IMPORTANT PATIENT NOTICE
IF YOU HAVE RETURNED FROM INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AFTER MIDNIGHT 15TH MARCH 2020 THE GOVERNMENT HAS MANDATED THAT YOU MUST STAY AT HOME SELF ISOLATE FOR 14 DAYS.
Should you require non-urgent health care while you are in home isolation you may send an email to Reception@redhilldoctors.com.au and include your name, date of birth, reason for home isolation and need for medical attention and/or request and we will forward to your regular GP to review and respond.
For all Urgent medical attention while you’re in home isolation ring triple zero (000).
IF YOU RETURNED FROM INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL 14 DAYS BEFORE 15TH MARCH 2020 OR BEEN IN CONTACT WITH ANYONE WHO HAS RETURNED FROM INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL OR BEEN IN CONTACT WITH A PERSON WHO HAS TESTED POSITIVE OR AWAITING RESULTS FOR COVID-19 AND YOU HAVE DEVELOPED FLU LIKE SYMPTOMS (FEVER, COUGH, SORE THROAT, SHORTNESS OF BREATH) DO NOT BOOK AN APPOINTMENT ONLINE. RING 13HEALTH OR THE CORONA VIRUS INFORMATION LINE 1800 020 080 FOR ADVICE.
Phone consults can also be arranged for non-urgent and non-acute healthcare.
Medicare funded Telehealth consultations are now available to those who fit the criteria below:
Vulnerable/isolated patients are those where at least one of the following apply:
(a) the person has been diagnosed with COVID-19 virus but who is not a patient of a hospital; or
(b) the person has been required to
isolate themselves in quarantine in accordance with home isolation
guidance issued by Australian Health Protection Principal Committee
(AHPPC); or
(c) the person is considered more susceptible to the COVID-19 virus being a person who is:
(d) the person meets the current national triage protocol criteria for suspected COVID-19 infection.
A health professional at risk for COVID-19 means a person that:
(a) has been diagnosed with COVID-19 but who is not a patient of a hospital; or
(b) has been required to isolate
themselves in quarantine in accordance with home isolation guidance
issued by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee.
A
Patients who do not fit the above criteria may request to have a Phone Consultation however these are non-rebatable through Medicare. Charges are based on time.
You must be an existing patient of the practice and you require non-urgent or non-acute medical attention/advice, please email your name, dob, mobile number, your regular GP, reason for consultation and your availability to Reception@redhilldoctors.com.au and we will forward to your Doctor to review, confirm and respond. Please allow at least 24 hours for us to reply.
You may also ring 33692444 to discuss your request with our Reception staff. Same time frame applies.
Latest news from Metro North Hospital and Health Service
The
Metro North HHS Emergency Operations Centre has been operational since late
January.
Metro North HHS is coordinating incoming traveller health screening at
Brisbane International Airport if required before they proceed to
self-quarantine.
Fever Assessment Clinics
Metro North HHS have established Fever Assessment Clinics at four hospitals:
- The Prince Charles Hospital 8.00 am – 11.00 pm, 7 days
- Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital 24 hours, 7 days
- Caboolture Hospital 7.00 am- 9.00 pm, 7 days
- Redcliffe Hospital 8.00 am – 6.00 pm, 7 days.
These clinics are testing people with COVID-19 symptoms who have:
- returned from overseas in the past 14 days; OR
- had close contact with someone with confirmed COVID-19.
Community Assessment Clinics
Additional screening services are now available through COVID-19 Community
Assessment Clinics. The Brighton Health Campus Community Assessment
Clinic and the Pine Rivers Community Health Centre are now open
The Brighton Community Assessment Clinic is located at 449 Hornibrook
Highway, Brighton Qld 4017 and will operate from 8.00 am – 8.00 pm daily.
The Pine Rivers Community Health Centre is located at 568 Gympie Road,
Strathpine Qld 4500, and will operate from 8.00 am – 4.00 pm, Monday to Friday.
The assessment clinics will ease pressure on current emergency department
COVID-19 presentations and will allow for prompt assessment of those with
symptoms.
People with the below symptoms can be seen at the Community Assessment
Clinics:
- fever, cough, sore throat and/or tiredness,
- who have either been overseas, OR
- who are a close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19
People requiring COVID-19 assessment with severe symptoms including shortness of breath should present to their nearest hospital ED fever assessment clinic.
What is COVID-19
The COVID-19 novel coronavirus is a new strain of coronavirus affecting humans.
Some coronaviruses can cause illness similar to the common cold and others can cause more serious diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
This novel coronavirus is still new and as such we are still learning more about it.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is leading the global response to the novel coronavirus outbreak and is working with Chinese authorities and global experts to learn more about the virus including how it affects people, how it is transmitted and what countries can do to respond.
What are the Symptoms?
The virus can cause a range of symptoms, ranging from mild illness to pneumonia. People may experience:
- fever
- flu-like symptoms such as coughing, sore throat or headaches
- difficulty breathing in some cases
Anyone with these symptoms who has travelled to or through mainland China, Iran or South Korea in the past 14 days should see a doctor immediately. Before your appointment, please call ahead and advise of your symptoms and recent travel so necessary precautions can be undertaken.
People with suspected novel coronavirus will be tested and may also need to have a chest x-ray.
There is no specific treatment for COVID-19 infection. Antibiotics are not effective against viral infections. However, most of the symptoms can be treated with supportive medical care.
There is currently no vaccine for COVID-19 novel coronavirus.
Protecting yourself and others from the novel coronavirus
Novel coronavirus is transmitted from person to person, usually when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Transmission may occur from contaminated surfaces, so it is important to frequently wash your hands.
To protect yourself and others from infection practice good hand and respiratory hygiene including:
- cleaning hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rubs
- covering your nose and mouth with a tissue or flexed elbow when coughing or sneezing
- avoiding contact with anyone who has symptoms such as fever, a cough, sore throat, fatigue, and shortness of breath.
- staying home if you are unwell.
Links for information relating to COVID-19:
https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-frequently-asked-questions
https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-what-you-need-to-know
https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-isolation-guidance