ELECTIVE SURGERIES:
As you may have heard yesterday, the Federal Government has announced the resumption of some elective surgical procedures. This is great news for those of our patients who have been patiently waiting for information about their upcoming surgery.
WHAT DOES THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MEAN FOR MY UPCOMING SURGERY?
At this stage we are awaiting clarification from a number of our professional bodies about what procedures we are allowed to perform. Ongoing discussions are taking place involving the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. Please be aware that these discussions pertain to the period MONDAY APRIL 27 to MONDAY MAY 11. A further announcement will be made by the Federal Government on May 11.
If your elective procedure is scheduled to occur prior to May 11 we will be in contact with you in the coming days, once we know more from our professional bodies. Please note calls will be made in order of upcoming surgery dates and medical requirements.
WHAT MEASURES ARE VPS TAKING TO MAINTAIN PATIENT SAFETY?
We will continue to maintain extra measures in our clinic to ensure your safety during this period. This includes:
- spacing of in-person appointments to minimise the number of people within the clinic at any one time,
- social distancing measures throughout common areas,
- regular wipe-downs of common touch-points (in addition to our usual high frequency cleans within the practice),
- availability of hand sanitiser for all patients upon arrival and during their time on-site,
- and appropriate protective equipment for our clinical staff.
We will continue to offer tele-health appointments to patients, however we will be re-introducing in-person appointments – based on clinical need – from Monday 27 April. We will be in touch to confirm your appointment type prior.
If you are required to attend the clinic for your appointment, we ask that you:
- arrive at the time of your appointment,
- maintain the appropriate social distance from staff and other patients,
- and that you consider coming alone, or with only essential others.
We respect the desire to have a support person for some consultations, and the care requirements of children and elderly relatives, but respectfully ask that we all try to minimise the number of people interacting during this time.
Please do not attend the clinic if you have any of the below symptoms. If you are unsure please contact us to either reschedule your appointment or arrange a tele-health consultation.
WHAT NEXT?
We should have more news on the resumption of other surgeries on 11th May and will keep you informed of updates as they occur.
Thank you for your continued support and patience.
Matt, Ray and VPS team
Please do not attend the clinic if you have any of the below symptoms.
Instead make contact with your local GP via telephone to receive appropriate medical advice. You can then notify us via phone of email to reschedule your appointment. Symptoms to watch for include;
- Respiratory symptoms – cough, shortness of breath
- Fever
- Sore throat
- Recently travelled overseas (Please adhere to the compulsory 14 day self-isolation period as stipulated by the Australian Federal Government)
- Had close contact with anyone who has been diagnosed with coronavirus
