Our reception staff will take appointments from 8.00 am to 5.30 pm Monday to Friday. When phoning please tell the receptionist which doctor you would like to see and what, in general terms, you wish to see the doctor for (e.g. a medical problem, a maternity checkup, a life insurance medical). This allows longer appointments to be made where necessary.

If your visit is for one of our practice nurse services (e.g. ECG, INR, blood pressure check, dressing change) you do not need an appointment. If possible we advise that you avoid visiting at lunch time or end of the day to avoid times when less staff are available and delays may occur.

When arriving for your appointment please contact the reception staff who will give you a slip to take in to your doctor and who will assist you with any necessary forms.

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We are always striving to reduce your waiting time but sometimes delays are unavoidable. We encourage patients to phone the surgery before they come for their appointment so we can advise them of any delays. Our staff will also try to advise you of your expected wait. If you have waited more than half an hour and have not been called please inform the receptionist.

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This practice is happy to accept any new patients. Our reception staff can advise you which doctor in the practice best suits your needs.

Registering with this practice allows us to offer you better health care with services such as immunisation and smear recalls along with educational clinics for asthma and diabetes. It will also give you access to reduced consultation fees for standard consultations at this practice between 8:00am and 5:30pm weekdays (see FEES above)

When transferring from another practice we encourage you to transfer your old records. It is not compulsory to do so but it may assist your doctor to know your history. Our reception staff will provide you with the appropriate form if you wish to do so.

Registration with this practice or a particular doctor does not affect your right to see other doctors (see below).

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Doctors like to check all repeat prescriptions to ensure your treatment is correct. Please allow us time to do so. Telephone our reception staff or click here with your prescription details a full working day before you need the prescription. A charge of $10.00 is levied for this service.

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Referrals to other doctors, hospitals and Paramedical Health Services are part of general practice. The referral is usually done in co-operation with you.

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Generally an appointment is helpful to discuss your relative with your doctor. Medical ethics do not allow us to discuss a patient without their permission.

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You are free to see other doctors either within or outside the practice. If you see a doctor at another practice you are simply termed a casual patient. Please note that you may have to pay increased fees as that practice does not receive the PHO funding for you that your own practice does. This does not apply if you see a different doctor within our practice.

If you want to change practices you simply need to fill out a registration form at your new practice.

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In order to obtain a government subsidy to help cover the costs of providing you with medical services, we are required to send information to government funding agencies and insurance companies (e.g. Accident Compensation Corporation, Health Funding Authority) in order to justify the claim. The information provided is your name, address, date of birth, NHI number and date of consultation. Some claims will also include immunisation data, maternity information during pregnancy and diagnosis for ACC claims. Your personal information is not included.

Details of your gender, ethnicity and New Zealand resident status are also provided to the ministry of Health for funding purposes. When you enrol, the PHO will use the information collected from you to build an enrolment register.This register is sent to the Ministry of Health where your information will remain confidential. This information is also forwarded to Pinnacle, our Independant Practitioners Association (IPA) for administration purposes.

The provisions of the Privacy Act 1993, the Health Information Privacy Code 1994 and medical ethics of confidentiality protect your privacy. We are aware of these privacy requirements and endeavour to uphold them at all times.

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All the General Practitioners in the Taupo, Turangi and Mangakino areas are joined together to form a Primary Health
Organisation (PHO). The Lake Taupo PHO is contracted to provide primary health services for these areas and are the
source of much of our patient funding.

This code was prepared by the Privacy Commissioner to better ensure the protection of individual privacy in the health sector. The code is enforceable by law. To find out more information about the code click here, or contact the Privacy Commissioner, PO Box 466, Auckland and ask for a copy of the Health Information Privacy Code Fact sheets or see the brochures available in our waiting room.

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NHI stands for National Health Index. Each patient is given a unique lifelong number by the National Health Information Service which allows the collection of anonymous health information. It has been used by hospitals for some time and allows the Health Funding Authority to track the use of health services without being able to identify individuals. This is extremely important for future planning of health services.

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This practice is being asked by the Health Funding Authority to collect data on the ethnicity of all of its patients, so that the health needs of different ethnic groups can be more effectively addressed. All of the data provided will be treated as confidential and is protected under the Privacy Act 1993

Whilst the staff are required to ask you for this information, you do not have to provide it if you do not want to.

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Several insurance companies offer cover for medical and allied expenses. The terms and conditions vary widely. Due to the ongoing increase in costs of medical care we advise our patients to take out medical cover, especially those with families with two or more young children or those over the age of 50.

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We encourage your feedback, both positive and negative. Your ideas and criticisms help us to improve the service we offer to you and other patients. Our staff are happy to field any questions or comments you may have.

For account enquiries please contact Dru and for more serious matters please see our Practice Manager.

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