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
• Childhood immunisation programme
• 45 year old vaccinations
• Adult flu vaccine
• Child 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
• Workplace flu vaccinations
• Shingles vaccine

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.

Your GP's surgery 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. GPs are at the centre of the healthcare hub and will be aware of services and expertise that are available locally and further-a-field. GPs 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.

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.

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 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.

• Bowel screening
• Cervical screening
• Prostate check
• Diabetes screening
• Throat swab for rheumatic fever prevention

Applicants for New Zealand visas may be required to provide medical and chest x-ray certificates to demonstrate an acceptable standard of health. Immigration New Zealand uses eMedical, an online platform for processing immigration health examinations. The examining doctor records the applicant’s health examination results in eMedical then electronically submits them to Immigration New Zealand where they are associated with the applicant’s visa application once it is submitted. Only doctors who have been approved by Immigration NZ are able to conduct the medical examinations. The immigration officer who assesses the applicant’s visa application will determine whether they have an acceptable standard of health. Visa applicants requiring an immigration medical examination must make an appointment with an eMedical enabled clinic on Immigration New Zealand’s approved list.

Minor surgery is commonly provided in primary care 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.

A patient portal is a secure online tool provided by GP practices that can allow convenient access to your health information as well as interaction with the practice e.g. booking appointments and requesting repeat prescriptions.

Each GP surgery or primary care practice will have its own procedure for repeat prescribing but the following rules are common to most, if not all. Patients who are well-known to the practice who have a stable condition like asthma, hypertension or diabetes could be allowed to get a repeat prescription for up to six months. Repeat prescriptions are never given to patients who are not known to the practice and there is probably a blanket ban on repeats for narcotics and other drugs that could be misused as doctors are expected to monitor these drugs carefully.

• In person consultation preferred, but virtual consultation provided as required
• Phone consultations
• Telehealth consultations for enrolled patients only

A virtual consultation is a way of having an appointment with your healthcare provider, but not in person. This is usually done via a video app or a phone call. For more detailed information about telehealth consultations, please see the guide from Healthify.

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.

This service offers support to people who are overweight or obese to reach and maintain a healthy weight. Weight loss approaches may involve diet and lifestyle changes or weight loss medications, or both may be offered.

Primary care 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.