An Excel file has been sent to practices that were finding it difficult to reconcile July payments with their PMS system.

Following the change to the immunisation schedule, the 45 year dose of tetanus (Boostrix) is now fully funded. This includes both the vaccine and the administration but only for those who have not already received four doses of a tetanus containing vaccine.

All Medtech32 and indici practices will have had a monthly smoking brief advice “missed chances report” automatically uploaded to secure their Healthlink/PHO report folders. After this month, they will be placed in the folder on the 5th of each month.

The Government has developed a new hard-copy booklet to help people keep track of where they’ve been and who they’ve seen, in case this is needed for contact tracing. The booklet is designed for people who aren’t able to use the NZ COVID Tracer app or who choose not to. 

There is a dedicated COVID-19 laboratory request form for testing staff from Managed Isolation Facilities (MIFs) and community testing facilities (non-hotel) - such as a swab taker. This form helps indicate priority processing to lab staff.

The new version of NZ COVID Tracer will be released to the app stores on the morning of Thursday 3 September. Of significant interest to GP’s is the addition of the “My NHI Number” feature into the app. This number will be unverified and still should always be checked by the medical professional.

GPNZ has written to the Minister of Health this week to express concern regarding recent communications on testing for COVID-19, and urge the Minister to establish mechanisms that will enable timely and reliable information to reach those clinicians conducting the vast majority of tests.

Mariska Mannes is a PhD student in communication studies, at the University of Otago. She is conducting research into cultural and professional value differences between New Zealand based doctors and international medical graduates practising in New Zealand.

ACC funding for the Taranaki falls prevention service ceases in December 2020. Due to this, from 1 October 2020 we are putting a hold on accepting new patients into the Taranaki in-home falls prevention programme.

Initially when the COVID-19 pandemic was declared DHBs indicated that whilst PPE supply was “covered in the cost of swabbing” they would provide stock for free during the height of the response and whilst there were supply issues to ensure practices had appropriate PPE. This is not going to last forever, and already some DHBs in the country have started charging for PPE, or simply not supplying it.