+ Accident & Urgent Medical Care

We provide a dedicated Accident and urgent medical service via a Doctor and Nurse team, that work alongside our general practice and primary healthcare services.

This service is provided Monday to Friday from 8:30am-5pm to people who require urgent medical care. Please walk in or call our Reception team on 372 3111.

+ ACC Services

The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) (Te Kaporeihana Āwhina Hunga Whara) is a New Zealand Crown entity responsible for administering the country's universal no-fault accidental injury scheme. The scheme provides financial compensation and support to citizens, residents, and temporary visitors who have suffered personal injuries. We can lodge claims for you.

+ General & Family Medical Care

Our clinic 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. Doctors and Nurses are at the centre of the healthcare hub and are aware of services and expertise that are available locally and further-a-field.

+ Women's Health

We offer a wide range of women’s health services for women of all ages.Women’s health care covers a wide range of issues from pregnancy, menstrual disorders, menopause and contraception to sexual health.

Services that are offered in this clinic include:

• Cervical smears
• Breast checks
  
• Education on women’s health issues
  
• Pregnancy tests
  
• Early pregnancy support and information
  
• Information on contraceptive options (including condoms, oral contraception or depo provera injections, IUDs and implants)
  
• Emergency contraception
  
• Irregular bleeding
  
• Information and help with menopause
  
• Sexual health testing
  
• Mental and Emotional Health
  
• Anxiety & Depression

+ Men's Health

We offer a wide range of men’s health services for men of all ages. Men's health care covers a wide range of issues such as:

• Weight issues
  
• Physical Activity
  
• Heart Risk Assessment
  
• Prostate Problems
  
• Impotence
  
• Testicle lumps and swelling
  
• Hair loss
  
• Mental and Emotional Health
  
• Anxiety & Depression
  

+ Skin Cancer & Mole Checks

Early detection of skin cancer can lead to earlier & more effective treatment. Our Doctors can provide Dermoscopy, which refers to the examination of the skin using skin surface microscopy and is mainly used to evaluate pigmented skin lesions. This helps to make it easier to diagnose melanoma.

We provide annual skin checks or these can be done more frequently if required, we can also provide treatments such as liquid nitrogen, diathermy or minor surgery to remove skin lesions. Referrals for specialist assessment and treatment can also be provided.

+ Spirometry (Lung Function Tests)

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. In most cases this test will be requested by your Doctor or for a work medical examination.

+ ECG (Heart Checks)

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 of previous heart attacks or problems with the heart rhythm.

+ Family Planning & Sexual Health (Free for Under 22s)

We can provide:

• Information and advice on sexual health
  
• Sexually Transmissible Infection (STI) checks and treatment
  
• Free condoms
  
• Pregnancy testing and follow up care or referral
  
• Emergency contraception
  
• Contraception advice and prescriptions

Our Sexual Health Clinic can also provide management of other related conditions, including:

• Specialist services via referral
  
• IUD, Mirena and Jadelle Insertions
  
• Cervical screening
  
• Information to help you make positive decisions

Contraception

Contraception is a way to prevent pregnancy. Different methods work in different ways but contraception generally prevents sperm from reaching and fertilising an egg which is how a pregnancy starts.

Some of the different methods of contraception are:

• Contraceptive pills (or “the pill”)
  
• Barriers, such as condoms and diaphragms
  
• Depo Provera injection
  
• Long acting reversible contraception (such as implants or intra uterine devices)
  
• Emergency contraception

Sexually Transmissible Infections

Sexually transmissible infections (STIs) are infections you can get if you have unprotected sex or, in some cases, skin on skin contact with someone who is infected. Condoms offer the best protection against STIs.

The most common STIs in New Zealand are:

• Chlamydia
  
• Gonorrhoea
  
• Genital warts
  
• Crabs
  
• Genital herpes

Some STIs have symptoms but with others there may be no obvious signs. Many people will be infected with an STI without knowing it. You can’t tell if someone has an STI by looking at them. If you are sexually active, it’s a good idea to have a regular sexual health check. Most STIs are easily cured just with creams or tablets. Some STIs remain in a person’s system for a long time or forever, and their symptoms are managed e.g. Herpes.

+ Hearing Tests

Our highly skilled Nurses can perform hearing tests, by first inspecting the ear with an otoscope and then by using an audiometer to evaluate the sensitivity of a person's sense of hearing. An audiometer is used to determine a person's hearing sensitivity at different frequencies. This assessment is usually requested by your Doctor or is often included as part of a medical for work or insurance purposes.

+ Palliative Care

WHO Definition of Palliative Care in Adults

Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual.

Palliative care:

provides relief from pain and other distressing symptoms;
affirms life and regards dying as a normal process;
intends neither to hasten or postpone death;
integrates the psychological and spiritual aspects of patient care;
offers a support system to help patients live as actively as possible until death;
offers a support system to help the family cope during the patient's illness and in their own bereavement;
uses a team approach to address the needs of patients and their families, including bereavement counselling, if indicated;
will enhance quality of life, and may also positively influence the course of illness;
is applicable early in the course of illness, in conjunction with other therapies that are intended to prolong life, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and includes those investigations needed to better understand and manage distressing clinical complications.

WHO Definition of Palliative Care in Children:

Palliative care for children represents a special, albeit closely related field to adult palliative care. WHO’s definition of palliative care appropriate for children and their families is as follows; the principles apply to other paediatric chronic disorders (WHO; 1998a). Palliative care for children is the active total care of the child's body, mind and spirit, and also involves giving support to the family.

It begins when illness is diagnosed, and continues regardless of whether or not a child receives treatment directed at the disease.
Health providers must evaluate and alleviate a child's physical, psychological, and social distress.
Effective palliative care requires a broad multidisciplinary approach that includes the family and makes use of available community resources; it can be successfully implemented even if resources are limited.
It can be provided in tertiary care facilities, in community health centers and even in children's homes.

+ Repeat Prescriptions

When your doctor prescribes you the same medication on an ongoing basis, this is often done with a repeat prescription. This could be a medication for a long-term condition such as high blood pressure or a medication you take regularly such as the contraceptive pill. The repeat prescription is an instruction from your doctor that says you can be issued this prescription in the future without having to have an appointment.

If you have been reviewed by your Doctor in the last 6 months, the good news is, you don't have to book another appointment to get your next prescription. You can either order this online through our patient portal via the home page or you can call 372 3111 and leave a message on the Nurse answering service to order your prescription.

+ Medication Management

If you are taking long term medications, it is important that these are viewed regularly with your Doctor to ensure that you receive the most appropriate treatment and are given the best advice in order to optimize your health and wellbeing.

Medication Management appointments with your Doctor will provide you with an opportunity to update your doctor on your condition and where appropriate have a physical examination. Specific tests may also be advised. Your doctor will be able to identify any new risk factors or contraindications to your medication and provide you with the best possible treatment.

+ 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 3-7 days unless a very rare test is needed which has to go to a specialist lab further away when it might take a little longer.

We will contact you for abnormal results that require urgent action, otherwise you may check these on your patient portal or contact the practice nurse for results.

+ Long-Term Condition (LTC) Management

Asthma and COPD

Patients with Asthma and other breathing problems such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), lung cancer, cystic fibrosis and sleep apnoea are provided with information and support from our general practice team.

Oneroa Accident & Medical Centre provides spirometry, respiratory assessment and review and referral on specialist services when required.

Diabetes

Support is available for patients who have diabetes or who are at risk of getting diabetes. Talk to your general practice team about how they can help you manage your diabetes or prevent it. If you have Diabetes you are entitled to a free annual Diabetes check up with one of our Nurses. This can include:

• Blood test review
  
• Foot Check
  
• Talking about your medications
  
• Blood pressure, height and weight check
  
• Blood Sugar control

Diabetes and foot care

Foot care is an important part of managing health for people with diabetes. People at risk of developing foot problems due to their diabetes may get up to six free podiatrist visits a year, depending on their condition. We can provide your with a referral to access this service.

+ Referrals

When you see a specialist, you’ll visit a medically trained and registered healthcare professional. In most cases, you need to visit your Doctor first so they can refer you.

Not all specialist care is funded by the government. It depends on the type of specialist you visit and your personal situation, for example the type of care you need or whether you can get publicly funded healthcare.

If you would like a referral to a specialist please make an appointment with one of our Doctors, so that you can discuss your condition, options and be assessed and referred to the right specialist to optimize your health.