COVID-19 Update 14.4.2020

Covid-19 Update

During these times, our sole focus is to keep staff, patients and the community safe.

We are still open and ready to treat your eye health issues. However, with everyone’s safety in mind we have implemented the following measures in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Anyone who considers themselves to have a stable condition or scheduled for non-urgent review can contact us to be rescheduled to a later date. We will increase clinic availability in the future so as to avoid a ‘backlog’ when things return to normal.
  • We are offering teleconference/phone calls/faxing of scripts to any patients who feel this is all that is required at this stage.
  • Patients are asked to contact us if experiencing flu like symptoms so that appointments can be rescheduled.
  • All patients will be required to undergo temperature check and questioning prior to entering the facility. Those who have recently travelled overseas or interstate, have flu like symptoms or a fever will be asked to return home.
  • We have reduced clinic numbers significantly to minimise patients in the waiting room. Patients may be kindly asked to contact us on arrival and encouraged to wait in their car to be phoned when the doctor is ready for review. We are maintaining strict cleaning protocols after each patient. Please be patient as this means longer waiting times between patients.
  • Appointments will be shortened to keep contact with patients to less than 15 minutes. This may mean that only essential examinations can be carried out.
  • Unfortunately, elective surgery is currently cancelled. We do not have an exact date as to when this will resume as it will depend on supply of equipment, which is currently being directed toward critical care. We endeavor to notify all patients already on surgery waiting lists of any information as soon as we know more.

For referrers and patients, please do not hesitate to contact me at any stage either on my mobile or through the clinic.

Yours sincerely.

Dr James Slattery and the team at Western Eyecare.