West Otago Health

04/05/2026

Notification - Health Information Privacy Statement Update

Recent changes to the Privacy Act require our Practice to notify patients when information is collected about them from other agencies. We have recently updated our Health Information Privacy Statement to include this advice:

Health Information Collection
My general practice can collect information from other agencies for the purpose of maintaining an up-to- date health record and providing safe and quality primary health care.
This may include:
• Receipt of laboratory, radiology or other results
• Shared electronic health records, such as HealthOne (used in the South Island), which provides test results, allergies, medications, clinician summaries and hospital information shared by other providers involved in my care.
• Correspondence from after-hours services, hospitals and specialists which can include discharge summaries, specialist letters, lab and imaging results.
• Letters and notifications from referral providers reporting back on health or screening programmes for which I have been referred (for example, Green Prescription, smoking cessation, dietitian).
• Information from Health NZ and WellSouth in regards to updated demographic, NHI or eligibility information.
• Contact from or correspondence from non-health agencies such as Police, legal representatives, Oranga Tamariki, insurance companies, Ministry of Social Development (Work and Income New Zealand) and the Accident Compensation Corporation
• Receipt of correspondence from employers, regarding, for example, fitness to work

If you have any questions about this please contact …… or discuss with our reception team.

A reminder that all patients have the right to access (and have corrected) their health information under Rules 6 and 7 of the Health Information Privacy Code 2020.

20/03/2026

West Otago Health is closed on Monday for Otago Anniversary Day.
After Hours/PRIME available.

29/01/2026

Important information❕❕

🤔We've been getting a few questions about 12 month prescriptions - here's a handy little information sheet detailing what you need to know.

11/01/2026

Important Notice
Manage My Health Cyber Security Incident

Over the past fortnight, Manage My Health reported and dealt with a cyber security incident that affected a small percentage of users in New Zealand.

Manage My Health has advised that the issue has been fully contained and fixed following an independent forensic review by international cyber security experts, and the system is currently safe to use.

Manage My Health has now confirmed which practices and patients in New Zealand were affected and will contact those individuals directly. If you are affected, Manage My Health will contact you.

West Otago Health has been advised that no Registered Patients have been affected by this breech however, one casual patient registered elsewhere has been affected. They will be contacted directly.

23/12/2025

Merry Christmas everyone.
West Otago Health will be closed until the 5th January however there will be an on-call nurse available every day.

The afterhours phone number is: 027 644 0300

23/12/2025

31/10/2025

We are very excited to share that Ribbonwood Country Home has won the New Zealand Small Operator Award for 2025🥇

We are really thrilled with this honour, with only 3 days warning to put a submission together Natwick put our vision into video and we felt it really captured the wonderful place Ribbonwood is.
Here is a look at our submission video:

https://youtu.be/tmU7YPvSEoA

Lallu and I had to do a presentation at the New Zealand Aged Care conference alongside the other finalists (77 submissions and 11 finalists), again Natwick delivered and here is the link to the video of our presentation:

https://youtu.be/T6sfyw7su2A

A big thank you to the Staff, Residents and families that assisted with our videos.

Other special thanks go to Horace and the MLT for sponsoring Lallu to attend the Aged Care conference and to the Gore Community Health Trust for sponsoring me to attend.

And finally thanks to Allister Body and the other Board and Trust members who have been working tirelessly behind the scenes for many years to make our Intergrated Health Facility the remarkable place it is, for a community of 2200 people to raise 5.5 million and have the assets we have, is absolutely remarkable 👏

03/10/2025

UPDATE:
We have Monday-Friday Locum Doctor cover booked until the end of January 2026.

We are still recruiting for a permanent Doctor; we had hoped to get a permanent GP in February 2026; however, she is no longer able to take this role.

10/09/2025

Rangatahi and Wellbeing (RAW) Programme also available via Able Minds for 12-15 year olds.

10/09/2025

10-week programme for tamariki aged btwn 612 yr old who have family member/s affected by mental distress or addiction.
Visit the able minds website to see more information and book an appointment.