Our GP practice has team members who work alongside your doctor and nurses to provide you with a range of mental wellbeing supports and tools. These team members may include Health Improvement Practitioners (HIPs), Health Coaches and Support Workers.

View the following link for more information about wellbeing support in general practice and the national Access & Choice programme.

All women and people with a cervix aged 25 – 69 who have ever had intimate skin-to-skin contact or been sexually active should have regular cervical screening. This includes women who have been immunised against HPV. Together, regular screening and HPV immunisation provide the best protection against cervical cancer.

There are now more options for how you have cervical screening done:

• a simple vaginal swab test for HPV, either done yourself or with help from a healthcare professional
• a cervical sample taken by a healthcare professional (used to be known as a smear test).

Talk with your healthcare provider to decide which option is best for you.

If HPV is found, you may need to have a follow-up test or be referred directly for colposcopy.

If you’ve not yet had HPV testing, you should be screened 3 years after your last test (or 1 year if immune deficient). Once you have had an HPV test, and providing HPV is not found, your next screening will be in 5 years (or 3 years if immune deficient).

For more information: Cervical screening | Time to Screen - National Screening Unit

• Pregnancy vaccinations
• 45 year old vaccinations
• Adult flu vaccine
• Diphtheria / Tetanus / Pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine
• Measles / Mumps / Rubella (MMR) vaccine
• Meningococcal vaccine
• Catch-up missed vaccinations
• 65 year old vaccinations
• Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine
• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine
• Shingles vaccine
• Travel vaccinations
• Privately funded vaccinations

Immunisation is the safest and most effective way to provide protection for you and your tamariki’s health. For more information view the NZ immunisation schedule.

• Cervical screening
• Prostate check
• Breast check (clinical breast exam)

Health screening tests check for health conditions or early warning signs of disease.

• Free or subsidised contraception services (enquire for eligibility and details)
• IUD inserts
• Implant (Jadelle) inserts
• IUD removals
• Implant (Jadelle) removal

LARC methods are very effective at preventing unplanned pregnancy and are “fit and forget” forms of contraception – you don’t need to remember them every day or every month. LARC methods:

• Intrauterine Contraceptive Devices (IUCD or IUD) are inserted through the cervix into a woman’s uterus. IUCDs may be either hormonal (Mirena^® or Jaydess^{® )} or non-hormonal (copper IUCD).
• Jadelle^® is a hormone-releasing implant that is inserted just under the skin of the upper arm.

Depending on the type of device, it will need to be changed after between three and ten years.

Read more about LARC methods here

This service is only available to current UC patients and employees.

A primary care medical practice is far more than a place to go when you are feeling unwell and needing a quick cure. The medical staff are able to help children and adults of all ages with a range of physical and emotional difficulties. Staff are at the centre of the healthcare hub and will be aware of services and expertise that are available locally and further-a-field. They 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.

Sometimes a sample of blood or urine is needed 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.

Minor surgery is commonly provided in primary care medical 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.

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

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 a number of patients will be treated one after the other. 

For more information click here.

Another service offered to you at your primary care medical 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; please click here to view the centres in New Zealand. Your healthcare provider 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. 

• Contraception (birth control) advice
• Menopause
• STD checks (Sexually transmitted disease)
• Male sexual health
• Pregnancy testing

Sexual and reproductive health services including sexual health screening, information and birth control.