Category: Comprehensive

An overview of the safety, clinical application and antiviral research of a novel repurposed therapeutic for the Omicron (B.1.1.529) COVID-19 variant

by Dr Nick Tellis, posted in #coronavirus, #covid19, Comprehensive, Empowering, General Practice, Glenelg, GP, GPsCAN, health, Influence, Information, News, PartridgeGP, Professional, recruitment, sustainable

Since a novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak in late December 2019, coronavirus disease -19 (COVID-19) epidemic has gradually spread worldwide, becoming a major public health event. In November 2021, the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant was seen in various undervaccinated countries. No specific antiviral therapeutics are currently available for COVID-19 caused by this variant. The treatments for COVID-19 were mainly based on the experiences of similar virus such SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, HIV and influenza viruses. Scientists have taken great efforts to investigate the effective methods for the treatment of COVID-19. In this article, we review a novel option for COVID-19 therapy with the repurposing of Macrogol 3350. We systematically reviewed clinical safety, clinical applications and the progress of antiviral research into this therapeutic. This is summarized and compared, hoping to provide a new clinical option for COVID-19 treatment due to the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant and inform thought for life-threatening future variants.

Hello! Did you read this far? Many won’t. Many didn’t. This article is a total fiction and yet it has spread far and wide. Why write it? Why post it?

Your GP is a great source of information about this and other health related topics. Don’t be scared. Don’t stress. Outsource your medical reading and worries about new variants, existing variants, vaccines, and restrictions to your trusted GP. We are here to help! Here’s some actual medical info on a potential new vaccine!

PartridgeGP is here to help and serve our valued patients and community. PartridgeGP works with you to help you make your best health decisions, and we won’t back away from being your companion, guide, advisor, and sounding board through your health journey. We pride ourselves on great communication and we’re ready to share our professional skills and knowledge with you. This is only MORE important now, in the time of fear and a global pandemic with actual vaccines and therapeutics here now. The way forward is clear: make your appointment with us conveniently online right here – or call our friendly reception team on 82953200.

Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

For everyone, we believe that having a usual GP or General Practice is central to each person’s care and recommend that people with any health issues that come to the attention of other health professionals should be advised to attend their usual GP or General Practice rather than a specialised service (ie a place not providing the holistic care a specialist GP would).   If  they say that they don’t have a usual GP or general practice, they should be helped to find one and to actually attend it. Call PartridgeGP on 82953200 or make an appointment online here.

(Hat tip: Dr Oliver Frank)

(TL;DR – Get a regular GP or General Practice and use them!)

Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

If you’re employed, get a side hustle and get into business. If you’ve already got a business, get a network. Want to get started? Find your tribe here!

Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

If you are a great GP, nurse, or other great Allied Health Professional, and you want to serve your clients or patients to the best of your ability, without worrying about all the non clinical things that get in your way, lets talk. Call Dr Nick Tellis or Mrs Alison Mibus on 8295 3200 and have a coffee and chat with us as to how PartridgeGP can help you to help others.

PartridgeGP is seeking wonderful Medical Receptionists

by Dr Nick Tellis, posted in Comprehensive, Empowering, General Practice, Glenelg, GP, GPsCAN, health, Information, News, PartridgeGP, Professional, recruitment, sustainable

Medical Receptionist – Casual

PartridgeGP

Adelaide

Healthcare & MedicalMedical Administration

Casual, potential for FT/PT





PartridgeGP is growing and we have an opportunity for a Casual Medical Receptionist to join our practice team.



The hours will vary so flexibility and availability to cover leave and shifts with minimal notice is a pre-requisite. Regular Saturday afternoon shifts or the ability to cover these on a rotating basis will be required.



You will contribute to the smooth and efficient day to day running of PartridgeGP:



Answering phones and presenting a cheerful face for PartridgeGP as part of the front of house team

Document scanning, supporting our GPs with administration and follow up, and general office duties

There will be times that you will work on your own so being a self starter will be important.



The successful applicant will be working in a fast paced busy practice and must have an excellent phone manner, communication skills and be capable of triaging, making appointments over the phone, and managing our online appointments.



We are looking for character and spirit and will have some amazing training for successful applicants. A willingness to learn, curiosity, and comfort with technology and computers are also key attributes.





We are seeking a friendly, adaptable and resilient person with a team spirit who pays attention to detail. You will be part of a supportive practice team who focus on upholding our Practice Ethos of professional, comprehensive and empowering healthcare.



PartridgeGP is a fully computerised and AGPAL accredited practice.



Short-listing for this position will commence immediately, however, we reserve the right to close this position earlier than stated. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.



Please submit your current Resume and Cover letter for consideration to our Practice Manager Mrs Alison Mibus by emailing pm@partridgegp.com.au

All of our doctors here at PartridgeGP are fully qualified ‘Fellows’ (or are studying towards this ‘Registrars’) holding a specialist qualification with either the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP) or the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (FACRRM) or both (3-4 years of full time study and 3 exams on top of an undergraduate university medical degree and supervised trainee ‘intern’ year in a hospital). This is our minimum specialist standard and you can see more about what this involves here. Our Fellows provide supervision and advice to our Registrars.

Founded in 2013, PartridgeGP (formerly Partridge Street General Practice) is a General Practice, based in Glenelg, South Australia, providing better services and facilities to GPs, Allied Health Professionals, and our staff, so that we can all provide the best clinical care to our valued patients. We are fully accredited as a General Practice and we are an award winning training practice, training students and GP Registrars, the future of our profession. Our core purpose is to help practitioners help patients. 

PartridgeGP is here to help – and we will continue to serve our valued patients! PartridgeGP works with you to help you make your best health decisions, and we won’t back away from being your companion, guide, advisor, and sounding board through your health journey. We pride ourselves on great communication and we’re ready to share our professional skills and knowledge with you. This is only MORE important now, in the time of a global pandemic with a new vaccine on the horizon. The way forward is clear: make your appointment with us conveniently online right here – or call our friendly reception team on 82953200.

Where to from here?

Please submit your current Resume and Cover letter for consideration to our Practice Manager Mrs Alison Mibus by emailing pm@partridgegp.com.au

Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

For everyone, we believe that having a usual GP or General Practice is central to each person’s care and recommend that people with any health issues that come to the attention of other health professionals should be advised to attend their usual GP or General Practice rather than a specialised service (ie a place not providing the holistic care a specialist GP would).   If  they say that they don’t have a usual GP or general practice, they should be helped to find one and to actually attend it. Call PartridgeGP on 82953200 or make an appointment online here.

(Hat tip: Dr Oliver Frank)

(TL;DR – Get a regular GP or General Practice and use them!)

Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

If you’re employed, get a side hustle and get into business. If you’ve already got a business, get a network. Want to get started? Find your tribe here!

Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

If you are a great GP or a great Allied Health Professional, and you want to serve your clients or patients to the best of your ability, without worrying about all the non clinical things that get in your way, lets talk. Call Dr Nick Tellis on 8295 3200 and have a coffee and chat with us as to how PartridgeGP can help you to help others.

The Golden Month v2.0

by Dr Nick Tellis, posted in #justagp, Comprehensive, Empowering, General Practice, Glenelg, GP, health, How to, Information, Medical, Men, Men's health, New doctor, News, Occupational medicine, Partridge Street General Practice, Professional, Return to work, Self help, Workcover

A guest post by the excellent Dr Kar Loong Ng of Next Generation Occupational Medicine – NGOM.

 

 

 

 

Time. Timing. Such a critical aspect of Medicine. When a patient is in VF (Ventricular Fibrillation) the medical team has seconds, tens of seconds to act before the probability of successful resuscitation decreases exponentially. Act too fast (not yelling ‘CLEAR’) whilst activating the defibrillator and they risk hurting a team member and losing further precious seconds whilst the machine recharges. Act too slow and the patient is lost forever.

 

The same principles apply for non-emergency musculoskeletal workplace injuries. More often than not, I encounter patients, employers and insurers who request for MRIs at early stages of injury when there is no medical indication. The fact of the matter is, there is very little correlation between most MRI findings and the patient’s current injury or problem. Kind of like seeing all the imperfections on footy player’s faces on a 4K TV during a game. Additionally there are quite a large number of studies that show that early spinal MRIs that are not medically indicated often result in poorer outcomes and disability. I once saw a worker who was in such severe pain due to his belief that his ‘discs are squashed, bulged and spinal cord and nerves crushed’. When viewed I his MRI scans and told him that there is mild bulging of his lower 2 lumbar discs , his immediate response was “That’s where my pain is !! Between my shoulder blades……..”

Another example is that of shoulder impingement syndrome. A subacromial injection early on the injury is not going to be of benefit if the patient is not aware of how to perform rotator cuff exercises. An injection too late will also have less chance of success.

It is all about timing. Right, Roger Federer?

I previously wrote about Specialised Early Intervention and Second Opinion Medicine. With both services, we have been able to successfully rehabilitate a good proportion of complex worker injuries to normal work, alternative work, new employment or community restoration. Unfortunately some patients do not do so well. Being a sub-specialist practice, all our patients are referred from GPs. Despite extensive communication to the GP community, employers, insurers and rehabilitation providers emphasising the importance of early referrals, our earliest referral over the past few years has been 7 weeks post injury. This was an outlier, with the average referral being 6 to 9 months old. Well…….it beats my record a few years back when I saw a 50 year old man (with a six-pack) who had been on benefits since 19 and could not remember which leg his sciatica was on………..

Successful Early Intervention requires implementation at 2 to 3 weeks post injury. Some people refer to it as ‘The Golden Month’. For complex worker injuries, there is now good evidence that screening and intervention at day 1 of injury result in a significant reduction in disability and cost.

We are now in the process of implementing this with the introduction of services to GPs. The aim is to provide patients, workers and employers with a personally tailored comprehensive suite of medical and allied health care, as well as quick but well-timed access to medical sub-specialists.

I feel like I have been playing the game of RISK over the past few years. Disability is the enemy. I hope this strategy contains it.

Thanks Kar – it’s inspiring to see the passion you have for returning injured workers to work! Getting you better is what we’re about at PartridgeGP and so we’ll be working together with NGOM whenever we see injured workers.

 

Here to Help

 

Our Doctors at PartridgeGP are Here to Help Injured Workers – you can meet them here.

 

 

Want more?

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is pexels-photo-1061142.jpeg
Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

For everyone, we believe that having a usual GP or General Practice is central to each person’s care and recommend that people with any health issues that come to the attention of other health professionals should be advised to attend their usual GP or General Practice rather than a specialised service (ie a place not providing the holistic care a specialist GP would).   If  they say that they don’t have a usual GP or general practice, they should be helped to find one and to actually attend it. Call PartridgeGP on 82953200 or make an appointment online here.

(Hat tip: Dr Oliver Frank)

(TL;DR – Get a regular GP or General Practice and use them!)

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is pexels-photo-1061141.jpeg
Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

If you’re employed, get a side hustle and get into business. If you’ve already got a business, get a network. Want to get started? Find your tribe here!

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is pexels-photo-1061140.jpeg
Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

If you are a great GP or a great Allied Health Professional, and you want to serve your clients or patients to the best of your ability, without worrying about all the non clinical things that get in your way, lets talk. Call Mrs Hayley Roberts on 8295 3200 and have a coffee and chat with us as to how PartridgeGP can help you to help others.

Yesterday You Said Tomorrow

by Dr Nick Tellis, posted in #coronavirus, #covid19, #justagp, Comprehensive, Empowering, future, General Practice, Glenelg, GP, GPsCAN, Information, New doctor, PartridgeGP, recruitment, Security

Half way through the week…did you know what some GPs are thinking?

You’re a Great GP

You’ve studied and trained

You’re here to help!

But who is here to help you?

Those things you didn’t train for

When your computer doesn’t work

When your receptionist books appointments through your lunch break

Who will look after patients when you’re on holiday?

Who will keep you working safely during COVID?

PartridgeGP is here to answer all of these questions for you!

Don’t put your safety, income, and professionalism second

Put yourself first – call PartridgeGP on 8295 3200

#gp #glenelg #privatepractice #team #job #career #awesome #bettercareer #beachside #dreamjob #dreamposition

Body Shaming

by Dr Nick Tellis, posted in #justagp, carb, Care plan, Comprehensive, Diet, Empowering, Exercise, General Practice, Glenelg, GP, GPsCAN, Grass fed, health, How to, Influence, Information, LCHF, lowcarb, Natural, PartridgeGP, patient info, Physiotherapy, prevention, Professional, Self help

We all know that COVID19 is around. Luckily in SA we have stuck to

Social Distancing
Hand Washing
Cough Etiquette

And so we have the following stats!

July 8 – well done so far SA

But those extra pounds and kilos have snuck in where even COVID19 hasn’t reached. PartridgeGP is here to help and therefore we posted this on our Facebook page:

Facebook – 13 July

The text was as follows:

Has a little isoweight crept on, even before the #secondwave ?
@partridgegp has you covered! 👍🏼

> diet and exercise help
> physiotherapy to keep you moving
> medication advice

Movement Theory

Rod Ventura providing awesome #physiotherapy and all of our GPs below

Call 8295 3200 or http://bit.ly/2XmM0n5

Dr Monika Moy
Dr Penny Massy-Westropp
Dr Nikhil Tamminedi
Dr Zoe Teh
Dr Nick Mouktaroudis
Dr Phil Maddocks
Dr Gareth Boucher
Dr Nick Tellis

HIT THE BIG BLUE BUTTON!

We’re here to serve you during this difficult time as we always have
To make a phone appointment click here http://bit.ly/2XmM0n5 or call us on 8295 3200

So we tried to boost this post, but Facebook said no. It was body shaming!!! Well, we shall post here and see what you think. Leave your messages in the comments!

To be or not to be?

PartridgeGP and Dr Nick Tellis are Here to Help – here are three ways we can do this:

1. You’re a patient and you want a Great GP! Make a booking online for Dr Nick or one of the caring GPs at PartridgeGP by clicking right here!

2. You’re a great GP or Allied Health Professional and you want a practice that will provide you with the awesome services, facilities, and team so you can serve patients to the best of your ability. Say hi Dr Nick Tellis (Facebook) or LinkedIn or call Mrs Hayley Roberts on 08 8295 3200

3. You’re a small business owner looking to network and grow your amazing business. Touch base with Dr Nick Tellis (Facebook) or LinkedIn and we will share a socially distanced coffee (or three)!

Divided, the Empire must unite…

by Dr Nick Tellis, posted in #justagp, Aged care, Comprehensive, Empowering, future, General Practice, Glenelg, GP, GPsCAN, health, How to, Influence, Information, Medical, News, PartridgeGP, Professional, sustainable

Romance of the Three Kingdoms is
one of China’s four Great Classical Novels. The title of this blog post is more fully:

The empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide. Thus it has ever been.

PartridgeGP is based on a triple promise that we will be great for our patients and our community, GPs and our staff, and for the owners and the practice. Further, we will provide a comprehensive, professional, empowering, and sustainable service at all times.

Our friendly neighbourhood pharmacist sent this to me (see below). He was a little worried about the threat to his full service pharmacy and also to great General Practice.

Hmmmm

Now different companies will have different service offerings at different levels of the market. Think Porsche and Hyundai. Both very acceptable to different groups. Maybe even acceptable to the same group at different times. I’m not sure they are competitors.

I put my thoughts down here:

Upon reflection…

So keep playing to your strengths, keep doing your best, and unite not divide.

If you want to join a team that’s here to guide and help our valued patients, give Dr Nick Tellis or Dr Nick Mouktaroudis a call at PartridgeGP on 8295 3200!

Welcoming Dr Zoe Teh to PartridgeGP

by Dr Nick Tellis, posted in #justagp, Comprehensive, Empowering, Female, Glenelg, GP, health, How to, Information, Medical, Natural, New doctor, News, Pap smear, PartridgeGP, Professional, Training, Virus, Winter

PartridgeGP is proud to welcome Dr Zoe Teh to our team!

 

dr zoe teh

 

Dr Zoe completed her undergraduate medical training at the University of Adelaide, and spent her intern and resident years between the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital. She undertook her General Practice training in a number of clinics across southern Adelaide, and is particularly interested in sexual health, women’s health (including Implanon insertion and removal), and preventative medicine. She is also fluent in Mandarin!

 

 

We welcome Dr Zoe to Our Team here at PartridgeGP to be Your GP!

 

 

She is available to help you with all of your General Practice needs from April 2020 and you can book your appointment with her conveniently online right here – or call our friendly reception team on 0882953200.

 

screenshot_20200330-194411_wm816164613062801551.png

 

 

All of our doctors here at PartridgeGP are fully qualified ‘Fellows’ (or are studying towards this) holding a specialist qualification with either the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP) or the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (FACRRM) or both (3-4 years of full time study and 3 exams on top of an undergraduate university medical degree and supervised trainee ‘intern’ year in a hospital). This is our minimum specialist standard and we may have other qualifications and skills.

 

 

Our Fellows provide supervision and advice to our Registrars and you may find that they are called in to consult with the Registrar on your case. ‘Registrars’ are qualified doctors who have completed their hospital training and are now embarking on their General Practice training. Some may already have other qualifications in medical or other fields.

 

 

We also supervise and teach Medical Students from Flinders University. They are still studying to become doctors. All of us – Fellows, Registrars, and Medical Students – make up the Clinical Team here at PartridgeGP with our excellent Practice Nurses. We all uphold the highest standards of privacy, confidentiality, professionalism, and clinical practice.

 

 

IMG_20190321_202633

 

DR PENNY MASSY-WESTROPP

dr penny massy westropp - your gp

DR MONIKA MOY

dr monika moy- your gp

Dr Zoe Teh

dr zoe teh

 

Welcoming Dr Nikhil Tamminedi to PartridgeGP

by Dr Nick Tellis, posted in #justagp, Comprehensive, Empowering, Glenelg, GP, GPsCAN, health, How to, Information, Medical, Men, Men's health, Natural, New doctor, News, PartridgeGP, Professional, Training, Virus, Winter

 

 

 

Dr Nikhil Tamminedi commenced his specialist General Practice training with PartridgeGP in February 2020. He completed his undergraduate medical training at the University of Western Sydney. Prior to commencing General Practice training, Dr Tamminedi worked two Post Graduate years in metropolitan hospitals in New South Wales with a focus on surgical disciplines and emergency medicine. His particular interest include skin, minor surgery, and respiratory medicine. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and travelling..

Dr Nikhil has quickly settled in and has hit the ground running with the rest of our Great Team here at PartridgeGP!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PartridgeGP is an accredited General Practice and is further accredited by our Regional General Practice Training Provider GPEx.

 

 

 

This means that the GPs at PartridgeGP are teaching the Doctors and Medical Students who will be the future of medicine in Australia. It’s a big responsibility and a privilege we take very seriously.

 

 

 

img_1954
Teaching Practice of the Year

 

 

All of our doctors here at PartridgeGP are fully qualified ‘Fellows’ (or are studying towards this) holding a specialist qualification with either the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP) or the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (FACRRM) or both (3-4 years of full time study and 3 exams on top of an undergraduate university medical degree and supervised trainee ‘intern’ year in a hospital). This is our minimum specialist standard and we may have other qualifications and skills.

 

 

 

Our Fellows provide supervision and advice to our Registrars and you may find that they are called in to consult with the Registrar on your case. ‘Registrars’ are qualified doctors who have completed their hospital training and are now embarking on their General Practice training. Some may already have other qualifications in medical or other fields.

 

We also supervise and teach Medical Students from Flinders University. They are still studying to become doctors. All of us – Fellows, Registrars, and Medical Students – make up the Clinical Team here at PartridgeGP with our excellent Practice Nurses. We all uphold the highest standards of privacy, confidentiality, professionalism, and clinical practice.

 

 

 

Dr Nikhil Tamminedi is a valuable member of our growing Clinical Team!

 

 

 

 

IMG_20190404_191100

 

 

 

 

 

Dr Zoe Teh

 

Dr Gareth Boucher

 

Dr Nici Williams

 

Dr Penny Massy-Westropp

 

Dr Monika Moy

 

Dr Phillip Maddocks

 

Dr Nikhil Tamminedi

 

Dr Nick Mouktaroudis

 

Dr Nick Tellis

 

Welcoming Dr Phillip Maddocks to PartridgeGP

by Dr Nick Tellis, posted in #justagp, Comprehensive, Empowering, Glenelg, GP, GPsCAN, health, How to, Information, Medical, Men, Men's health, Natural, New doctor, News, PartridgeGP, Professional, Training, Virus, Winter

 

 

 

Dr Phillip Maddocks commenced his specialist General Practice training with PartridgeGP in February 2020. Raised in Adelaide, he studied and practiced in NSW, and then returned to Adelaide earlier this year. Becoming an accomplished GP has always been his career goal and he is eager to commence community-based work. I’m passionate about paediatrics, emergency medicine, sports medicine, and teaching. Prior to my career in medicine I held numerous leadership positions across both business and sport, attaining many skills which are transferable to working in medical teams.

Dr Phil has quickly settled in and has hit the ground running with the rest of our Great Team here at PartridgeGP!

 

screenshot_20200330-194411_wm816164613062801551.png

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PartridgeGP is an accredited General Practice and is further accredited by our Regional General Practice Training Provider GPEx.

 

 

 

This means that the GPs at PartridgeGP are teaching the Doctors and Medical Students who will be the future of medicine in Australia. It’s a big responsibility and a privilege we take very seriously.

 

 

 

img_1954
Teaching Practice of the Year

 

 

All of our doctors here at PartridgeGP are fully qualified ‘Fellows’ (or are studying towards this) holding a specialist qualification with either the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP) or the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (FACRRM) or both (3-4 years of full time study and 3 exams on top of an undergraduate university medical degree and supervised trainee ‘intern’ year in a hospital). This is our minimum specialist standard and we may have other qualifications and skills.

 

 

 

Our Fellows provide supervision and advice to our Registrars and you may find that they are called in to consult with the Registrar on your case. ‘Registrars’ are qualified doctors who have completed their hospital training and are now embarking on their General Practice training. Some may already have other qualifications in medical or other fields.

 

We also supervise and teach Medical Students from Flinders University. They are still studying to become doctors. All of us – Fellows, Registrars, and Medical Students – make up the Clinical Team here at PartridgeGP with our excellent Practice Nurses. We all uphold the highest standards of privacy, confidentiality, professionalism, and clinical practice.

 

 

 

Dr Phillip Maddocks is a valuable member of our growing Clinical Team!

 

 

 

 

IMG_20190404_191100

 

 

 

 

 

Dr Zoe Teh

 

Dr Gareth Boucher

 

Dr Nici Williams

 

Dr Penny Massy-Westropp

 

Dr Monika Moy

 

Dr Phillip Maddocks

 

Dr Nikhil Tamminedi

 

Dr Nick Mouktaroudis

 

Dr Nick Tellis

 

Electronic Prescribing at PartridgeGP

by Dr Nick Tellis, posted in #coronavirus, #covid19, #justagp, Comprehensive, Ehealth, General Practice, Glenelg, GP, GPsCAN, How to, Information, News, PartridgeGP, Professional, sustainable, technology, Virus
You bet!

Those bits of paper your GP gives you to get medications from your Pharmacist are changing. Scripts are now DIGITAL!

GPs can now send prescriptions to pharmacists electronically as an interim solution during the pandemic. 

As part of the COVID-19 National Health Plan telehealth model, the new interim measure allows GPs to send prescriptions electronically to pharmacists without having to mail out a physical copy of the original paper prescription with a GP’s wet-ink signature.

Patients can then have their script filled and medication delivered to their door, helping to minimise the risk of virus transmission in accordance with social-distancing measures.

‘It’s certainly going to make it easier for practices, because they are being inundated with pharmacists asking them to post prescriptions to them,’
 
‘I know at my practices it’s causing substantial concern.
 
‘We’re getting calls every day from pharmacists saying, “I can’t dispense unless you send me the hardcopy paper”, and we’re saying, “We don’t have the resources to keep running out and buying stamps, and it’s just not safe to put staff in that position”.
 
‘So we’ve had a bit of a stalemate for the last few weeks and this is a great outcome in the short term.’

Dr Nathan Pinksier – GP

As outlined in guidelines issued by the Department of Health (DoH), GPs will be required to do as follows:

  1. Create a paper prescription during a telehealth consultation. This will need to be signed as normal or using a valid digital signature
  2. Create a clear copy of the entire prescription (a digital image such as a photo or PDF including the barcode where applicable)
  3. Send via email, fax or text message directly to the patient’s pharmacy of choice

Schedule 8 and 4(D) medicines such as opioids and fentanyl are not part of the interim arrangement.

While not legally required, the DoH encourages practices that are able to continue sending the original script to pharmacies to do so as soon as possible. All other practices must retain the paper prescription for a period of up to two years for audit and compliance purposes.

Yes!

This is a great step forwards!

Electronic Prescriptions

Changes have been made to Commonwealth legislation to recognise an electronic prescription as a legal form to allow medicine supply. This provides prescribers and patients with an alternative to paper prescriptions. Paper prescriptions will still be available.

Electronic prescribing will not fundamentally change existing prescribing and dispensing processes. It provides patients with greater choice and patients can still choose which pharmacy they attend to fill their prescription.

Under the Australian Government’s National Health Plan for COVID-19, electronic prescriptions are now being fast-tracked to support telehealth and allow patients to receive vital healthcare services while maintaining physical distancing and, where necessary, isolation.

A significant amount of work has already been done to ensure that necessary upgrades to both pharmacy and prescriber software can be done quickly and electronic prescriptions are expected to be available from the end of May.

Electronic prescriptions are an alternative to paper prescriptions which will allow people convenient access to their medicines and will lessen the risk of infection being spread in general practice waiting rooms and at community pharmacies.

Quick links

Information for prescribers 

Information for dispensers

Tokens

The solution being fast-tracked will see a unique QR barcode known as a “token” sent via an app (if you have one), SMS or email. The token will be sent to you from your doctor, which is then presented or sent to a pharmacy, to supply your medication.

The token will be scanned by your pharmacist as a key to unlock the electronic prescription from an encrypted and secure electronic prescription delivery service.

If you have any repeats of a prescription, a new token will be sent to you when the prescription is dispensed. You will need to keep the token to send to your pharmacy when you need to get the repeat filled.

Active Script List

By the end of this year, more functionality will be available and in addition to the token, there will also be an option for your pharmacy to have a list of your active prescriptions in their software, so you don’t have to forward it on.

To get your medicines you will need to prove your identity to the pharmacist and provide consent for the pharmacist to view your prescriptions.

Steps to take in preparation for using an electronic prescription

  • Ensure your address, email address and mobile number are up to date with your doctor and pharmacy.
  • Check that your pharmacy can take an electronic prescription and are delivering medicines.

Your GP at PartridgeGP

Your Pharmacist at Bayside Village Pharmacy