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Why are we still asked to wear a face mask at Floreat Medical?The Western Australian Government, acting on health advice, has continued to mandate the wearing of face masks in healthcare settings, such as general practices, whilst pulling back mask mandates in other sectors, such as when you are using public transport.Under current public health (external site), masks are required for people aged 12 years and over:at hospitals and healthcare settings
at nursing homes and prisons
if you leave your place of isolation as an asymptomatic close contact.Mask use is recommended in indoor settings for cases for two days after completion of your 5-day isolation period if you are recovered from Covid-19.If you are attending at Floreat Medical for a face to face consultation with your GP then you will be required to wear a mask. We have a white board at the back door advising you, as well as signage on the front and back glass doors. If you present at reception without a mask, you will be asked to put your own mask on (perhaps to go back to your car to get one if you have one there) or offered a new mask to purchase for a small fee.If you have respiratory symptoms such as a cough, runny nose, sore throat or chestiness, or have a face mask exemption, then you will be asked to wait outside or in your car until the doctor or a nurse can assess you. This may be by phone or face to face (with the clinician with appropriate protection), prior to the doctor or nurse determining whether you can be invited into a consultation room or treatment room.We are conscious of the risk to vulnerable patients and staff if a respiratory illness is transmitted in the practice whilst there is the elevated risk of Covid-19 in the community. If a patient or staff member were to contract both at the same time then there is a greater risk of a poor health outcome. So our hypervigilance for respiratory illness, as well as Covid-19, is in an effort to keep everyone safe and in the case of doctors, working and available to provide healthcare to you and our patients.We have zero tolerance to aggressive behaviour in our practice or towards our staff and doctors. Please be kind if our staff ask you to wear a mask at your visit to Floreat Medical.
A Cervical Screening Test (CST) is a simple test used to check the health of your cervix. The CST looks for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection as HPV infections can cause abnormal cervical cell changes that may lead to cervical cancer. This usually takes a long time, about 10 to 15 years. Nearly all cervical cancers are caused by HPV. If you have had the HPV vaccine you will still need to participate in regular cervical screening. This is because the vaccine does not protect against all types of HPV that are known to cause cervical cancer.In Australia women are advised to have a CST every 5 years.From 1 July 2022, the National Cervical Screening Program (NCSP) has expanded screening test options, offering self-collection as a choice to all women participating in cervical screening. This means that all people with a cervix aged 25-74 years will have the option to screen using either a self-collected vaginal sample or a cervical smear sample taken by your doctor.The NCSP are promoting these changes with the aim to maximise cervical screening participation, particularly among under-screened and never-screened women.Key messages:Self-collection for cervical screening will be available from 1 July 2022 for all NCSP participants aged 25-74 years.
Self-collection provides you with a level of control and choice, and may remove a significant barrier for some to participation in screening.
The Department of Health advises recent evidence demonstrates a Cervical Screening Test using a self-collected vaginal sample is as accurate as a clinician-collected sample taken from the cervix during a speculum examination.
Your GP plays a central and critical role in the NCSP, in assessing your risk and using clinical judgement to recommend testing and follow-up. So make an appointment with your doctor, whether a sample is self-collected by you or the doctor during the consultation.For an easy guide on how to collect your own vaginal sample for cervical screening see here.