Welcome to our practice if this is your first time!
And welcome back if you have been before.
The purpose of this newsletter is to help you feel at home
with us and make it easier for you to make the best use of
the services we offer.
First we want you to meet the team. On reception now are Karen, Sue and Jenny. They do a brilliant job
of balancing the needs of three phone lines, the computer
and the person at the desk. Our registered nurse is Kathy.
She does a wide range of tasks including dressings,
immunisations, well woman checks including cervical smears
and breast checks, and well baby checks. Much of her time
is spent in screening for diseases before they become
obvious, education to avoid future sickness, and follow up
of a whole variety of conditions where you may not feel you
need to see me each time such as high blood pressure,
asthma and diabetes. She is happy to advise on
contraception and weight control, and is always willing to
provide a listening ear and or counselling from a wide
range of life experience. When you phone for advice on
health issues she will be available.
Most of us have become used in modern times to living with
change which seems to happen faster and faster. We either
tend to go with change, blindly assuming that it will
always be good or else we resist change and try to hang on
to familiar things. The ideal is to have the best of both
worlds. That is what we want in our practice. Computers are
an example of change. They give us immediate access to new
medical knowledge. They give us the ability to keep much
more accurate and useful medical records, and to
communicate readily with others who can help. Over the last several years we have computerized this practice and believe this enables us to serve you better. At the
same time one of the familiar things about the Doctor
– Patient relationship is strict confidentiality. Be
assured that we very carefully guard information about you.
Our website allows us to keep in touch with you and put you
in touch with reliable sources of information on health
issues. Another new idea in the health reforms is not new
at all. It is that we listen to you, our patients, about
the kind of practice you want us to provide. We want to
know from you whether we are doing things right and
particularly when you have suggestions about how to
improve. There are several ways you can tell us how you see
the practice and we welcome all of them. You can tell us
personally when you see us. You can write suggestions down
and put them in the suggestion box in the waiting room or
post them to us or email us at jahanne@clear.net.nz. We
promise to take all your contributions seriously. Thanks for the opportunity to work with
you and your family in helping you to be as healthy as
possible in body, mind and spirit.
Warmest regards
Tony Hanne.