Additional Information

Below is addiitonal informationthat may be of interest to you.

General Information

FAQ's and Information below:

What is the Acute Care offered by KHC

Kauri HealthCare has an acute clinic available for our patients during our opening hours.

It is a very high quality purpose built facility providing a caring environment for you.

This service is an acute service and is for one problem – it’s not for medical certificates or multiple problems.

The acute clinic is integrated into the general practice. All patients will be able to use it as a “walk-in” service if they feel that their medical or accident need is urgent and they cannot wait for their usual doctor.

We may refer you to another service within Kauri HealthCare once we have assessed you and given any treatment for your acute problem, to manage any ongoing health issues and reduce the chance of further urgent problems. Your usual records will be easily accessible from the centre and so your own doctor will very soon know of the concern about your urgent health.

This facility will be staffed by our own general practitioners and nurses on rotation, so that you will soon get to know us all.

We are now able to provide urgent care in our practice for some conditions that previously required admission to hospital. It is expected that most accidents and medical emergencies can be cared for within the centre.

This includes treating many infections, dehydration and other conditions.

So, if you are unwell and considering going to ED, call us first.

STILL CALL 111 if you have chest pain, difficulty breathing or other emergency symptoms.

The ambulance officers know what we can deal with so will direct you to us, if appropriate.

What is Asthma

Asthma is often under-treated. It is possible to live with asthma and not realise that it could be better, with fewer asthma symptoms, fewer limitations on your activity, and lower risk of long term lung damage, which we now know can result from under-treated asthma.

All people with asthma should have a regular personal Asthma Check.

This helps us give you best quality care, and helps you to be fully in control of your asthma.

An Asthma Check looks at symptoms, effect on your life, and future proofing your lungs.

Most people who attend these Checks find some change that improves their asthma and their general well being.

Our aim is to keep you well!

If you have not had an Asthma Check in the past 12 months,
Please call for an Asthma Check appointment. You will see a nurse who is trained to do this. Expect this to take 30 minutes.
Please fill in the Asthma Control Test (ACT), and bring this with you to the appointment.

We look forward to seeing you

Diabetes

Pre-Diabetes Care

At Kauri HealthCare we want to keep you well and prevent the onset of long term health conditions that will impact on your quality of life. We do routinely screen for diabetes and pre-diabetes by a simple blood test that tells us what your average blood sugar levels have been. This helps us to identify whether you are “ pre-diabetic” which means your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes is increased .

With education and lifestyle you can make a positive change.

We would like to offer you education about this and how to reduce your risk. We run group sessions and for an increased cost offer one on one consultations with a long term condition nurse.

The group session is 1 hour long and covers:-
What is pre-diabetes?

How can you manage this?
How can you reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes?

We have been running the group sessions for nearly five years.

The cost for an educational group session is $10, or an individualised session is $35

If you have any queries, please contact Kauri HealthCare to discuss these.

Health Heart Checks

Your long-term health and well-being are important to us at Kauri HealthCare.

Heart disease, also known as ‘Cardiovascular disease’ (CVD) is the leading cause of death in New Zealand. Latest mortality statistics show that 45% of female deaths and 43% of male deaths in 2008 were caused by CVD. Many cardiovascular related deaths are preventable, through healthy lifestyle choices and treatment options.

The main benefit of assessing and recording your CVD risk is to support you in making healthy lifestyle choices and offer you appropriate treatment options to reduce or control your personal risk factors and aim to keep you well.

How healthy is your heart? Will your heart remain healthy as you age?

We invite you, as a valued patient, to book an appointment with our practice nurses to have a Heart Health check done. We will gather information such as your most recent cholesterol and diabetes blood tests, recent blood pressure reading, whether you smoke or not and if you have a family history of CVD – that is someone closely related to you who was younger than 60 years old when they had a stroke or heart attack.

Call for an appointment if you have not already had a heart health check done and you are:

Male and of Maori, Pacific or Indo- Asian descent and age 35 or over
Other males and age 45 or over
Female and of Maori, Pacific or Indo- Asian descent and age 45 or over
Other female and age 55 or over
People with a strong family history should start 10 years earlier, since we know these people start with a higher risk level.

There are important healthy lifestyle choices you can make to minimise your risk. Our nurses are trained to discuss these and offer options that you will find helpful. If we are concerned about your risk factors we will refer you to your Doctor or Nurse Practitioner.

Call now and tell our telephonist that you want an appointment for your Heart Health Check.

Health of the Older Persons Team (HOT)

This is a team of healthcare professionals who are focused on the care and support of our older, more vulnerable patients.

They include Dr Willis, one of our Kauri GP’s, a geriatrician, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, nurse specialists and social worker.

The team has specialist skills in assessing and treating conditions that are common in older people such as frailty, falls, dementia and the side effects of medication.

They look at ways to help our older patients live well and independently. They work with our GPs and registered nurses to ensure your medical treatment is tailored to your needs, and will visit you in your home so that they can give you support where you live.

Immunisation / Vaccinations

Immunisation is the process of priming your immune system against various diseases.

Our nurses are very experienced in discussing and administering immunisations.

All childhood vaccinations are free of charge.

Adults should have received a primary series of vaccines against tetanus and diphtheria.

Boosters are recommended at 45 and 65 years of age.

A yearly Influenza vaccine is strongly recommended and is free for all people with chronic medical conditions, e.g. diabetes, asthma requiring preventer inhalers, heart disease, renal or immune problems. The influenza vaccine is free if you are over 65 years and is available for a charge to all others. Influenza is a nasty illness, so consider the vaccine even if you have no chronic health condition.

All childhood routine vaccinations in the National Immunisation Schedule are carried out by the Practice Nurses. An appointment with the nurse is required. All children are automatically put on an immunisation recall system. It is necessary to wait in the Centre twenty minutes post vaccination.

There are other vaccinations that we recommend across the lifespan and are able to give you such as the shingles vaccine, pneumococcal vaccine and a meningitis vaccine.

See the Immune Advisory Centre website www.immune.org.nz for more information, or ask your practice nurse. Please note this group of vaccines is not funded

Long Term Conditions Team

At Kauri HealthCare we have a specialist nursing team and their role is to provide:

Patient centered individualised care to patients with long term conditions enrolled within Kauri HealthCare.
Clinical expertise and leadership that ensures services to clients with LTC are provided in the most effective and efficient way.
Management within a team environment for patients with complex long term conditions which may include-
- Insulin commencement and titration
- Asthma and COPD action plan
- Hypertension management
- Travel plans for Diabetes Mellitus
- Steroid and procedure plan for patients with Diabetes Mellitus
- Prediabetes education and follow-up
- Weight management support
Case management including comprehensive health assessment and development of holistic patient plans.
Self-management support including Stanford living a healthy life program.

This role requires an advanced skill level, and theoretical knowledge in the area of long term conditions. Our LTC nurses have extensive post graduate experience and training.

Each pod will have a Long Term Conditions nurse allocated to it as we recognise this is our patients health home.

Minor Surgery / Skin Cancers

We offer a range of minor surgical procedures under local anaesthetic for removal of many skin lesions. Most doctors now agree that a full skin examination is a necessary part of a general check up and we can do this in the centre. We have doctors trained in ‘dermoscopy’ to aid in the diagnosis of skin lesions.

We can usually remove:

Skin cancers of various types, including malignant melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma
Skin tags
Skin cysts and abscesses
Moles
Some lipomas (fatty lumps)
Excision of ingrown toenails
Foreign bodies in the skin

The surgery will be performed by our doctors in our specially designed minor surgery room.

Some doctors have had extra training and are able to remove more complicated lesions.

Sometimes a skin lesion will be of uncertain diagnosis and will require an initial biopsy in order to confirm the diagnosis. Treatment can then be planned according to the pathological findings.

Cost of these procedures will vary and will be discussed with your doctor at the outset.

We also provide liquid nitrogen treatment to freeze off warts, veruccae and sexually transmitted warts.

Osteoporosis

The density, quality and strength of our bones diminish as we age. This leads to weakness in the bone and they are liable to fracture, often after minimal trauma or even just spontaneously.

Osteoporosis itself is not painful, but pain can result from the fracture and be debilitating or lead to hospital admission, for instance, for surgery if it is a hip that breaks.

Osteoporosis is a very common condition. It affects women more than men, and for women the loss of bone density accelerates after menopause.

There are several specific medical conditions that can cause osteoporosis, as well as some medications. Your doctor will screen for these and advise you accordingly.

The best strategies for maximising bone density is to exercise regularly, maintain a healthy body weight, especially avoiding being underweight, ensure a good intake of calcium in your diet throughout life, and a good vitamin D intake or safe sun exposure. For women particularly, a good calcium intake from early adulthood is the best insurance for satisfactory bone density in later years.

Prescribed calcium supplements are no longer generally recommended due to increased heart side-effects associated with their use. Twenty minutes of sun exposure a day will maintain good vitamin D levels.

Osteoporosis once diagnosed can be treated. One such treatment is an intra-venous

injection of Aclasta, which may only need to be given once every 12 to 18 months.

A fully trained nurse will manage your intravenous Aclasta infusion to improve your bone health.

Quit Smoking

If you are having trouble kicking the habit and want to save thousands of dollars a year, there is help!

Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health and that of your family.

Smoking is addictive, and can be very difficult to stop despite knowing you ought to stop.

A discussion with one of our nurses or your doctor may be the first step in quitting. Come and see one of our specially trained nurses who will guide and support you though a stop smoking programme.

Quitline — ph 0800 778 778 will help and support you with your plan, and nicotine replacement products are readily via Quitline or via our practice nurses.

It is very important to have strategies in place to deal with those situations where you are tempted to light up again.

If the support programmes are not successful, your doctor can recommend other medications to assist, as part of an ongoing Quit Smoking support programme.

There are special programmes for expectant mothers who smoke, or women planning on becoming pregnant. These are also available through our practice nurses and our quit smoking coach . Pregnancy related complications occur more frequently in women who smoke.

Adults who smoke in a household with young babies and children increases the risk for the child having breathing problems, chest infections and asthma and also an increased risk of cot death.

Remember, if this is the first time you’ve considered stopping smoking or if you have tried to stop before and want to try again, we want to help you!

Sleep Clinic

Our Sleep Clinic started 6 years ago, initially as a part time clinic, and in 2015 became a full-time service due to increase in demand.

You will see a Sleep Specialist nurse, either Shirley or Susan, who are both passionate about helping people with their sleep issues.

We see people with Insomnia and other sleep disorders, from our own registered patients to people outside Kauri HealthCare with sleep disorders.

Ideally we prefer a referral from your own Doctor or nurse but if this is not possible we accept self-referrals.

Appointments are available:

Mondays from 8:00am – 4:30pm
Tuesdays 8:30am to 5:30pm
Wednesdays and Thursdays 8:30am – 5:00 pm

Help is provided for people with varying sleep disorders from

Paediatric sleep problems – from babies to teenagers
Primary insomnia
Chronic insomnia
Snoring
Shift work disorders
Restless legs
Jet-lag or disturbed sleep following overseas travel
A racing or busy mind at night
Difficulty falling and staying asleep, waking throughout the night, or waking too early
Waking tired and unrefreshed
Daytime fatigue from poor sleep
Sleeping at the wrong times of day so unable to sleep at night
Help to stop sleep medications
Long Term conditions team
Circadian rhythm disorders
Parasomnias
As well as identifying patients with possible sleep apnoea

As this is a private specialist service there is a cost.

The 1st appointment usually takes 1 hour – a sleep history is obtained and sleep diary is given for the client to complete.
The 2nd appointment, which generally takes up to 30 minutes, is where information from your sleep diary is discussed and a treatment plan is commenced. Further appointments may be required but this depends on your progress.

We give comprehensive follow-up by phone or email or both depending on your preference.

This support goes on for some time based on individual needs and how fast your sleep disorder is resolved.

To date we have had a good success rate.

Comments include:

“My sleep has returned to how it was before I had this sleep problem and now I sleep better than the rest of the family “

“My body had forgotten how to sleep and Jan has helped me to sleep normally after 30 years of poor sleep”

“MENTORING SUPPORT AND REGULAR CONTACT THROUGHOUT BY JAN HAS BEEN A KEY SUCCESS FACTOR”

“THIS PROGRAMME DOES NOT INCLUDE STRONG MEDICATION AND CAN BE COMPLETED WITH NONE”

Before

“My well-being was compromised by lack of sleep & stress. I was often awake for over 1 hour before falling asleep, had very broken and light sleep & used radio as background blocker to help me relax in bed. Typically I was tired through the day & often caught up by napping. I put this down to stress & a symptom of aging.”

After

“I am amazed that the impact has been so huge& I thank you for that.”

Women's Health

Our care provides full well women checks including cervical smears, breast examination, discreet sexually transmitted disease care, contraceptive needs and full screening checks for general health and cardiovascular risk.

Screening for Breast Cancer

We recommend all woman enroll with Breastscreen Aotearoa, this is a free mammogram service for woman from the age of 45 through to age 69. It is recommended that you have mammograms every 2 years.

We provide advice on factors that affect a women’s risk of breast cancer and how to lower your risk. You can have a clinical breast examination with your Doctor or Nurse Practitioner. If you have had breast cancer or have a family history of breast cancer please speak with your Nurse or Doctor regarding the best plan for you.

Violence Against Women

Violence and abuse can affect women from all backgrounds resulting in physical harm and emotional distress. Your doctor and practice nurses are here to help you. If you feel unsafe at home or elsewhere, tell us.

Contraception and Sterilisation

We provide advice and ongoing support and monitoring for all types of contraception including: oral contraception, injectable depo contraception, contraception implants and IUCDs. We have doctors skilled in inserting mirenas and jadelles. Please make an appointment with your Doctor or Nurse Practitioner to discuss which option is best for you.

Cervical Screening

Presently screening for cervical cancer is recommended for all women who have ever been sexually active, starting at the age of 20 and finishing at the age of 69 years.

Cervical smears are available from our doctors and practice nurses. We would encourage you to be part of our cervical smear recall system to assist you in having your smears regularly. We are soon to introduce a cervical smear Clinic from 7:00 am – 8:00 am for women who cannot come during usual office hours. The best time to have your smear done is mid-cycle but any time when you are not bleeding is acceptable.

Your Health Starts Here

Flexible appointments and urgent care.

Or call — 06 357 4424

To improve quality of life by providing sustainable, compassionate, comprehensive, health care services is our mission

Same Day Appointments may be Available.

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06 357 4424

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admin@kaurihealthcare.nz

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619 Featherston Street, Palmerston North

Book an Appointment Today!