IMPORTANT NOTICES

PRICE INCREASE

We wish to inform you of a change in our consultation fees. Effective immediately, our standard consultation fee will increase from $19.50 to $29.50.

Please note that holders of the Community Services Card will continue to receive the reduced fee of $19.50. To apply this discount, kindly present your card to our receptionist upon arrival.

This fee adjustment is in line with government regulations, which had not approved an increase for the past six years. Although the government allowed the adjustment starting August 1, 2024, we have delayed implementing it until now. Unfortunately, we can no longer maintain our current services at the previous rates.

See News Page https://www.ratanuimedical.co.nz/news

Notice of Policy Change: MISSED / Non-Attended Appointments

Effective 1 August 2024, we reserve the right to charge for appointments that are not attended, if you have not cancelled without a minimum of 1 hour notice.

We have observed a significant number of patients booking appointments and subsequently failing to attend. Given the existing shortage of doctors and the current wait time of 1-3 weeks for available appointments, this policy aims to encourage timely cancellations. This will enable other patients to utilise these slots and ensure more efficient use of our healthcare resources.

To notify please call reception 09 837 0740 or email reception@ratanui.co.nz. Alternatively, if you cannot get through, please phone the Ratanui mobile 021 0896 4606 (for urgent calls only)

GENERAL PRACTITIONER VACANCIES

Ratanui Medical has vacancy for a full time permanent General Practitioner with immediate start.

Please contact Practice Manager, pm@ratanui.co.nz if you wish to apply.

CONSULTATIONS

Due to the limited time available the doctor may only be able deal with ONE presenting problem if this is complex and needs appropriate time allocated. Please do not be offended if other issues can not be addressed.

No walk in consultations (Mon-Fri)

This applies to Doctors and Nurses and Phone Nurse - by appointment only

Due to doctor shortages, patients are not able to see a doctor without an appointment. Book on Day appointments are available by phoning reception 09 837 0740. We apologise that appointments with doctors can be booked up 2-3 weeks in advance. Please make an appointment with your doctor before your medication runs out.

However we can prioritise and get a nurse to check you if you have chest pain, shortness of breath, babies under 2, extremely unwell children under 5, elderly and wounds. Our our nurses may refer for you to attend Whitecross Hendeson or Waitakere Hospital if we cannot fit you in with a doctor.

If your concern is life threatening, please ring 111 or urgent please attend WestCare Whitecross or the Emergency Department at Waitakere Hospital.

All patients coming into clinic, are strongly encouraged to wear a mask, if you have respiratory or flu symptoms, coughs, sore throat, shortness of breath, please do not come inside the clinic. Respiratory patients are required to wear a mask. Respiratory patients may be asked by reception or nurses to do a RAT test to prove they are Covid negative before coming into the clinic. You may be asked to wait in your car and wait for the doctor to call you in the clinic or covid cases in the external Cabin. Phone reception on 09 837 0740 or 021 0896 4606 and wait in your car until a doctor or nurse, calls you.

service delays

We thank you for your patience and understanding as our clinic is under demand with staff shortages. It is with regret that appointments can be fully booked weeks ahead. For urgent appointments, try “Book on the Day” appointments by calling the same day from 8am. If patients are not able to find suitable appointments, they maybe requested to go the Whitecross or if serious, to Waitakere Hospital A & E.

For urgent bookings, we have “book on the day” Acute and Respiratory clinics for those patients who need an appointment urgently. Please book from 8am on the day, these appointments fill up fast. We no longer have “walk in” clinics as this caused patients to wait long periods. Our phones lines are extremely busy for making appointments especially from 8am-9.30am. The phone lines are stretched to the point where the system crashes when it is overloaded with many calls which causes the phone to hang up on patients. We are in the process of upgrading our phone system.

With regards to our phone lines, we have option 1 for Reception and option 2 for Nurse voicemail. Due to the the overwhelming volume of calls to nurses, patients are put on a list to be called back. Nurses will respond within the same working day but late afternoon calls may be responded to in the next working day. Patients can only be put through to the nurse if it is urgent i.e. chest pain, shortness of breath, infants. When you request to speak to a nurse, your name will be put on the phone nurses list and our nurses will call you back when a nurse is available. If it is urgent, you may be put through to a nurse. Messages after 4.30pm-5pm may not be responded to until the next working day. Weekend messages will not be responded to until Monday.

Please email prescription requests to scripts@ratanui.co.nz or go to the online form on www.ratanuimedical.co.nz with your name, date of birth and Folder/Pack No. Please accurately list your medications required.

This is much more efficient than leaving a message on the answerphone. Please call only once, do not leave repeated messages on the answerphone. if you have already requested a nurse to return you call, the the nurses will respond within the same working day. medication and leave it to the last minute. Please try to organise your prescription at least a week before you medication runs out or make an appointment with the doctor.

You may be asked to make a booking to see a doctor, if you have not seen a doctor within 6 months to a year for repeat prescriptions.

NURSES

Appointments can be booked for nurses for immunisations and other various services. Walk ins are possible and we prioritise for urgent issues, ie chest pain, breathlessness, wound care, babies and elderly. Walk in wait times may be longer until a nurse is free especially when we are short staffed. If you need to leave or need to be seen urgently, please advise reception. If you leave, please advise reception so you can removed from the clinic list,

If your issue is urgent please advise reception, they will put you on the list for walk in or a nurse to phone you back or please make an appointment to see your doctor.

If it is non-urgent, please send non-urgent requests to email scripts@ratanui.co.nz or enter medication requests into the website fillable form online. Please try and order medication before you run out. Messages left on answerphone for scripts will be responded to as soon as possible but there may be a delay of up to 2 days to be processed.

The phone nurse line service may be limited or delayed due to excess demands.

Flu Vaccinations and Immunisations are by appointment. Appointments are Monday Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. No vaccinations on Friday.

There are currently no COVID19 vaccinations given from the clinic, under further notice.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

QUICK CLINIC (Book on Day)

We do not have “walk in” clinics available, (except for Saturdays during 9am-12pm) as we have changed to appointment slots for urgent “Book on the Day” acute quick clinic appointments, to make appointments available for those in need of urgent care on the day.

Book on day quick clinic appointments will be available each day for those who need an urgent, one issue, appointments. These appointments can be booked from 8am on the day. Unfortunately our phone lines are extremely overloaded and we appreciate your patience

We will have a doctor on duty, in the afternoon between 2.00 and 5.30pm with appointments for respiratory/COVID19 assessments and urgent health issues.

No more clinics or appointments are available once this is booked out. This will prevent long wait times.

Rapid antigen testING (RAT) IS available.

NB: These must be taken on site, depending on stocks, we are not alway able to give tests for self testing.

Please check the list below to see if you are eligible.

PCR nasal swabs are only taken for some the clinical circumstances.

COVID-19 TESTING

Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) and limited PCR COVID-19 testing is available free of charge for enrolled and casual patients.

Please wait in your car and phone reception if you may have COVID-19.

doctor CONSULTAtiONS

Doctors can offer virtual phone consultations (usual fees apply). There are limits to what can be offered and a face to face consultation by still be required.

Antiviral (Paxlovid) prescribing is available for eligible patients free of charge.

If you are waiting in your car, please be prepared to receive a phone call from the doctor.

COVID-19 VACCINATIONs

Covid Vaccinations are not currently available at Ratanui Medical.

Book on the Book My Vaccine website or call 0800 28 29 26.

Please see COVID-19 Vaccine Facts for more information

COVID-19 Vaccination Record

My Vaccine Pass

My Vaccine International Travel Vaccination Certificate

COVID-19 Website - Covid Vaccination Certificates

COVID-19 Vaccination Status Certificates

If you have any questions about your vaccination dates or letters, please contact our nurse pn@ratanui.co.nz or ph 09 837 0740 - 8.30am-11.20am and 2pm-4.30pm or email to request for Vaccination confirmation or Ministry of Health vaccinestatus@health.govt.nz