Services

• Well Baby Checks

• Babies are checked periodically during their first year of life to ensure that they are developing correctly. The first appointment is usually a few days after the mother and child have returned home after the birth, then a fortnight later, then monthly up to four months then at six, nine months and at a year. Babies are weighed and measured to make sure that they are arriving at the various developmental milestones. 
  Apart from checking an infant’s physical and emotional growth, these sessions provide a great opportunity for parents to ask questions from an expert and have any problem addressed; difficulties with breastfeeding or sleep for example. They are also used to discuss immunisations and vaccinations.

• Adult and Child Medical Care

• Your GP's surgery is far more than a place to go when you are feeling unwell and needing a quick cure. The doctor who sees you has gone through an extensive medical training to equip her or him to help children and adults of all ages with a range of physical and emotional difficulties. GPs are at the centre of the healthcare hub and will be aware of services and expertise that are available locally and further-a-field. GPs are also aware of the link that stress and unhappy life events have on physical health so know when to suggest a talking therapy rather than medication.

  
  

• Minor Accident Care

• Primary care practices offer a range of services and are able to deal with most minor accident care. If we are not able to deal with an injury, then we will refer on to the appropriate service.
  

• Minor Surgery

• Minor surgery is commonly provided in primary care practices, providing fast, competent removal and biopsies of skin lesions. Other services include cosmetic work such as removal of benign moles and skin tags. Ingrown toenail surgery is also commonly provided. 
  These conditions do not need to be referred to a hospital, perhaps saving you a long wait or a cancelled appointment when a more serious case takes priority. 
  If your doctor is unable to provide the procedure you need, he/she may know a neighbouring GP who does. Otherwise, the PHO will have a list of GPs trained in particular operations.
  

• Lab Results

• Sometimes your doctor needs to take a sample of blood or urine either to discover what is wrong with you or to measure something in your blood so that the right medication is given to you. These tests could be anything from blood sugar to a full blood count or a sample of tissue to test for cancer.

  While urine can generally be tested in the surgery, blood and other specimens are usually sent away for testing at a laboratory. Most results come back within 48 hours unless a very rare test is needed which has to go to a specialist lab further away when it might take a little longer.

  It is practice policy to contact you with any abnormal results, otherwise you are free to phone us for these.
  

• Liquid Nitrogen

• Liquid nitrogen is a fast, effective treatment provided in many practices to treat viral warts, sun damaged skin, skin tags and many benign cosmetic lesions. It comes in a container with a nozzle and is usually applied by swab or spray. Often one treatment is all that is needed but sometimes it may need repeating after two weeks.
  Because it cannot be stored for too long, you will often find that your GP will treat a number of patients one after the other. 
  

• Immunisations

• Immunisations are provided at all primary care practices and are one of the most important services they provide. Immunisation has led to the decline of many lethal diseases including, most recently, meningococcal B meningitis.

  The National Immunisation Schedule offers a series of vaccines free to babies, children, adolescents and adults. Visit the Ministry of Health website http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/preventative-health-wellness/immunisation/new-zealand-immunisation-schedule to find out what vaccines are on the Schedule and when they are given.  Additional vaccines are provided free for certain eligible groups considered to be at high risk because of other medical conditions; find out more here http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/preventative-health-wellness/immunisation/new-zealand-immunisation-schedule. These and other vaccines such as travel vaccines can be purchased by other people if they want them.

  Immunisations are given by a practice nurse or doctor, having ensured beforehand that the person is not ill or suffering from allergies. Risks associated with immunisation are very rare.

  Children have their own document to keep a record of these injections. Under the age of 5 this is usually their Well Child/Tamariki Ora My Health Book. The immunisation record may need to be shown, for example, when starting school or early childcare. The staff will also record the immunisation details on New Zealand’s National Immunisation Register. This computerised information system holds details of all immunisations given to children here and will alert families when immunisations are due.
  

• Cervical Screening

• All women who have ever been sexually active should have regular cervical smear tests every three years between the ages of 20 and 70. This includes women who have been immunised against HPV. This test detects abnormal cells which, if left untreated, could become cervical cancer. Very often these cells are made abnormal by a human papillomavirus (HPV) which is a sexually transmitted virus. Regular tests and treatment reduces the likelihood of this sort of cancer by around 90%. 
  
  For more information about cervical smear tests click on the link to the National Screening Unit website http://www.nsu.govt.nz/current-nsu-programmes/national-cervical-screening-programme.aspx

  All our doctors &  our nurse, Emma  do cervical smears.
  

• Spirometry

• Spirometry is a tool that measures how effectively your lungs are working. It is able to show how much air lungs are able to hold (their volume) and how much air can be breathed in and out (inhaled and exhaled) which is called flow. This tool is used to assess damage caused by conditions like COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – a group that includes bronchitis and emphysema), pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis and asthma. Results are shown on a graph called a pneumotachograph.
  
  For more information click on the following link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirometry
  

• Travel Vaccines

• Another service offered to you at your GP surgery (primary care practice) is advice and immunisation before you go to another country. While you are likely to have the immunisations needed to live in New Zealand, there may be other injections you need to protect yourself before going for example to Africa or South America. In some places you will need protection from rabies or malaria. Yellow fever vaccinations are only available at approved centres; pleaseclick here to view the centres in the Auckland region. Your doctor will be able to tell you what diseases you will need to be protected from in any named country and advise you on other medical matters. 

  We are not able to give yellow fever vaccinations.

  A 30 minute consultation with the doctor is required prior to administering the vaccinations.
  

• ECG

• ECG or Electrocardiograph is a simple, painless test which records your hearts electrical activity.

• Pilot Medicals

• Dr Stuart Farmer is a certified medical examiner for the Civil Aviation Authority.  He is able to issue certificates for all medical classes.  This entails a half hour consultation with his nurse, followed by another half hour with Dr Farmer.  He is available on Wednesday evenings only.