• Medicare-funded health checks for people aged 45 to 49
• Cervical cancer: avoid it with a simple test, every 5 years
• Where to find your closest COVID-19 Testing Clinic
• How to make a face mask
• New nurses station at Daylesford
• Kyneton Clinic is expanding

Taking action each day to keep our bodies and minds in good shape is something we all can do. Our doctors and staff at Springs Medical are here to help if you have questions or concerns about how to stay well, physically and mentally, through these changing and challenging times.

If you’re aged 45 to 49, when you’re not busy working it’s likely you’re busy caring for your children and elderly parents, and you rarely see a doctor, according to health statistics. 

That’s why we put this topic in CAPITAL LETTERS in your inbox, so you wouldn’t miss it.

While you may feel perfectly well, many medical conditions can develop without symptoms in your age group. A comprehensive health assessment can identify disease risk factors and help you make necessary life changes now to prevent or delay the onset of chronic disease.

Medicare is providing one free, comprehensive health check for eligible people aged between 45 and 49, because research has shown that by taking careful stock of your health right now, we can help you have a healthier future. 

Common risk factors for chronic disease include:

• smoking, drinking alcohol, physical inactivity and poor diet
• being overweight, impaired glucose metabolism and having high cholesterol or high blood pressure
• family history of chronic disease, such as diabetes, mental illness, heart or lung disease, arthritis and cancer

Your health check will comprise a one-hour appointment with a Springs Medical wellness nurse followed by an appointment with a doctor on the same day. It’s Medicare funded and available at all our clinics: Daylesford, Trentham and Kyneton.

Our aim is to fully assess your current state of health, flag possible future health issues, provide you with relevant information, advice, referrals, support, and to help you form a plan for your future health care based on your needs. We can also provide strategies to achieve lifestyle and behaviour changes so you can live healthier for longer.

We’ll look at your: past medical history; current medications; family history of disease; past health screening; and immunisation history.

And ask you about your life, such as your: employment; marital status; family situation; mental health; and sexuality. This isn’t because we’re nosey, it’s to check for specific, health-related issues.

Our nurse will take a full set of non-invasive observations and tests, such as: height; weight; blood pressure; waist circumference; heart rate; oxygen level; cholesterol level; and urine analysis.

We’ll ask you about your: skin; bowels; diet; hearing; and vision. And also if you smoke, take drugs or drink alcohol, so we can provide you with any information or support you might want.

We’ll also ask specific questions to determine your risk of: cardiovascular disease; diabetes; and other chronic diseases.

If you’re a woman, we’ll ask you women’s health-related questions, such as breast and cervical screening and contraception. If you’re a man, we’ll ask men’s health-related questions, including questions about your prostate. And we will ask health-appropriate questions to people who identify as LGBTIQ.

And while you may feel invincible right now, we’ll also ask whether you have considered:

• organ donation
• an end-of-life plan
• Medical and Enduring Powers of Attorney

This is so we can provide you with resources and information you may need to ensure the future wellbeing of you and your family.

If you are aged 45 to 49 and have any questions about your eligibility for this free health check, please call your nearest Springs Medical Clinic.

To book an assessment phone your Springs Medical Clinic and request a 45 - 49 health assessment. If you have a regular GP at Springs Medical, please request your follow-up appointment with them, so we can organise this for you.

This is a one-off government-funded initiative for preventative health.

Our Women’s Wellness Clinic is back in action after a break due to COVID-19 lockdown, and we are also proud to announce the relaunch of our Cervical Screening Clinics at Daylesford, Kyneton and Trentham.

Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers, but not all women (or people with a cervix who identify as LGBTIQ) take advantage of a simple screening test to check the health of the cervix, resulting in many unnecessary deaths each year.

Hepburn Shire’s Population Health Snapshot 2018 showed just over half (61.5%) of women in our community had engaged in regular cervical screening. 

If you are a woman aged between 25 and 74 and have ever been sexually active, we highly recommend you have a Cervical Screening Test (CST) every five years, even if you have had the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination.

Our Cervical Screening Clinic is a low-cost clinic with a maximum fee of $20.

The Cervical Screening Test has replaced the Pap test in Australia. It looks and feels the same as the old Pap Test, but instead tests for HVP. The CST is expected to protect up to 30 per cent more women.

Your first CST is due two years after your last Pap test. After that, you’ll only need to have the test every five years if your results are normal.

LGBTIQ

LGBTIQ people aged between 25 and 74 years who have a cervix also need regular cervical screening. Because no matter what your gender identity, or with whom you have had sex, if you have a cervix you are still at risk of cervical cancer.

Cervical Screening Clinics

Our regular Cervical Screening Clinics are run by one of our female doctors or our female Cervical Screening Nurse. This is to make the process as comfortable as possible for you. Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to make you feel at ease for your test.

Cervical cancer forms over time in the cells of the cervix. Nearly all cervical cancers are caused by a human papillomavirus infection which doesn’t clear up. It can take more than 10 to 15 years for a persistent HPV infection to develop into cervical cancer. This is why screening is so effective.

The human papillomavirus is very common and spread by genital skin-to-skin contact during sexual activity. Condoms do not cover all the genital skin so do not give full protection from HPV infection. 

Most people will have a HPV infection at some point in their lives. You can be exposed to HPV the first time you engage in sexual activity and even if you’ve only had one sexual partner.

While Cervical Screening Tests prevents about 90 per cent of cervical cancers, if at any age you experience unusual vaginal bleeding, discharge or pain during sex, please speak to your doctor as soon as possible.

Cervical cancer is rare in women under 25 years of age.

Please phone us to  make an appointment at our Daylesford, Kyneton or Trentham Clinic.

Due to COVID-19 constraints, our CST nurse will be running monthly Cervical Screening Clinics at Daylesford but will not be attending Kyneton at this stage. GPs are available at Kyneton for Cervical Screening. Please book your test with a doctor of your choice.

• Will the mask material allow me to breathe comfortably + provide a good barrier to SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission?
• Does the mask fit snugly without gaps?
• Can I clean it properly and safely at home?