Patients who are under 60 years of age and wanting to book in for their Pfizer Vaccination, please call the clinic on 3289 1712 to book your appointment.
Pfizer Vaccine Update
Samford Valley Medical Centre continues to be involved in the Australian Government’s Covid Vaccination program.
Despite media commentary suggesting that the Pfizer vaccine was now available at all GP clinics, the Australian Government rollout only applies to selected practices in the initial stages, with more practices, including ours, coming on board at a later date.
We do anticipate having the Pfizer vaccine available in the coming months, dependent on government allocations. We will continue to offer Astra Zeneca to eligible patients and would encourage you to make an appointment with your doctor if you have any questions about your eligibility or the most suitable vaccine for you.
Covid 19 Vaccination
Samford Valley Medical Centre is proud to be a part of the Covid Vaccine Rollout in section 1B, commencing on the 29th March 2021.
Our clinic has been allocated 100 doses per week in the first instance and we await further information from the government about when there will be a greater availability of the vaccine for GP clinics across Australia. We appreciate that many people will be wanting to vaccinate against Covid19, and we have the capacity to adapt to a greater number of vaccinations when the supply is increased. We appreciate your patience.
Currently, the Australian Government has prioritised two groups who are deemed to be at higher risk of Covid19 and they are categorized as Group 1A and Group 1B. To check your eligibility for the vaccine please go to the Australian Government Eligibility Checker which can be found here - https://covid-vaccine.healthdirect.gov.au/eligibility
Our practice is required to confirm your eligibility for the vaccine before the first dose is given and some examples of proof of eligibility include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Standard forms of identification (drivers’ licence, passport etc.),
- Proof of occupation (letter from employer, work ID card),
- Self-identification as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person,
- Medical records/My Health Record print out of a Chronic Disease Plan or a referral from a GP or specialist,
- Phase 1B Declaration Form
Please note that if you are already a patient of Samford Valley Medical Centre, your doctor will have your medical records, so you are not required to provide information about your health conditions.
If you have any concerns about having the Covid vaccine, please contact the clinic to make an appointment to discuss these with your doctor prior to your vaccination appointment.
Our online Covid vaccine booking system is set to go live from the afternoon of Thursday 25th March 2021 and we ask that you book online where possible. If you are unable to access the internet, you can call the practice when bookings open on the afternoon of March 25th and we will assist you.
We will provide more information as it becomes available, and we thank you again for your patience.
The Team at Samford Valley Medical Centre
Welcome Jade
We are so excited to have welcomed Jade Petie as Practice Manager in January. She has seamlessly transitioned into the role and the team at SVMC and she looks forward to working with our staff to provide high quality service for our patients.
Christmas and New Year Hours 2020
This surgery will by OPEN during the Christmas Holiday period, excluding the public holidays.
Wednesday 23rd December - Usual operating hours
Thursday 24th December - 8:30am - 4pm
Friday 25th December - CLOSED
Saturday 26th December - CLOSED
Monday 28th December - CLOSED
Tuesday 29th December - 8:30am - 4pm
Wednesday 30th December - 8:30am - 4pm
Thursday 31st December - 8:30am - 4pm
Friday 1st January - CLOSED
Saturday 2nd January - Usual hours resume
Nutritionist available
We are excited to announce we now have Alana Maxwell Nutrition + Wellbeing, practicing from our clinic. Alana is a Nutritionist supporting Mums, teens and children to improve health and well-being. Alana uses diet, lifestyle and nutritional supplements to improve digestive health, stress and anxiety, mood and behaviour, low energy and teen skin. If you would like support, Alana is offering all our patients $50 off the first appointment until 17 Dec 2020, conditions apply. (Use code SVMC1) Health fund rebates available. Enquiries and bookings at www.alanamaxwell.com.au. (GCert HNut, BA).
Welcome Dr Gemma James
As many of you are already aware, but for those of you that may not know, we were lucky to welcome Dr Gemma James to our team in March. Gemma is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays so please call us on 07-3289 1712 to book an appointment.
Appointments and Covid Update
Please be aware that we have moved to doing teleconsults if possible. This means that your doctor will call you for a consultation or email you a link for videoconference. We will see you in clinic if necessary and there are no concerns regarding covid risk. At this stage we have stopped on-line booking, please call us on 07-3289 1712 to book an appointment.
We have emailed some patients with our current stance, unfortunately we came across technical difficulties and unable to keep sending. Following is the letter that was attached to the email.
Covid 19-Update
To our valued patients, We are sending this email to update you on our current position regarding Covid-19. At Samford Valley Medical Centre, we have been busy trying to keep up to date with the day to day changes regarding this virus. Those that have been to the clinic in the last few weeks/month will have noticed that we have been asking screening questions prior to booking your appointment. The questions have adapted to suit guidelines by the government at that time. Currently our screening questions are:-
1. Have you travelled overseas in the last 14-21 days,
2. Are you unwell with cough, cold, flu or fever
3. Have you been in contact with anyone at risk or diagnosed with Covid-19
4. Are you a healthcare worker and are you unwell.
If you are answering yes to any of these questions we are asking you NOT to come to the clinic. We will guide you to either a phone consultation or to a fever clinic or into isolation. Medicare has provided us with item numbers so that we can bulk bill phone consultations for those people who fall within their guidelines. These guidelines may change over the next weeks/months but for the moment, for others that require a phone consultation but do not fall under the guidelines, you will be charged a private fee.
Please be assured, we will continue to provide you with the best possible care. In the meantime we encourage you to follow these guidelines:-
1. Maintain good hand hygiene, frequent and careful handwashing (hand sanitisers are ok if you are out and about), be aware that surfaces you come in contact with may be contaminated (door handles, lift buttons, railings, light switches)
2. Avoid touching your face, on average we touch our face 4 times an hour
3. Follow good cough/sneeze etiquette (either cough into a tissue and dispose into bin or into your elbow) Wash your hands frequently
4. Maintain good sleep and a healthy diet
5. Maintain social distancing and avoid going out if possible, especially if you are over age of 60 and/or have a chronic disease. Do not shake hands and stay at least 1.5 m away from others.
We also want to let you know that we have now started vaccinations for the flu. We are doing flu clinics on Saturdays afternoons. We will assess again after Easter to see if we continue with the clinics. Please call us on 07-3289 1712 to book in and make sure we have your flu vaccination in stock.
Stay well and stay safe. Please refer to our facebook page or here for updates. If you have any questions, please call us.
Kind regards, The SVMC team.
Sound advice regarding COVIS-19 and children
https://www.gps-can.com.au/covid19-blog/a-guide-school
Coronovirus - Covid19
The team at SVMC have been working hard behind the scenes keeping up to date with current recommendations regarding Covid19. We have implemented screening questions when booking appointments and ask if there are any changes to the answers prior to your appointment - please call reception on 3289 1712. We are following guidelines and seeing or referring patients based on those guidelines. We appreciate your assistance in limiting exposure and spread of this virus.
To aid in stopping the spread:-
Clean your hands regularly with soap and water or alcohol based hand rubs
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or bent elbow when coughing or sneezing then wash your hands
Avoid touching your face, nose and mouth
Stay at home if you are unwell (unless you require medical assistance, in which case we ask that you phone first) or in an emergency dial 000
Avoid contact with anyone who is unwell - try to stay 1.5 metres away from anyone coughing or sneezing.
Look after yourself by eating a healthy balanced diet, getting regular physical activity, sleeping well and reducing stress.