Patient Information

After Hours Services

The Invercargill After Hours Service ceased operation as it was not financially viable.

Options for After Hours care include:

Calling 111 if it is a real emergency
Phoning HealthLine for advice – 0800 611 116
PracticePlus for an on-line consultation – book an appointment at https://practiceplus.nz/
Attend the Emergency Department

Surgery Hours

Monday to Friday – the office is open from 8am to 5pm for advice and to make appointments.

Emergencies

For emergencies, dial 111, or attend the Southland Hospital Accident and Emergency Department.

Communication with the Practice

We prefer communicating by the conventional methods of telephone, fax or letter. Urgent matters should always be dealt with by telephone. We receive a large number of e-mails, and sometimes important or urgent e-mails may be overlooked. E-mail is not appropriate for urgent communication. If you have a disability that makes communication by phone difficult, please let us know so that we can assist.

Fees

Fees are advertised on the main notice board.

Disabilities

If you have a disability that makes it difficult for you to communicate or access our services, please inform us so that we can assist you.

Enrolment

The Ministry of Health requires all patients to be enrolled in a practice which is a member of a Primary Health Organisation (PHO). If you have not signed an enrolment form in the previous 3 years, or are new to the practice, please ask our receptionist about this. Information on enrolment, who is eligible to enrol, PHO’s, casual consultation, and fees is available at the front desk.

Your Appointment

We operate a 15 minute appointment system for doctors and nurses. This includes the time for us to document the consultation. If there is an urgent problem that requires more than 15 minutes, we will endeavour to deal with the problem at the time. As a result we may be running late. If you have several health problems that we cannot deal with in the allocated time, we will ask you to make another appointment to deal with the additional problems. If you require extra time, please notify the reception team when you book the appointment. There will be an additional fee.

If you prefer seeing a particular provider, you will need to book several days in advance. For urgent appointments, or appointments requested on the same day, you will be offered the first available appointment with any doctor/nurse practitioner.

Please let the receptionist know you have arrived, and enquire if there is a delay. You are welcome to phone prior to your consultation to find out if there will be a delay. We are unable to see more than one person in a single consultation. There is a charge for missed appointments or late cancellations.

Missed Consultations

We appreciate the courtesy of those who phone to reschedule or cancel appointments in a timely manner. We do charge for missed appointments, or cancellations made within an hour of your appointment time (including children < 14 yrs).

"Free" Under 14 Years

Children under age 14 are fully subsidised for a standard doctor’s visit only. This does not cover procedures, consumables, medical certificates (e.g. insurance, medicals for school / sport / other activities), phone calls, referral letters done outside the consultation etc.

Work Done Outsite Appointments

For work required to be done after or outside an appointment time, there will be an additional charge, according to the time involved. This includes referral letters, phone calls, and certificates (medical, insurance, disability, etc). Please ask about the cost if you are concerned.

What is HealthOne

Please note that this practice is contributing to, and accessing healthcare information from HealthOne -

HealthOne is a South Island based secure electronic record that allows registered healthcare providers directly involved in your healthcare, to quickly access information such as your test results, allergies, medications, GP summaries and hospital information. HealthOne adheres to the principles of the Privacy Act 2020 as well as the rules set out in the Health Information Privacy Code 2020. Access is only possible via an approved highly secure healthcare information network which is regularly audited and tested. Privacy auditing is used to check that only those directly involved in your care are accessing your information. To find out more about HealthOne please visit https://healthone.org.nz. Please note that you are entitled to restrict the sharing of your healthcare records by contacting 0508 837 872 or emailing [email protected].

Privacy Policy

Our practice is committed to meeting our obligations under the Health Information Privacy Code (HIPC) to protect the privacy of your health information.

Parking

There is street parking on Don Street. Disability parks are available at the rear of the surgery (please ask for instructions), or directly in front of the surgery.

Chaperones

You are welcome to bring a support person with you. If this is not possible, one of our staff can act as chaperone if they are available at the time. Alternatively you can make another appointment at a time when a chaperone will be available.

Doctors and nurses have the right to have a third party present during examinations. In some rare situations doctors or nurses may not conduct an examination if the patient does not accept a third party to be in the room. An alternative arrangement will be discussed.

Payment

Payment is expected on the day of consultation. We discount the fee if paid on the day. For those with an existing outstanding debt, payment is expected on the day of the consultation and further debt will not be accepted. We realise this is sometimes difficult, and run accounts on the following terms:

Payment is expected on that end of month account.
If outstanding at the completion of the next calendar month, the account will be sent to a debt collection agency if payment, or arrangement to pay, is not made. Sending accounts to debt collection is a last resort.
Debt collection costs are additional to the outstanding account, and are the responsibility of the patient/debtor.
If you are having difficulty paying your account, we encourage you to discuss with our reception staff the options of payment by instalment, such as by bank direct debit, or a letter to take to WINZ for an emergency benefit.

Repeat Prescriptions

Patients on long-term medications need to be reviewed in a face to face consultation on a regular basis. This is usually every 3 to 6 months (maximum 6 months), depending on:

the nature/number of health issues,
the monitoring required for medication risks,
the stability of the person’s health, and
the doctor’s recommendations.

Patients receiving controlled drugs (opiates, methylphenidate, etc) will need to be seen more often.

Repeat prescriptions can be requested by:

Phone:
03-218 6325

E-mail (non-urgent requests only):
[email protected]

In subject line state repeat prescription request, and in body of e-mail list all medications you require, your name, address and phone number.

Please Note:

Routine prescriptions will be sent directly to your nominated pharmacy within 3 working days.
If you have an outstanding debt you will be required to personally collect and pay for your prescription.
If you are overdue a routine review an interim prescription will be provided.
There is a fee for repeat prescriptions.
Urgent or same day prescriptions require a phone request, not an e-mail request. There will be an additional fee for same day prescriptions.

Results

When investigations are requested (lab, x-ray, scan, Hospital), you will be told at the time whether:

You will be contacted about the result
You need to phone the practice for the result
You need to return for the result

If this has not been made clear to you, and you have not heard within a week of having the investigation, or are concerned, please phone to enquire about the result or to make a follow-up appointment.

Complaints

We aim to provide a high quality, professional service for all patients at all times. We acknowledge the rights of the patient outlined within the Health & Disability Commissioners Code of Rights. These rights are displayed in the practice. If you have any complaints about the treatment or service you have received from us we would like to know. You are welcome to discuss your concerns with us directly. Alternatively please provide full details of your complaint in writing to us so we can fully investigate your complaint. Please ask reception for a complaints form.

Need an appointment?
Give us a call.

03 218 6325