Taupō GPs encouraging people to keep with health care needs.
Taupō GP Dr Bronwen Thomas says Taupō GPs are open and are encouraging people to keep up with all their normal health care needs.
“If patients have a clinical problem or need a prescription they should still ring up their GP as they normally would and we will help them find the right way to resolve it.
Dr Thomas says GPs are managing both routine and urgent care. The full GP service is operational even though much if it is happening in a virtual space.
"As far as acute medical problems go, we definitely want patients to contact us as promptly as normal. So, if patients have an injury, a worrying symptom for example, a pain, a lump, a change with their bowels or their breathing we want to know. We will still manage the problem, send them for any tests they need and refer them on to the hospital specialists when required.
“It may all look a bit different and some routine things may be postponed if safe to do so, but, we are still here doing our job as always,” she says.
Bronwen says that early on at the start of the lockdown, GPS did have to change some pre-booked face to face appointments to phone calls, to ensure not too many people came to the practice. This was done to keep staff and patients safe. Some tests and reviews were postponed where it was safe to do so.
“We are running phone, video and face to face (with doctor or nurse approval) consultations for both urgent and routine care. We will help patients with the safest and easiest option for their individual problem.”
Dr Thomas says GP practices have been working hard to ensure practices have measures in place to ensure the safety of staff and patients from any COVID-19 exposure.
She says the local Community Based Assessment Centre (CBAC) also provides a referral option to GPs for patients with possible COVID-19 i.e. fever or respiratory symptoms; runny nose, sore throat or cough, who need a clinical assessment and swabs.
Scam Alert: Fake information regarding December Bonuses from MSD
The Ministry of Social Development is reporting that fake information is circulating about new ‘December bonuses’ or ‘benefit increases’
If you get suspicious communication, please contact Netsafe.
Poll: Do you set New Year’s resolutions?
🎉 2026 is almost here!
We’re curious ... how do you welcome it?
Do you set resolutions, follow special traditions, or just go with the flow?
-
10.2% Yes! New Year, New Me
-
17.9% Yes - but I rarely stick to them
-
71.9% Nah - not for me
Further important update to all Neighbourly members
Dear Neighbours,
We wanted to update you with what we have uncovered in regards to the potential Neighbourly data breach which we were alerted to on Thursday January 1.
Over the past few days we have worked to understand whether our members’ data had been accessed without authorisation and, if so, the extent of the breach.
We have now confirmed that there was a breach of some data from our registered users. We are now satisfied that the breach was quickly contained, and we have restored the Neighbourly site and services.
Our investigations have shown that there was unauthorised access of Neighbourly data, which included our registered members’ names, email addresses, GPS coordinates, forum posts and member communications. It did not include passwords but some publicly advertised event and business addresses were included.
Following best practice, we will look to seek a court injunction against any use of the material.
We want to apologise to our members for this occurrence and any concerns it may have caused you over the past few days. We have, of course, addressed the issue that allowed the theft to occur, and we are satisfied that the site is secure for use by all of our members. We will work closely with all our staff to ensure we have the most robust processes in place to prevent it from happening again.
Thank you to our members who contacted us over this period and for the understanding you have shown as we work through the complex issues associated with cyber theft.
Q&A regarding Neighbourly data breach
The Team at Neighbourly
Loading…
