May Newsletter

Kia ora Patients and Whānau,
 
Winter has well and truly arrived here in Hawkes Bay.  Stay well over winter, get your Covid and Flu vaccination now!

• If you haven’t done so already, Flu and Covid vaccinations can be booked any day of the week at HHC. You can request a vaccine if you have an existing appointment or book separately, and you can have both Flu and Covid at the same time – but you will have to wait 20 mins afterwards if you are having the Covid vaccination.
• If you have respiratory symptoms (regardless of whether it is covid or not), please phone in and let Reception know. A phone consult may be more appropriate rather than you come into the Health Centre. If you do present at the Health Centre and you have respiratory symptoms, please ensure you wear a mask.
• The Reception team will book you in at a time that is convenient for you. A reminder of our Reception phone numbers:
• Waimoana              phone 06 873 8554
• Ngahere                 phone 06 873 8553
• Mairangi                 phone 06 873 8551
• Havelock Nth         phone 06 877 8011

Criteria for funded Flu vaccinations in 2025 are:

• All pregnant people
• People aged 65yrs and over
• People aged 6 months to 65yrs with eligible conditions.
• Children 4 yrs of age and under who have been hospitalised for respiratory illness or have a history of significant respiratory illness.
• People aged 6 months to under 65 yrs with serious mental health and addiction conditions.
• Currently, there are no unfunded Flu Quad vaccinations available.

Phone Lines
Our phone lines are busiest between 8am and 11am. If your request or enquiry is not urgent, call later in the day or consider using our Manage My Health patient portal.
 
Manage My Health – Our Patient Portal:

• Manage My Health is our convenient online patient portal where you can:
• Order non-urgent prescriptions
• Book non-urgent appointments
• View your test results
• Please note, charges may apply if you wish to seek medical advice through MMH.

 
Follow us on Facebook or visit our updated website for news:

• Stay up to date with all our latest news and services. Follow us on Facebook @HastingsHealthCentre or
• Check out our new website. www.hastingshealth.co.nz

 
Clinical Triage coming to the Ngahere Suite for all on the day urgent appointments:

• You might have noticed recently that some of our GP’s are using clinical telephone triage as a way to better manage the unplanned daily demand for ‘urgent on the day appointments’. 
• In the Ngahere suite, all of our GP’s are moving to clinical triage for their ‘urgent on the day appointments’ from Monday the 12^th May.
• A triage call is a short 3 – 5-minute call back service. It is a short assessment by your Clinician, to determine the most appropriate course of action for you on the day.
• If you call in and want a same day appointment, you will be advised by Reception that you will be put on the daily triage list, and that you will get a call back by your GP or Nurse. You will not be charged for the triage call, but you will be charged for the outcome:

Outcome examples are:

• A prescription is ordered
• A work certificate requested, 
• A full telephone consult is provided by a Nurse or a GP with advice and a care plan
• A face-to- face consult is booked for you here in Ngahere

• The reason we are using clinical triage is because it helps us to improve your access to your GP. Sometimes the GP or Nurse will be able to resolve your issue quickly over the phone. Other times your GP might ask you to come in and see them today or book you in for future appointment, depending on the issue.
• The goal of clinical triage is to provide you with an improved patient experience by saving you time and unnecessary travel where possible. 

 
Urgent Care

• Don’t forget that HHC has its very own walk in Accident and Medical Centre on site. It is open 7 days a week, including public holidays and no appointment is necessary. 
• Hours are from 8am – 8pm. 
• This service is available for everybody in Hawkes Bay, including visitors. You do not have to be enrolled to use the service.

 
Invoicing and online payments
 

• Where possible we prefer you pay on the day. If you have money owing, an invoice will be sent to your email address electronically at the start of each month. This is more efficient and environmentally friendly.
• Please ensure we have the correct email address registered for you. If you don’t have an email address, you will receive a hard copy account in the post. 
• If you are unable to pay your full account each month, please contact a member of the Reception team to discuss payment options. Automatic payments are easy to set up, if required.

 
Stay well and thank you for supporting Hastings and Havelock North Health Centers.

Ngā mihi 
                           
Patient Support Services
Hastings Health Centre.