Frequently Asked Questions

Opening Hours
Monday-Friday: 8am – 5.00pm

Closed Saturdays, Sundays and all public holidays.

Appointments
GP appointments can be made between 8.15 am – 5pm on business days. Nurse’s appointments can be made between 8.30am – 4.30pm on business days. 

First Appointment:
Prior to a first appointment, as part of the registration process we need to be in receipt of any medical records from previous NZ practices. To ensure that we gather a full medical history a first visit for all adults will require a nurse and GP appointment & will incur a higher fee.

Appointment length is directly related to the reason for presentation. Some appointments (such as drivers licence medicals or menopause consultations) require involvement with both a nurse & a GP. Complex issues need time allocated appropriately to them & as such will be priced accordingly. We would ask that when arranging an appointment that you let reception know the reason for your visit, so that the correct time can be allocated.

Each patient needs their own separate appointment in order for clinicians to make a proper assessment and be able to treat each person appropriately. If other family members become unwell, please contact reception prior to your appointment to see what can be arranged.

After Hours Service

  • Practice Plus is a virtual service, designed to support medical centres by providing additional medical assistance outside of normal clinic hours. They are an alternative to the service provided by Accident & Healthcare or the emergency department of the hospital.
    All Practice Plus clinicians are licensed practitioners, registered with either the Medical Council of NZ or the Nursing Council of NZ. Accessing the service requires payment up-front. If the Practice Plus clinician deems that an in-person check is more appropriate, they will provide advice of the next step. Any notes taken in a virtual consult will be sent back to the enrolling practice for continuity of care, unless a request is made that they are not to be shared. You can access this here: https://m.practiceplus.nz/
  • Accident & Healthcare, on the corner of Second Avenue & Devonport Road, provide a walk in clinic. The Accident & Healthcare after-hours phone line is 5770010.
  • The closest emergency department is Tauranga Public Hospital at 829 Cameron Road, Tauranga.

• General Medical Services
• Practice Nurse Services
• Treatment for accidents
• Rest home & home visits
• Free Childhood Vaccinations
• Contraceptive advice
• Minor Surgery
• Flu vaccinations
• Liquid nitrogen treatment
• Diabetes checks
• Wound care
• Recall and screening services
• Cervical Smears
• Free appointments to under 14’s
• Full Medical
• Insurance Medical
• ECG’s
• Aclasta & Iron infusion
• Health Improvement Practitioner

 

Travel advice and vaccine information require a standalone consultation with a General Practitioner. Appointments should be made at least 4-6 weeks prior to travel departure, at which time you will be sent a questionnaire, which will need to be completed and returned prior to your appointment. Please advise reception when phoning for an appointment that you are looking to travel. Travel consultations attract a higher fee, which is time related.  Vaccination costs are over and above the cost of the travel consultation.

Blood requests are usually back within a couple of days, while smear tests and histology results can take a week or more. Staff use various methods to contact patients with results. This may include txt messaging, comments left via the portal and phone contact. Patients are encouraged to use the portal to view laboratory results, which are accessible once the ordering clinician files the results.  While we will make every effort to ensure results are received, patients are also encouraged to make contact with the practice with any concerns.

We advise all women from the age of 40 to have regular mammograms. From 45-70, these are available for free through the National Breast Screening Programme. Registered patients will receive a reminder through our recall program of when mammograms are due.

Patients needing x-rays will receive a referral from the doctor to one of the radiology clinics in the city. Results are reported back to the GP for review.

Repeat scripts for some medications can be phoned through. However, BFD policy requires that all patients on long term medication see a doctor at least 6 monthly, to ensure that the medication is correct.

When requesting telephone scripts, 48 hours will be required for script to be reviewed and authorized by GP.

All phone consults and scripts sent to a pharmacy need to be prepaid

We are committed to  preventative health care. This means that from time to time we may send you a reminder to offer you preventative health services. Please let us know if you would prefer not to receive this service.

Fees & Accounts
Practice policy is payment on the same day as services are received. Fees are time and Service related.

Charges are dependent on patient registration, age and community service card status.   

Consultations for children under the age of 14 are free. However there may be a charge for consumables such as liquid nitrogen or dressings. Fees are time related.

Routine appointments which run over 15 minutes will be charged accordingly. Some procedures, such as minor surgery appts & infusions are given longer time slots routinely with the cost discussed with the GP prior to an appointment being made.

Casual patients can expect to pay $105.

Bank Account
For internet banking our account number is 06-0433-0281362-25