Winton Medical Services

25/09/2025

17/08/2025

Dear patients, I am a bit behind the eight ball sorry, but letting you know that Dr Angel Eads has now left us for big city life in Christchurch. Our original agreement was for her to be with us for 6-12 months and she stayed for 15 months, so that was a bonus.
Dr Ruth Alberts who was filling in for Dr Caroline Stewart finished her time with us, and Dr Stewart is now back from her holiday.
We have a registrar, Dr Steven Muragayah with us for 6 months. Dr Steven is a very experienced doctor, but has now shifted his focus to being a GP. You may be aware that Winton Medical is a training practice. We regularly have student nurses, student doctors and registrars with us. They are overseen by Dr White and Dr Stewart, to get a taste of working in a rural GP practice.
Our other mainstay GPs are Dr Kirsty Thwaites and Dr Aisha Paulose. We really need at least one more full time GP, and have been advertising to no avail. I am now talking to recruitment agencies in the UK and America........
Dr Mike Steiner is with us on a Monday and Tuesday for another month. We have been very grateful to have him for the time we have.
Dr Johnny Vere-Hodge is still filling in some days with us - but is not a regular GP at Winton.
Our shift to our new computer system has gone well. Mostly.... There have been a couple of decent 'hiccups', which we are still working through. Our team have greatly appreciated everyone's patience with us while we navigate the new system. We are definitely picking up speed, and seeing the benefits of shifting! That includes our plan to open up the patient portal soon(ish). Watch this space in September..... (I am confident the space won't be blank like last time! )☺️ We hope this will also help reduce the phone traffic through reception. Unfortunately even with 4 people answering the phones at times, we are still not able to answer all the calls. We know this is frustrating, and we do apologise.
Our books are unfortunately still closed to new patients. With shifting systems, and Drs leaving we just don't have the capacity currently to keep providing appointments to our enrolled patients, and take on new patients. We have managed to keep the wait for a routine appointment to about 2 weeks.
Please book in nice and early if you know you need a medication review with your GP. Otherwise the option is that we can provide a 'bridging script' to hold you over until you can get an appointment.
Take good care, there are still a lot of bugs around at the moment. Our team wish you well for calving and lambing. 🐄 🐑. Merrin.

01/07/2025

A reminder that on Friday 11 July, the Medical Centre will be closed from 12pm. Our computer system will be completely out of action and so no urgent scripts or appointments will be able to occur.
Then from Monday 14 July, we will be running on our new system. Given this is a big undertaking, everything will move a bit (maybe a lot?!) slower than usual for the first wee while. To allow for this we will be running at a reduced capacity for appointments.
What you may find of help, is that from 1 July the government has announced a new 24/7 telemedicine service for if you can't get a GP appointment when you would like/need one. The eight approved online providers funded through this programme are:
▪ Bettr Online
▪ CareHQ
▪ Emergency Consult
▪ MedOnline
▪ Pocket Lab
▪ Practice Plus
▪ Tend
▪ The Doctors Online
Please see info.health.nz/onlineGP for more information, including fees.

Online consultations with registered healthcare professionals are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Subsidies for some people are available.

01/07/2025

1 July 2025

We are very sorry, but we are unable to take new patients, or see casual patients at the moment, (effective immediately). Our capacity to take on new patients will be reviewed monthly, and we will advise on our page when we are in a position to re-open to new and casual patients.

• Please contact Well South on their enrolments line; 0800 478 256 for assistance with enrolment options.
• Invercargill after-hours is currently provided at Te Hau o Te Ora general practice on Clyde Street. 6.00-9pm on weekdays and 12-4pm on weekends and public holidays. Please call 0800 456 138 to arrange an appointment.
• If you live in Winton (or near surrounds) or are visiting someone here, you may be eligible to use the Ka Ora After Hours Rural Telehealth Service.
Ph 0800 252 672 or visit their website kaora.co.nz
• You can also visit info.health.nz/onlinegp for more information on the new government supported Online 24/7 Telemedicine Service.
• Or you can contact Healthline on 0800 611116

See Facebook: /wintonmedicalservices for more updates.

Online consultations with registered healthcare professionals are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Subsidies for some people are available.

22/06/2025

Dear patients, changes are afoot at Winton Medical Centre. We are implanting a whole new Practice Management (Computer) System which is a bit of a job as you would expect!
Wednesday and Thursday 25+26 June, the staff are having intensive training on the new system, so we will be running a bit light for appointments with both doctors and nurses.
We will be completely closed on Friday 11 July from 12pm. If you have a medical emergency over this time, please call 111 for an ambulance, or go to A and E at Southland Hospital.
From Monday 14 July we will be running on the new system which is called indici.
We will appreciate your patience while the team get up to speed using indici. At the start it will likely take us all a bit longer to do our usual work. We will have less appointments available for a few weeks, but once we get into the swing of it, we hope the improved efficiencies and processes will assist us to better support you.
There is a patient portal that we will launch once we have settled into the new system. Watch this space for the details. (I use this portal at my own GP, and it is easy to use and very useful for requesting repeat scripts, booking non urgent appointments and seeing test results.)
Repeat prescriptions – due to the large volume of repeat prescription requests, please allow us at least 48 hours’ notice to get your request to the pharmacy. If it is a same day request, there will be an additional $10 charge, as we then need to book out more doctor time to get it done.
Dr Angel Eads is leaving Winton at the end of July, to work in Christchurch. Our original plan was for her to be staying 6-12 months, so we have been very lucky that she has extended her time with us to well over 12 months.
Dr Ruth Alberts will finish her 3 months with us on 18 July. We have been grateful to have her with us to cover while Dr Stewart has a well-deserved holiday! Dr Stewart will be back on deck early August. (She will need to learn our new system when she is back, so will have less appointments available for a few weeks)
From 28 July, we will have Dr Steven Murugayah (Registrar) with us for 6 months.
We are still enrolling new patients if they meet our criteria – live in the Winton area and either; not have a GP in Southland, or have an immediate family member enrolled with us.
With kind regards, Merrin and the team at WMS.

17/06/2025

Hi team, just a quick update:
We're currently experiencing some technical issues due to a recent power outage. This may cause some calls to drop unexpectedly.

If your call cuts out, please don’t hesitate to ring us back.
Thanks Winton Medical

05/06/2025

Dear patients,

Please be aware that there is a scam currently appearing on multiple social media platforms, relating to diabetes medication.

Images and video footage of Professor Rinki Murphy, a diabetes expert at Health NZ and Professor of Medicine at University of Auckland, are being used on social media to promote fake products. The material is sufficiently convincing for dozens of people to have contacted Professor Murphy, saying they have stopped taking their regular medication and sent money for various products to cure diabetes or to lose weight.

This type of health scam, which is becoming increasingly common, uses artificial intelligence to create deepfake videos of doctors, especially those who also do research. The doctor’s reputation is used to deceive and persuade people into buying scam products online.

Some of the videos say things like “buy this 5 second method”, “take this cure for 27 days” or “these pills are NOT sold in pharmacies” or “Click here to find out more” – phrases like these are red flags.

We recommend that patients talk to their healthcare team before buying any health product online. They should never stop taking their regular diabetes medications, unless they have consulted with their medical team.

If you are aware of people who have been harmed or lost money in this way, please report the scam to NZ Police.

14/05/2025

IMPORTANT NOTICE.
I am sorry to say that our admin email has been hacked. If you receive an email from me (Merrin Jack) that has a link in it about payments or an invoice please DO NOT click on the link. Report as spam and delete. We have reset the email now and so no more should come. If unsure that an email has come from us, please call the medical Centre to check. I really am sorry if any of you received this. Merrin. (The real one, not some nasty fraudster)

07/05/2025

Hello Winton, we currently have an extra doctor working and so have appointments available this week and next week. If you have been holding off on booking an appointment, please give reception a call and book in! 03 2367444. We are still one of the only GPs in Southland enrolling new patients. You need to live in our area and not already have a GP in Southland, or if you live in our area and have an immediate family member enrolled. Casual patients can be seen if we have spare appointments available on the day. $100 per consult for casuals, must be paid at the time.

We are moving away from providing credit, and greatly appreciate payment for all services on the day please.

There will be more updates coming soon. We appreciate your patience with us as we have been pretty busy lately. We know it can be hard getting through on the phone at times, and reception are working hard at answering. With thanks.

17/04/2025

Dear Patients,
We would like to wish you all a very Happy Easter!

Please also note that Awanui Labs staff will be on strike Wednesday (23/04) and Thursday (24/04). As a result, we will not be able to perform any blood tests on those days.

Thank you for your understanding.

14/04/2025

Hello all, you may have seen a few new faces around the Medical Centre lately. We have Dr Ruth Alberts join us today for the next three months; Dr Johnny Vere-Hodge is filling in some gaps for us on a semi-regular (but not permanent) basis; and Dr Mike Steiner, most Mondays and Tuesdays until September. We have joyously welcomed Dr Kirsty Thwaites back after a year away. Kirsty and her family have kindly agreed to share her with us three days a week.
Our reception lineup is Rani, Ally, Belle, Milea, and Lara taking turns on front reception. (If things are desperate, you might strike Merrin…) Rani, Belle and Milea are also Health Care Assistants who take your blood specimens with great care. Jen Mitchell is our most recent Registered Nurse to come on board.
A couple of reminders please.
* Please allow up to 48 hours for a repeat prescription to be processed and sent down to the pharmacy, for them to then prepare the medications.
* Please keep a track of when you need a GP review and give us 2-3 weeks’ notice when it comes time to book in. Otherwise, you will end up paying for a prescription, and then again for a GP review. Or book your next appointment before you leave each time.
* As one of the only GPs open to new enrolments in Southland, we have had a lot of people enquiring about enrolling. We do need to stick to our criteria which currently is; you must live in Winton or immediate surrounds and either not have a GP anywhere else in Southland, or have an immediate family member enrolled with us. (We have enrolled over 200 new patients recently!)
* Late notice cancellations / missed appointments - we require a minimum of 4 hours’ notice, or there may be a $35 fee charged. Please remember our appointment times are ‘valuable’, and by not coming, or giving late cancellation notice, you are depriving someone else who may need that appointment. If you are more than 10 minutes late, your appointment may need to be re-booked at a later date. Thank you for your ongoing support. We truly value being a part of the Winton community.