From 23 November 2021, SA Government will be opening up national and international borders to fully vaccinated travellers. In this phase of living with COVID-19, it is expected that COVID-19 cases in SA will increase. Magill Family Practice (MFP) have developed a plan for “Living with COVID”. We are committed to keeping our patients, staff and community safe at all times.
Important Waiting Room policy:
Magill Family Practice will continue to offer patients without respiratory symptoms face to face appointments in the clinic. It is vital that all patients will be required to wear a correctly fitted mask inside the clinic. There will be no mask exemption inside the clinic. MASK EXEMPTIONS ARE NOT VALID AT MFP as there will be patients in the waiting room with medical needs that are vulnerable to COVID-19.
We will continue to ask screening questions about Respiratory Symptoms. It is more important than ever that patients with respiratory symptoms DO NOT enter MFP as any COVID- 19 positive cases can have serious consequences to other patients in the waiting room who may be pregnant, have complex medication conditions or are immunocompromised.
Screening now will also include COVID-19 Vaccination Status and proof of vaccination will be requested. People who are partially or unvaccinated are deemed to be at greater risk of COVID-19 infection and greater risk of spreading to other patients and staff inside the clinic. SA Health have given directions that unvaccinated patients CANNOT come into our waiting room. They will have to wait in their car until the doctor is ready to bring them inside for consultation. These will also apply to children under 12 years of age as they are not currently able to be vaccinated.
We will continue with QR check in, use of hand sanitizer, 1.5m social distancing and regular surface cleaning of the waiting room.
Important Respiratory Pod policy
For patients with any respiratory symptoms, no matter how mild they may be (including fever, cough, running nose, sore throat, sore ears, sinus pain, loss of smell or taste, diarrhea, vomiting, or rashes) it is vitally important that you inform staff at the time of making booking, so we can make suitable arrangements. If you are a respiratory patient you should not book online. It is important that you DO NOT enter our waiting room in the building.
Our doctors will continue to see Magill Family Practice patients with respiratory symptoms in the respiratory pod as follows:
- All patients must have a negative COVID swab within the previous 72 hours, and all patients must show evidence of their negative swab before they will be seen by the doctors.
- For patients under 12 who do not yet have evidence of a negative swab, the parents/care givers will be offered a respiratory telehealth appointment with the doctor for advice.
Payment for telehealth or pod appointments is preferably with credit card to minimise contact between unwell patients and our staff.
We understand the stress on everyone during this pandemic. Please treat our staff with patience and respect as we all navigate the coming COVID challenges.
COVID-19 Vaccinations
COVID vaccination continues to prove effective in reducing death and hospitalisation in the eastern states and other parts of the world. Please make sure that you and your family are protected and armed with vaccination when the border opens on 23 November 2021. It is not too late to do them now. To arrange COVID-19 vaccinations, please book at one of the vaccination clinics or pharmacies via the SA Health website.
Booster doses are now being made available for people who meet certain conditions. Please see our latest newsletter for more information.
