Winton Medical Services

05/01/2026

I hope everyone has had a great start to the New Year!
Just a note about the Manage My Health privacy breach - we do NOT use this system for our patient portal. Ours is called myIndici and is a completely different company. One whom I suspect will be going over their own security with a fine tooth comb!
If not on the portal and you would like to be, please contact the Medical Centre and we will get you on board.
With thanks, Merrin

15/12/2025

10/12/2025

Dear patients, sorry it’s a long one!

Dr Steven Murugayah has taken some unexpected leave, meaning we had to reschedule a lot of patients who were booked up to Christmas. We genuinely apologise for the inconvenience.

Dr White got stuck on the Milford track for an extra day this week due to flooding. (Yes, he still insists that exercise is good for you! ) Thank you to all the patients we have had to reschedule over the last few weeks. We know shifting your appt is not ideal at all – but…. options are limited at the moment and we appreciate your flexibility.

We will have a new face on reception as we welcome Debbie Jennings from next week.

✨ Important Update About Appointments & Repeat Prescriptions ✨
To create more in-person GP appointments for patients who really need them, we’ve re-introduced Zoom and telephone consults where these are clinically appropriate. This helps us free up space for those who must be seen face-to-face. A lot of new doctors, but we hope to have some regulars from early next year.
🩺 A quick explanation about repeat prescriptions
Before working in General Practice, I assumed repeat scripts were as simple as my GP pressing a button when I called.
In reality, several hours of GP and nurse time every day go into safely reviewing “repeat” medications. Each request takes careful GP review (hospital letters, medication changes and shortages, safety checks — the whole works). It’s a lot!
Only after this careful review can your prescription be sent to your pharmacy.
💊 We are considering not offering same-day script requests.
To protect appointment time for patients who need to be seen, we’ve moved most prescription processing to the evenings, “outsourcing” it to locum doctors.
We’ve asked for two working days’ notice for almost 18 months, but we still receive daily last-minute requests that pull doctors away from patient appointments. Also please remember once the GP has sent the prescription to the Pharmacy, the pharmacy still need time to dispense the medication.
If you ring needing a same-day script, we will refer you to your Pharmacy to discuss an emergency 3 day supply. Please note there are strict regulations about the pharmacy being able to provide this service, it is not for all medications, and there is a cost involved. To help reduce this, anyone calling for a same-day script will be offered support from our Health Coach, who can help with medication planning and keeping on top of repeat requests.
🗓️ 12-Month Prescriptions (Coming February 2026!)
Some patients may be able to move to 12-month prescriptions — but they’re not suitable for everyone. You can chat with your GP about it at your next medication review after February 2026.
For everyone’s safety (and because the law says so), only your GP can approve this. Not reception or nurses. Please respect the team, they are doing all they can to help you.

No matter whether your review is every 3, 6, or 12 months, please book well in advance.
If you get your review done on time, you’ll usually avoid needing a repeat script altogether — a win for you and for us!
🎄 Christmas & New Year Hours
We will only be closed on the official Public Holidays and will remain open on the days in between.
Thank you for your understanding as we work to keep appointments available for those who need them most. We truly appreciate your support. 💙
From everyone at Winton Medical Centre – we wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Christmas and New Year.

24/11/2025

Dear patients,
We are pleased to share that our Patient Portal will go live on Wednesday 26 November. All enrolled 16+ patients at Winton Medical Centre will receive an email with clear instructions on how to register.

Before registration, we ask a quick favour. The portal allows only one account per email address. If more than one person currently uses the same email, each person will need their own individual email to register. If this applies to you, please create a new personal email and update it with our reception so we can ensure your account activates properly.

If you need help creating an email, here is a short video tutorial that shows how to create a Gmail address
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEwCwKRDpeI

Thank you for your support as we launch this new service for our community! ☺️

28/10/2025

High Risk of a Measles Outbreak

Kia ora everyone, there is an escalating national risk of measles in New Zealand, with cases reported around the country.

Measles spreads very easily through coughing and sneezing, and can be serious—especially for babies, young children, and those who aren’t fully immunised.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Check that you and your family are fully immunised with two doses of the MMR vaccine.

Getting two doses of the MMR vaccine after 12 months of age protects 99% of people from measles

Many adults and born between 1969 and 2004 in Aotearoa New Zealand were not vaccinated against measles.

Adults need to be up to date with MMR vaccinations to protect themselves and their community.
For best protection, 2 doses are needed, a minimum of 4 weeks apart

The MMR vaccine is free for everyone in Aotearoa New Zealand under the age of 18. It does not matter what your immigration status is.

If you are 18 and over, the MMR vaccine is free if you are eligible for funded healthcare in Aotearoa New Zealand.

If you’re unsure, contact us!

Ngā mihi,
Winton Medical Services

23/10/2025

We hope everyone is doing OK after the mad day yesterday! The Medical Centre is open and operating on our generator! Due to the length of time it was running, the diesel supply was pretty low. A massive thank you to CJ Phillips Contracting for coming to fill it up for us!! Also to my big bro for arranging that. I guess I owe you a favour now.....😆…
Mark Jesperson, thank you for sorting our plumbing issues our so quickly – we do greatly appreciate your help!
We are seeing patients – but there may be some delays as we are not fully staffed today. If you can’t wait, we can re-book you.
We are doing blood tests, as the courier that takes them to the lab in Invercargill is running.
If you bring your charging cord down, you can even charge your phone while you are here!
If you can’t get through by phone but are in a position to come down, our nurses can triage you in person today.
Thank you all for your help, support and patience. Please take good care, and we will all keep our fingers crossed the power comes back on soonish.

23/10/2025

Notice: The liquid nitrogen clinic is cancelled today. Please stay home and stay safe

12/10/2025

Dear patients,
We are very close to launching our new Patient Portal (MyIndici).

At the moment, we are testing a few features to make sure everything runs smoothly before releasing it to everyone. The portal will allow you to book appointments, request prescriptions, view test results, and update your details; all in one place!

We will share more information and instructions on how to register once it is ready to go live.

Thank you for your patience and support as we finalise this exciting update for our patients.
-
Winton Medical Services Team

30/09/2025

🌿 Do you need extra practical support with your health and wellbeing? 🌿

Your Community Support Worker at Winton Medical Centre may be able to help — and the service is completely free for Winton Medical patients.

👉 Vivienne can support you with things like:

Linking to local resources and services

Overcoming barriers to care

Support with long-term conditions (exercise groups, nutrition goals, lifestyle changes)

Help if you’re experiencing anxiety, isolation, loss, or trauma

Accessing counselling, Disability Allowance, Community Services Card, or WINZ support

Transport issues – getting to appointments

Accessing hearing tests/aids, glasses, or IT support

Finding a hobby, social group, or community activity

Budgeting support or help accessing food

Learning strength and balance exercises at home

Addressing vaccination barriers or planning an Advanced Care Plan

✨ If you are a patient at Winton Medical, you can self-refer.
📞 Just call the Medical Centre and ask for Vivienne to get in touch.

We’re here to help you take the next step in your wellbeing journey 💙

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.