Medical Services
Medical Services
Your GP’s surgery is far more than a place to go when you feel unwell. This is because the doctor who sees you has undergone extensive medical training. We have a team of committed and caring GPs with a range of skills and special interests to support you with your health concerns.
Our GPs work collegially to support each other’s knowledge to give the absolute best in patient care. Because of this, we offer a range of services from consultations to minor surgery and child health to ACC care.
Find Out More About Our Services
The normal allocated time for a consultation is 15 minutes. We will do our best not to keep you waiting and ask that you recognise our doctors’ need to keep to time. Generally, a doctor can discuss one new problem or two existing issues in a consultation to be thorough. If you have several concerns to discuss, we suggest you return for a second appointment on another day. Two appointments often work well as tests can be run between them. You can also look at booking two consecutive appointments if you need more time, although extra charges will apply.
Your health is as important to us as it is to you. Our objective is to be able to listen to and address your concerns well but to keep to our appointment times. We recognise your time is important too. If wanting more than one family member seen, you must book one consultation for each family member. This is to allow appropriate time for the GP to review each person.
Please call us if you are running late so we can manage as required. Please notify reception as soon as possible if you cannot make your appointment. Charges will apply if there are repeated occasions of not turning up to your appointment with no notification.
Each GP surgery or primary care practice will have its procedure for repeat prescribing, but the following rules are common to most, if not all. Patients well-known to the practice with stable conditions like asthma, hypertension or diabetes could be allowed to get a repeat prescription for up to six months. This is at the discretion of your GP, who has a medico-legal responsibility to review you medically and may ask for a consultation.
Please call for your repeat well before your medication runs out, as it will take up to 24 business hours to complete this request.
Repeat prescriptions will not be provided to patients not enrolled with us or who have enrolled but have not yet been reviewed by our GPs.
Following a review by your doctor, we can facilitate a range of minor surgical procedures in our well-equipped procedure room. Minor surgery is commonly provided in primary care practices, providing fast, competent removal and biopsies of skin lesions.
These procedures will require a consultation with the GP prior to the procedure to enable the appropriate planning. Minor procedures require a longer consult.
Please ensure you advise our reception staff so that we can ensure adequate time is scheduled with your doctor.
Primary care practices offer a range of services and can deal with most minor accident care.
ACC provides no-fault personal injury cover for all New Zealand residents and visitors. This insurance cover is comprehensive but does not meet the full costs of primary injury management, so an ACC surcharge applies. However, if ACC declines a claim, patients will be liable for any additional charges for their treatment.
Our GPs can offer advice and treatment for all aspects of fertility and contraception. We can also provide care for early pregnancy in your first trimester.
The GP will advise you on a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy and refer you for the appropriate antenatal blood tests and referrals for ongoing care with your chosen Lead Maternity Carer (LMC)
We aim to provide all you need to organise your travel health for your upcoming trip. We recommend a consultation at least six weeks before your departure, as some vaccinations require more than one dose. Your doctor/nurse can tell you what diseases you will need to be protected from in any named country and advise you on other medical matters.
Please bring with you:
Your travel itinerary
Any records of previous vaccinations (if any)
Yellow fever vaccinations are only available at approved centres and are not provided here at Hibiscus Coast Medical.
If a man decides he does not want to father children, he may choose to have a vasectomy, a simple and effective sterilisation method. During this surgical procedure, the vas deferens (the tubes carrying sperm from the testicles to the penis) are cut. A vasectomy can occur in a doctor’s surgery and takes between 30 and 60 minutes.
Dr Andrew Chambers provides this procedure.
An Intrauterine Contraceptive Device (IUCD) is inserted into a woman’s uterus to prevent pregnancy. Depending on the type of device, it will need to be changed after three to five years. One brand of IUCD is often used to reduce heavy bleeding during periods. This will require a GP consultation to discuss what is best for you.
An ECG is a recording of your heart’s electrical activity. Electrode patches are attached to your skin to measure the electrical impulses given off by your heart.
The result is a trace that can be read by a doctor. It can give information about previous heart attacks or problems with the heart rhythm.
Spirometry is a tool that measures how effectively your lungs are working. It can show how much air the lungs can hold (their volume) and how much air can be breathed in and out (inhaled and exhaled), which is called flow.
This tool assesses the 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.
