Cook Street Health Centre is not currently enrolling new patients.
The principle of enrolment is crucial to the government’s primary health care strategy. Ensuring that patients obtain their health care from one general practice will undoubtedly help make their care more efficient and effective. There is a lot of evidence that continuity of care results in better health.
Some of the key points about this system are:
Patients can only enroll with one general practice. If you choose to enroll with another practice, you are automatically no longer enrolled with the previous practice.
The fact that you are enrolled with one general practice does not restrict you from consulting another doctor somewhere else.
If you see a doctor other than your enrolled practice any government subsidy which applies at you regular GP does not apply, hence the fee will be higher.
At some time over the next 3 years, all patients will be asked to fill in and sign a form which indicates you wish to be enrolled with this practice, and that you understand the implications. Even if you have been coming to the Cook Street Health Centre for 20 years (and some of our patients have), you will need to do this to ensure we can offer subsidised consultations with the doctors. The subsidy not not apply to nurses visits.
Privacy
From time to time, in the course of treatment, we may need to provide your details and medical history to other health providers, such as specialists and hospitals. We will ensure that your health information is only seen by people who are involved in your health care (such as a staff and specialists that we refer you to). We will always ask for your consent before transferring any identifiable medical information about you to someone who is not involved in your health care. We provide the PHO and the Ministry of health with a list of our enrolled patients so that we can obtain subsidies on your behalf. This information includes your name, address, date of birth, ethnicity, and the dates when you see the doctor or nurse. No identifiable medical information is provided without your consent. In all cases, your privacy is protected by the medical ethics of confidentiality, the provisions of the Privacy Act 1993, and the Health Information Privacy Code 1994. We are aware of these privacy requirements and work within policies and procedures developed by the PHO to uphold them at all times. We value the confidentiality of your health information.
Appointments
A standard appointment is 15 minutes duration. This is to address one health concern. Please be considerate of other patients if you have two or more issues which may require more time. We encourage you to be aware and book for longer at reception. The fee is increased related to the professional time applied to.
We try to ensure that you are able to see your regular doctor as this maintains continuity of care. It is therefore best to plan ahead for regular appointments. If there is a significant delay and the issue needs to be addressed you may be offered an appointment with another doctor. Please tell the receptionist if your issue is pressing and she will offer you to speak to a nurse who may be able to help find a solution with you. Use your discretion as to how much information you give to reception but please provide sufficient to allow the nurse to determine how quickly she needs to call you.
If you have made an appointment which is no longer needed, please ring us at least 2 hours beforehand so that it can be made available for another patient. It’s preferred that patients don’t turn up without an appointment.
After Hours
This service is provided through City Doctors at 22 Victoria Avenue from 5.30pm to 8.30am weeknights and from 5.30pm Friday to 8.30am Monday. The doctors here are on rostered duties out of office hours.
Home Visits
If you need a doctor to call at your home, please phone early in the day if possible. It is not always possible due to the workload however please speak to a nurse.
Consultations and Emergencies:
We have a modern, well-equipped building with a range of treatment areas to deal with your accident or medical problem quickly and efficiently.
Maternity Care
Our doctors do not act as Lead Maternity Carers (LMC’s) but do provide early antenatal care and liaise with local midwives and obstetricians over ongoing care in pregnancy, labour and the postnatal period.
Immunisation
A full range of vaccinations are offered for children and adults. This includes routine childhood immunisations, pregnancy vaccines, whooping cough & tetanus boosters, flu injections and some travel vaccinations.
Surgical Procedures
Minor surgical procedures such as lesion removal are performed at the health centre. The lesion needs to be assessed prior to surgery. You should also make sure the whole skin is checked over dermatoscopically. Make sure you are aware of the higher fee associated with surgery.
Liquid Nitrogen treatment is available for warts and other skin conditions during our normal opening hours. This will involve an extra cost. Please feel free to ask for a quote.
Prescriptions
While it is convenient for patients to phone for prescriptions, we need to follow careful guidelines for safety and medico-legal reasons. You will need to be seen by the doctor at regular intervals. It is best if possible to talk to a practice nurse about your needs as this allows her to look in your file and check the request. If she is busy the receptionist may take the request or put you through to the ‘script line’ however the nurse will ring you back as necessary
We will not give prescriptions for new medicines without seeing you except in extreme circumstances. For regular medications we may require that you have your blood pressure checked if appropriate or if you have not been seen for some time we will require you to come in and have a consultation. If the nurse advises you that an appointment is necessary in order to get a repeat prescription, she is following clearly set out protocols designed to ensure the safe and responsible administration of medication. She is not just trying to create business ( we have enough to do :-) ) or make your life difficult. She does so in conjunction with your GP. If you are unsure how often you need to be seen in person with a doctor or nurse practitioner please discuss this with them.
You can request repeat prescriptions by telephone (‘script line’), or fax or in person or preferably via MyIndici the patient portal. Remember to include enough detail about the name and dose of the medicine, and provide contact details so that a nurse can contact you if needed. The doctors approve the prescriptions at the end of each day. We need 2 working days to process requests. (each doctor has at least one day a week when they are not in)
There are recent changes with prescriptions. Primarily the ability to email them directly to the pharmacy with a one-off scannable barcode, however restricted medications still require a physical signature. There is an extra charge for faxed prescriptions to allow for the extra administration, including the cost of posting the original copy of the prescription to the chemist.
Test results
You are entitled to your results. We are obliged to follow up abnormal results however it is always good to be aware that your tests were processed and the results were normal. If you don’t’ hear from us you are welcome to leave a message for us to get the results to you by phone message, letter or text message.
If you have a cell phone that you can receive a text message on please make sure you have given us your current number and advise us that you are happy to receive a message this way.
Nurse appointments
Our Practice Nurses have a wide range of skills including wound management, cervical smears, blood pressure monitoring, immunisations, injections, health education and promotion, liaison between health practitioners. Fees apply and materials used are charged for
Fees
Our schedule of fees is on display at reception. All fees are GST inclusive. You can pay by EFTPOS, cheque, cash, credit card or Internet banking. Payment is expected at the time of consultation, Should you have difficulty paying fees or settling an account, please discuss this with your doctor or the reception staff.
Additional charges are made for after hours consultations, home visits and call outs, as well as for all materials used.
Dealing with Difficulties
If you have a concern about the way you have been treated, or if you are unhappy with any of the services provided, you need to tell us as soon as possible. Please contact your doctor, the Practice Manager or outline your concerns in a letter to the practice. This will be addressed by assigned staff. You can be assured that issues will be tackled and any complaints dealt with promptly. You also have the right to use independent procedures. These are outlined in a pamphlet from the Health and Disability Commissioner available at the Centre, or on their website.
We would like to recommend to you a well-person health checks. These are designed to look at inherited, lifestyle and other personal health risks, so that measures can be taken to reduce these in the future. They are particularly aimed at those between the ages of 30 and 70 years who rarely need to see a doctor for unwellness.
The health check includes filling out a questionnaire, seeing your practice nurse, having tests done and following up with your doctor.
If you would like to have a well person check, please phone the reception desk to arrange a time.
For further health information, please visit “Useful Links” at the bottom of the Central Health website.
