccine is free for:

• children aged 6 months to 12 years old
• people aged 65 and over
• pregnant people
• Māori and Pacific people over 55