Tuatapere Medical Centre

26/10/2025

24/10/2025

🚒🚑🚓 On behalf of the Tuatapere Emergency Response Teams

Good news — power, water and cell coverage are now back up and running in most parts of town. Thank you everyone for your patience and teamwork over the past few days.

🚨 Please note: A Boil Water Notice remains in place until further notice. All water for drinking, cooking, food preparation, brushing teeth, or pets should be boiled for at least one minute before use.

🌧️ Weather Alert: Conditions are expected to worsen later in the weekend, with a risk of further outages and potential flooding in some areas.

✅ Please take this time to prepare:
• Fill water bottles and containers while supply is stable
• Boil all water before drinking or cooking
• Keep devices charged and torches handy
• Secure outdoor items and check your property for flood risk
• Stay up to date with local weather and emergency alerts

We’re not out of the woods yet, so please stay prepared, stay safe, and look out for your neighbours as the weather develops.

22/10/2025

Due to current weather conditions and power outage, we currently have no phone contact. In an emergency phone 111. Please stay home and stay safe. If you have an appointment this afternoon and are now unable to attend, we will contact you once the power is back on.

22/10/2025

🔌POWER OUTAGE🔌

Our phones are currently down with the power outage.

In the event of an emergency please phone 111 🚑

12/10/2025

💜 World Meningitis Day was the 5th of October!

🧠💉 Protect our young ones — from babies to students heading into halls!

Meningococcal disease (meningitis) is rare but can be life-threatening, causing brain damage, hearing loss, or death within hours. It spreads quickly through coughing, sneezing, kissing, or sharing food and drinks — which is why babies, children, and students in shared accommodation are most at risk.

👶 For babies:
Meningococcal B (MenB) vaccination is free for all babies in New Zealand and given as part of the routine immunisation schedule. Babies are most at risk in their first year of life.

🎓 For students:
If you’re moving into a hall of residence, boarding school, or hostel, you may be eligible for free meningococcal vaccines (MenB and MenACWY). Living closely with others makes it easier for the bacteria to spread — even among healthy people.

💬 Don’t wait — get protected early.
Vaccination is safe, effective, and could save a life. Phone 03 226 6123 to book ☎️

06/10/2025

📞 Need a same-day (acute) appointment? Please call early!

To help us manage our daily schedule and support our team, we kindly ask that you phone the medical centre as early in the day as possible if you need an acute (same-day) appointment.

Calling early allows us to:
✅ Fit in patients who need urgent care
✅ Plan our day more efficiently
✅ Ensure timely care for everyone
✅ Help balance the workload for our team throughout the day

Your cooperation makes a big difference — thank you for helping us keep things running smoothly and ensuring the best care for all our patients 💚

24/09/2025

29/08/2025

💙 Mental Health & Wellbeing Support in Southland

Whether it’s the pressures of farming life, the weight of grief and loss, everyday life stresses, or worries about money.

Please remember — you are not alone, and help is available.

🌱 Local Southland Support
• Rural Support Trust Southland – free, confidential help for rural families. Call 0800 787 254.
• Loss and Grief Centre (Invercargill & Gore) – support for anyone coping with grief. Call 027 443 8788 or 03 214 0393.
• Te Whatu Ora Southern Mental Health Services – 24/7 crisis line 0800 467 846 (press 1 for Southland).
• Tūmanako Oranga (Kaupapa Māori crisis support, Invercargill) – community-based, short-term respite and whānau support - 0800 925 242

📞 National Helplines (free, 24/7)
• Need to Talk? 1737 – call or text to talk with a trained counsellor.
• Lifeline – 0800 543 354 or text 4357
• Youthline – 0800 376 633 or text 234
• Samaritans – 0800 726 666
• Depression Helpline – 0800 111 757

💐 Other Supports
• Farmstrong – tips and tools to look after your wellbeing: farmstrong.co.nz
• Rural Support Trust – rural-support.org.nz

🚨 If you or someone you know feels unsafe or in immediate danger, please call 111 straight away

28/08/2025

🌼🌼🌼🌼

19/08/2025

⚠️ Important Community Health Update – Whooping Cough (Pertussis)

We have had recent positive cases of whooping cough (pertussis) in Southland. Whooping cough is a serious and highly contagious illness that can affect people of all ages, but it is especially dangerous for babies, young children, and vulnerable whānau.

😮‍💨 Key symptoms to watch for:
• Persistent coughing fits, sometimes followed by a “whooping” sound or vomiting
• Cough lasting more than two weeks
• Difficulty breathing, especially in infants

🚑 Phone 111 for an ambulance immediately if:
• Your child (especially a baby) is turning blue, pale, or struggling to breathe
• Breathing stops for any period of time
• Severe coughing fits are followed by long pauses or exhaustion

🫵🏼 What you can do:
• If you or your child develops these symptoms, please phone the clinic before coming in. This helps us protect others in the waiting room.
• Keep up with immunisations – the pertussis vaccine is the best protection.
• If you are pregnant, a free whooping cough vaccine is available to protect both you and your baby.

Let’s work together to protect our community, especially our pēpi and tamariki.
If you have concerns, please contact us or call Healthline on 0800 611 116 for free advice 24/7.

18/08/2025

📢 A reminder to our community

We kindly ask that you please do not contact staff after hours regarding health concerns.
When this happens, it puts our team in a difficult position and puts their practice at risk.

If you need medical advice or support outside of our normal opening hours, please use these services:
✅ After Hours Service (03 226 6123)– available for urgent care and advice when we are closed.
✅ Healthline (0800 611 116) – free, 24/7 advice from a registered nurse.
🚑 In an emergency, phone 111.

Thank you for respecting our staff and for making use of the services designed to support you after hours.

12/08/2025

🪳 Scabies — What You Need to Know

Scabies is a skin condition caused by tiny mites that burrow under the skin, causing intense itching and a rash.
It can affect anyone and spreads easily through close contact.

🩹 Signs & symptoms:
• Intense itching, especially at night
• Small red bumps, blisters, or a rash
• Thin, wavy lines on the skin (mite burrows)
• Commonly found between fingers, on wrists, elbows, armpits, waist, buttocks, or ge****ls

📢 How it spreads:
• Prolonged skin-to-skin contact with someone who has scabies
• Sharing clothes, towels, or bedding

✅ Treatment:
• Scabies won’t go away on its own — it needs medicated cream or lotion from a doctor or pharmacist
• Everyone in the household or close contacts should be treated at the same time
• Wash clothing, bedding, and towels in hot water and dry in a hot dryer

💡 Remember:
• Scabies is common and nothing to be embarrassed about
• The sooner you treat it, the sooner the itching stops — and you prevent passing it on

📞 If you think you have scabies, see your GP, nurse, or pharmacist for advice and treatment.