Welcome to Our Winter Newsletter
Winter has arrived—and so have the winter lurgies! As the cooler months settle in, it’s more important than ever to take steps to keep you and your family healthy. Simple measures like regular hand washing, practicing good hygiene, maintaining social distancing, and staying up to date with your influenza and COVID vaccinations can make a big difference in reducing the risk of acute respiratory infections.
Be sure to check out our featured blog article, “Staying Healthy This Winter – A Practical Guide for Families,” where we share helpful tips on managing common winter illnesses and when to seek medical attention.
In this Winter edition, you’ll also find:
- Important updates on influenza and RSV vaccines
- Information about our after-hours clinic
- An overview of active steps we’re taking to enhance your patient experience, following feedback from our recent survey
- Some exciting and heartfelt practice news, including the retirement of our much-loved GP, Dr David King
We’ve also included an important update on changes to Medicare’s bulk billing incentives and what that means for our billing model moving forward.
STAYING HEALTHY THIS WINTER
As winter settles in, so does the increased risk of colds, flu, and other respiratory infections—especially in young children. With more time spent indoors and viruses spreading more easily, it’s important to know how to protect your family and what to do when someone gets sick.
As a parent it can be stressful having a sick child, but fortunately most cases can be managed at home with fluids, rest and pain relief. On some occasions, however, your child may need to seek medical advice, especially if symptoms are not improving or getting worse.
Acute Respiratory infections (ARI’s) is the term given to infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract such as the throat, sinuses, middle ear, airways and lungs. They are the most common cause of illness in children under 5, who average three to six episodes of ARI’s every year. Some unlucky children in their first year of day care can get up to 10 ARI’s. The majority come from a viral cause such as rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza and influenza virus, adenovirus, and coronavirus infections. Symptoms can include cough, sneezing, blocked or runny nose, sore throat, and fever. Other symptoms included fatigue, muscles aches and pains, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and difficulty breathing, tight chest or wheezing.
Most cases of ARI’s get better within 1 – 2 weeks by treating your child’s symptoms at home. But how do you know when to seek medical advice, consult with your GP or attend the emergency department?
Read more in our blog article https://yourfamilydoctors.com.au/staying-healthy-this-winter-a-practical-guide-for-families/
HAVE YOU HAD YOUR FLU SHOT YET?
It’s not too late to get your flu vaccination and with numbers on the rise we strongly recommend you do! Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for those at risk of severe illness from the flu. Those eligible for government funded influenza vaccines under the National Immunisation program includes:
- Children from 6 months to under 5 years
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from 6 months
- Pregnant women
- People aged 65 years and over
- People with serious health conditions (including severe asthma, diabetes, cancer, immune disorders, obesity, kidney, heart, lung or liver disease)
Those not eligible for a government flu vaccine can receive a private flu vaccine at Your Family Doctors for $20.
Flu vaccine appointments are available for patients of our practice online via HotDoc under our ‘Nurse’ appointments via this link https://www.hotdoc.com.au/medical-centres/erina-NSW-2250/your-family-doctors-at-erina/doctors
More info about the flu vaccine go to https://yourfamilydoctors.com.au/influenza-vaccinations-2024/
The latest Pfizer Covid booster vaccination is also available at Your Family Doctors. You can can also book via Hot Doc under our Nurse appointments.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Immunisation
RSV is a common respiratory infection. It mostly affects young children. Adults can also get it. RSV symptoms are usually mild. However, some children and adults can get very sick and need to go to hospital for treatment. RSV if estimated to cause one in 50 deaths in children under five. In the over 65 age group, at least 300,000 people are admitted to hospital with RSV each year.
Symptoms can include;
- Runny nose
- cough
- wheeze
- difficulty breathing
- fever
- cyanosis (bluish or greyish colour of skin)
Babies under one year of age are more likely to get breathing problems from an RSV infection. This can include bronchiolitis or pneumonia. Children who get severely unwell may need to go to hospital.
Most infections in NSW occur in the cooler months of late autumn or winter.
What vaccinations or immunisations are available for RSV?
Pregnant women, some babies and older people can now get an immunisation or RSV vaccine.
For those over 60 years;
A private RSV vaccine called Arexvy is available if you are aged 60 years and older and may be at higher risk of severe illness from RSV.
It has been recommended by ATAGI (The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation) for;
- All adults aged 75 years or older
- All Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people aged 60 years or older
- All adults aged 60 years or older with at least one other risk factor for severe disease. These risk factors include any chronic heart, lung or kidney disease, diabetes, and a compromised immune system (e.g. due to chemotherapy or other medications).
Speak to your doctor or pharmacist to learn more about the vaccine, whether it is recommended for you and cost (at YFD it is available for $315)
To read more go to our blog… https://yourfamilydoctors.com.au/respiratory-syncytial-virus-rsv-immunisation/
Medicare Bulk Billing Incentive Changes – What You Need to Know
From 1 November 2025, the Australian Government will introduce changes to Medicare’s bulk billing incentives, aiming to improve access to care. While we support initiatives that seek to enhance patient care, the additional funding is limited and does not keep pace with the rising costs of delivering high-quality medical services.
Running a modern general practice requires significant investment in skilled staff, up-to-date medical equipment, technology, and the ongoing upkeep of our facilities. Unfortunately, the updated incentives fall short of covering these growing operational demands.
In Australia, most GP clinics are private small businesses—they must cover their running costs to continue providing high-quality patient care. Due to inflation and a 10-year Medicare rebate freeze, even the tripled bulk billing incentive remains insufficient to fully cover the cost of delivering comprehensive, specialist GP services.
As a result, Your Family Doctors at Erina will continue to operate as a private billing clinic. We will still process Medicare rebates on your behalf, but most consultations will involve an out-of-pocket fee.
The gap fees we charge help us employ experienced nurses and practice staff, invest in essential equipment and technology, and cover overheads, consumables, and facility maintenance
This approach allows us to:
- Provide longer, more in-depth appointments
- Ensure continuity of care with your regular GP
- Focus on preventative and comprehensive healthcare—not rushed, “6-minute medicine”
We appreciate your understanding and continued support as we strive to offer the high-quality care you and your family deserve in a challenging funding environment.
IMPROVEMENTS TO BETTER YOUR PATIENT EXPERIENCE
We listened to your feedback. As a result, we’re taking active steps to better your patients experience
At Your Family Doctors at Erina, we carried out a patient survey (the Practice Accreditation and
Improvement Survey) and asked for your honest opinions on the services we provide. We listened to
your concerns and have taken the following actions in order to make improvements to patient care
where you feel it would be most useful. Please open the link to see what changes we’re making.
2024-25-We-listened-to-your-feedback- (1)
AFTER HOURS CARE
If you need a GP after hours – Bridges After Hours GP clinic at Erina and Kanwal is available for issues that don’t required a visit to the Emergency Department . A copy of your consultation notes and any test results will be sent to your local GP as we know continuity of care is so important.
For updated opening hours please follow this link ….https://ccpc.com.au/after-hours-gp-clinics/ or call Bridges as detailed below.
STAFF NEWS
FAREWELL AND THANK YOU DR KING
After a remarkable career in general practice, Dr David King will be retiring in August 2025. Dr King has been an integral part of Your Family Doctors at Erina for almost eight years, bringing with him decades of experience, wisdom, and kindness that have left a lasting impact on our patients and team alike.
Dr King began his medical journey at the University of Sydney, and following his hospital training, he entered general practice in Umina, where he cared for generations of families over a 35-year career. In 2016, we were fortunate to welcome him to Erina, where he continued to provide compassionate, thoughtful care—particularly in the areas of chronic disease management, mental health, and minor skin procedures.
Known for his calm and caring approach, Dr King has been a much-loved GP and respected colleague. His dedication to patient-centred care and his genuine connection with the community have made him a true cornerstone of our practice.
As Dr King steps into retirement, we know he’s looking forward to more time with family, keeping up with his 13 grandchildren, sailing, gardening, and doing the things he loves.
On behalf of the entire team at Your Family Doctors at Erina, we sincerely thank Dr King for his years of outstanding service and wish him all the very best in this well-earned next chapter. He will be greatly missed by his colleagues, staff, and patients.
MY MENOPAUSE MATTERS CONFERENCE
Last month, Dr Georgia Page joined 11 other local health professionals as a presenter at the inaugural my menopause matters conference on the Central Coast. This landmark event brought together experts and community members to explore a wide range of topics across the menopause spectrum. Dr Georgia contributed her insights on ‘Menopause and the GP consultation’ highlighting the important role general practitioners play in supporting women through midlife health transitions.
Our experienced YFD doctors are here to support our existing patients through their perimenopausal and menopausal journey, offering appointments tailored to alleviate symptoms. You can book a long ‘menopause’ consultation on line via hotdoc or speak to our reception staff. We are awaiting further details regarding a new menopause medicare rebate for a menopause assessment which was proposed by the government to commence July 1st.
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Thank You for Reading Our Winter Newsletter
We hope you’ve found this edition helpful as you prepare for the colder months ahead. We’ll be back in a few months with more updates, health tips, and practice news. In the meantime, stay connected with us by following Your Family Doctors at Erina on Facebook and Instagram—it’s a great way to keep up with important health information and see what our team has been up to.
Don’t forget to visit our website and blog for trusted, practical advice written by our own GPs.
We value your thoughts—if you have any feedback about our newsletter or your experience with the practice, please let us know by scanning the QR code below.
Stay well, stay warm, and see you next season!
Love Team YFD xx
