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Alexandra Family Medical

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    Alexandra Family Medical offers a wide range of health care services. A team of general practitioners, nurses and administration staff work from the Central Lodge historical building in Alexandra, providing professional healthcare to you and your family.
     

    Our Staff
    The team is made up of:

    GPs:
    (see details below under “General Practitioners”)

    Nursing: 
    Rostered - Gail Harris; Rebekah Kingdon; Raelene Wood; Rachel Turner

    Reception & Admin:
    Rachel Samuel; Michelle Johnston; Nicky Greary and Camyce Hamilton

    Practice Manager: 
    Rina van der Merwe & Gail Harris (Clinical Manager)

    COVID-19 Vaccination

    Getting a COVID-19 vaccine is an important step you can take to protect yourself, your kaumātua and whānau from the effects of the virus. For more information on the COVID-19 vaccines and eligibility visit Ministry of Health - COVID-19 vaccines

    Covid-19 vaccines can be administered before, after, or at the same time as other national schedule vaccines. When the Nuvaxovid vaccine is given at the same time as the Shingrix shingles vaccine or the Fluad Quad flu vaccine, there may be a chance of experiencing a stronger post-vaccination response and you should discuss this with your vaccinator.

    Practitioners

    • Dr Nic Norman

      Dr Nic Norman

      General Practitioner - Vocationally Registered
    • Dr Joost Breuk

      Dr Joost Breuk

      General Practitioner - Vocationally Registered
    • Dr Elvira de Jong

      Dr Elvira de Jong

      General Practitioner - Vocationally Registered
    • Dr Angel Eads

      General Practitioner
    Special Assistance Support (COVID-19 Vaccination)
    Long Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC)

    LARC methods are very effective at preventing unplanned pregnancy and are “fit and forget” forms of contraception – you don’t need to remember them every day or every month. LARC methods:

    • Intrauterine Contraceptive Devices (IUCD or IUD) are inserted through the cervix into a woman’s uterus. IUCDs may be either hormonal (Mirena® or Jaydess® ) or non-hormonal (copper IUCD).
    • Jadelle® is a hormone-releasing implant that is inserted just under the skin of the upper arm.

    Depending on the type of device, it will need to be changed after between three and ten years.

    Read more about LARC methods here

    Immunisation

    Immunisation is the safest and most effective way to provide protection for you and your tamariki’s health. For more information view the NZ immunisation schedule.

    Adult and Child Medical Care

    Your GP's surgery is far more than a place to go when you are feeling unwell and needing a quick cure. The doctor who sees you has gone through an extensive medical training to equip her or him to help children and adults of all ages with a range of physical and emotional difficulties. GPs are at the centre of the healthcare hub and will be aware of services and expertise that are available locally and further-a-field. GPs are also aware of the link that stress and unhappy life events have on physical health so know when to suggest a talking therapy rather than medication.

    Minor Accident Care

    Primary care practices offer a range of services and are able to deal with most minor accident care. If they are not able to deal with an injury they will refer on to the appropriate service.

    Minor Surgery

    Minor surgery is commonly provided in primary care practices, providing fast, competent removal and biopsies of skin lesions. Other services include cosmetic work such as removal of benign moles and skin tags. Ingrown toenail surgery is also commonly provided. 
    These conditions do not need to be referred to a hospital, perhaps saving you a long wait or a cancelled appointment when a more serious case takes priority. 
    If your doctor is unable to provide the procedure you need, he/she may know a neighbouring GP who does. Otherwise, the PHO will have a list of GPs trained in particular operations.

    Liquid Nitrogen

    Liquid nitrogen is a fast, effective treatment provided in many practices to treat viral warts, sun damaged skin, skin tags and many benign cosmetic lesions. It comes in a container with a nozzle and is usually applied by swab or spray. Often one treatment is all that is needed but sometimes it may need repeating after two weeks.
    Because it cannot be stored for too long, you will often find that your GP will treat a number of patients one after the other. 

    For more information click here.

    ECG

    An ECG is a recording of your heart's electrical activity. Electrode patches are attached to your skin to measure the electrical impulses given off by your heart. The result is a trace that can be read by a doctor. It can give information of previous heart attacks or problems with the heart rhythm.

    Lab Results

    Sometimes your doctor needs to take a sample of blood or urine either to discover what is wrong with you or to measure something in your blood so that the right medication is given to you. These tests could be anything from blood sugar to a full blood count or a sample of tissue to test for cancer.

    While urine can generally be tested in the surgery, blood and other specimens are usually sent away for testing at a laboratory. Most results come back within 48 hours unless a very rare test is needed which has to go to a specialist lab further away when it might take a little longer.

    Spirometry

    Spirometry is a tool that measures how effectively your lungs are working. It is able to show how much air lungs are able to hold (their volume) and how much air can be breathed in and out (inhaled and exhaled) which is called flow. This tool is used to assess damage caused by conditions like COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – a group that includes bronchitis and emphysema), pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis and asthma. Results are shown on a graph called a pneumotachograph.

    For more information click on the following link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirometry

    Cervical Screening

    All women and people with a cervix aged 25 – 69 who have ever had intimate skin-to-skin contact or been sexually active should have regular cervical screening. This includes women who have been immunised against HPV. Together, regular screening and HPV immunisation provide the best protection against cervical cancer.

    There are now more options for how you have cervical screening done:

    • a simple vaginal swab test for HPV, either done yourself or with help from a healthcare professional
    • a cervical sample taken by a healthcare professional (used to be known as a smear test).

    Talk with your healthcare provider to decide which option is best for you.

    If HPV is found, you may need to have a follow-up test or be referred directly for colposcopy.

    If you’ve not yet had HPV testing, you should be screened 3 years after your last test (or 1 year if immune deficient). Once you have had an HPV test, and providing HPV is not found, your next screening will be in 5 years (or 3 years if immune deficient).

    For more information: Cervical screening | Time to Screen - National Screening Unit

    Patient Portal

    A patient portal is a secure online tool provided by GP practices that can allow convenient access to your health information as well as interaction with the practice e.g. booking appointments and requesting repeat prescriptions.

    Repeat Prescriptions

    Each GP surgery or primary care practice will have its own procedure for repeat prescribing but the following rules are common to most, if not all. Patients who are well-known to the practice who have a stable condition like asthma, hypertension or diabetes could be allowed to get a repeat prescription for up to six months. Repeat prescriptions are never given to patients who are not known to the practice and there is probably a blanket ban on repeats for narcotics and other drugs that could be misused as doctors are expected to monitor these drugs carefully.

    Telehealth Consultation

    A virtual consultation is a way of having an appointment with your healthcare provider, but not in person. This is usually done via a video app or a phone call. For more detailed information about telehealth consultations, please see the guide from Healthify.

    Fee comment

    Fees are effective from 18 December 23. Prior to that previous fees remain the same.
    Fees for visiting patients differ and are payable before seeing the Clinician. Please ask reception should you wish to enquire.