How do I make an appointment?
To make an appointment, please go online at ManageMyHealth or contact us on our phone number during office hours. Please be aware that our peak phone hours are between 0830 and 1000 and our lunchbreak is between 1200 - 1230 - and your call may not be answered on time. Once you are enrolled, you are eligible to register for our online patient portal which would allow you to book online, which makes it much easier.
what are the charges?
Due to restrictions in primary health care funding, we are unable to provide Very Low Cost Access fee. However, we are committed to provide affordable and high-quality care. Children under the age of 14 would be seen free of charge. Individuals with community services card may be eligible for discounted fees based on increased government funding.
Please note that the government funding only applies to a standard 10-15 minute GP consultation, after one is fully funded. It takes about 1-3 months for the Ministry of Health to process the enrolment until one is fully funded.
The standard capitated fee does not include casual patients, international travellers, phone prescriptions, phone consults, extended consults, pre-employment or driver's license checks, travel medicine, diver's medical, immigration, minor surgeries etc.
Please note that the government funding only applies to a standard 10-15 minute GP consultation, after one is fully funded. It takes about 1-3 months for the Ministry of Health to process the enrolment until one is fully funded.
The standard capitated fee does not include casual patients, international travellers, phone prescriptions, phone consults, extended consults, pre-employment or driver's license checks, travel medicine, diver's medical, immigration, minor surgeries etc.
can I visit as a casual patient?
Of course you can! We believe in people maintaining ongoing relationship with their regular GP for continuity of care, but if for any reason that is not possible we are happy to see you on a casual basis.
HOW DO I ENROL?
Please download your enrolment form and bring it with you together with your ID (passport or birth certificate) for your first visit
WHAT ARE YOUR OPENING HOURS?
We will be open from 8.30am to 5.00pm. After hours care is provided by Franklin Urgent Care and Counties Urgent Care
are there any financial assistance access to access care?
Pokeno Family Health is part of Procare Primary Health Organisation and Counties Manukau DHB. In certain circumstances, we can help apply for assistance to discount some medical treatments, special authority medications, investigations as well as subsidised Psychology clinics.
Some patients also access financial and non-financial help from Work and Income New Zealand, ACC as well as Housing New Zealand. We are more than happy to explain and help you navigate through the various agencies if required.
Some patients also access financial and non-financial help from Work and Income New Zealand, ACC as well as Housing New Zealand. We are more than happy to explain and help you navigate through the various agencies if required.
Why can't I see the same doctor all the time when I want to?
General Practice has changed from the old days when you had 1 doctor working alone looking after your whole family, with a nurse who is also the cleaner, manager, receptionist. Today's General Practice consists of a much larger team of doctors, nurses, medical administrators, allied health professionals, counsellors, social workers etc. Medical centres comes in various shapes and forms, so you will see varying degree of practices.
The GP workforce in New Zealand has also changed with more doctors working part-time, sometimes at multiple practices. Like you and I, more GPs taking more time off for personal and professional development reasons. Younger GPs also move from one place to another for family and career reasons. We are also more supportive to women GPs balancing their career and family life.
Due to decades of underfunding in General Practice, there is also a nationwide shortage of GPs therefore we work as team rather than in silos. Therefore it is not always possible to offer you with an appointment with the doctor of your choice.
The benefits of a team approach is documented in some studies. In a team approach, you often get a different opinion or new perspective on your problems. Doctors in our practice meet and discuss cases regularly in our peer review to get a fresh perspective on your best care. We share medical records so that it is available when required
The GP workforce in New Zealand has also changed with more doctors working part-time, sometimes at multiple practices. Like you and I, more GPs taking more time off for personal and professional development reasons. Younger GPs also move from one place to another for family and career reasons. We are also more supportive to women GPs balancing their career and family life.
Due to decades of underfunding in General Practice, there is also a nationwide shortage of GPs therefore we work as team rather than in silos. Therefore it is not always possible to offer you with an appointment with the doctor of your choice.
The benefits of a team approach is documented in some studies. In a team approach, you often get a different opinion or new perspective on your problems. Doctors in our practice meet and discuss cases regularly in our peer review to get a fresh perspective on your best care. We share medical records so that it is available when required
why are you not on time?
We appreciate that your time is important and so is ours, and we recognise the frustration of being kept waiting. We try our best to keep on time. Not all doctors are made the same (as we are all humans), some would take more time consulting than others and inadvertently may run the risk of being late for your appointment. Medical and mental health crises may take more time. Arriving late may also cause delays to others. Staff sickness also cause delays as we will be less efficient.
In the ideal world, the doctor will have all the time available for every patient but unfortunately this is not the case. If the GP only see one patient per hour, the consultation cost will have to be quadrupled and therefore have to be passed on to the patient.
Therefore, a 10 to 15-minute appointment strikes the balance between the cost and the length required to sufficiently address 1-2 presenting complaints. If you think that you may have a complex medical issue such as headaches, dizziness, gynaecological concerns, assessment of dementia, chronic unresolved medical problem - please let us know and book a double appointment.
In the ideal world, the doctor will have all the time available for every patient but unfortunately this is not the case. If the GP only see one patient per hour, the consultation cost will have to be quadrupled and therefore have to be passed on to the patient.
Therefore, a 10 to 15-minute appointment strikes the balance between the cost and the length required to sufficiently address 1-2 presenting complaints. If you think that you may have a complex medical issue such as headaches, dizziness, gynaecological concerns, assessment of dementia, chronic unresolved medical problem - please let us know and book a double appointment.
WHAT ARE THE PRACTICE POLICIES?
1) Our receptionists work very hard to answer all phone calls. Please give them a break by booking and requesting prescriptions online whenever possible.
2) If you are making an appointment for your child, please mention this to the receptionist or online clearly. This is because we need to plan our workflow correctly and wrong patient information will cause more stress on our workflow.
3) Please do not ask to be seen unplanned when your family members are seen, as this will affect the person waiting to be seen next. As much as you don’t like delays, the person after you would feel similarly.
4) Please stick with the 15 minute slot unless you have prebooked for an extended 30 minute consult. In 15 minutes, we can only deal with 1-2 issues. If more issues are raised, you may be charged for extended consult.
4) Please be aware that phone requests do have a 24-48 hour turnaround time. In winter peak season, we are not always able to respond to your requests immediately. If you need immediate attention, please make appointment for a face to face consult.
5) Please inform us once you arrive. If you are waiting more than 15 minutes to be seen, please inform our reception immediately so that we can deal with this. Our reception team can be bogged by many phone calls and paperwork, that they may sometimes not be aware of your wait.
6) Referral to specialists do take up more time and most practices have a charge for referrals. Please make the appointment with the specialist of your choice and we can send through the referral letters. If you have questions on the results of test, please call the specialist directly.
7) Some special prescriptions cannot be repeated over the phone and would require face to face consult. Please be aware that as part of our professional responsibility, we need to prescribe and dispense medications responsibly. therefore sometimes your request would be declined. Class A restricted medications would require more time and regular consultation to make sure that it is prescribed safely.
2) If you are making an appointment for your child, please mention this to the receptionist or online clearly. This is because we need to plan our workflow correctly and wrong patient information will cause more stress on our workflow.
3) Please do not ask to be seen unplanned when your family members are seen, as this will affect the person waiting to be seen next. As much as you don’t like delays, the person after you would feel similarly.
4) Please stick with the 15 minute slot unless you have prebooked for an extended 30 minute consult. In 15 minutes, we can only deal with 1-2 issues. If more issues are raised, you may be charged for extended consult.
4) Please be aware that phone requests do have a 24-48 hour turnaround time. In winter peak season, we are not always able to respond to your requests immediately. If you need immediate attention, please make appointment for a face to face consult.
5) Please inform us once you arrive. If you are waiting more than 15 minutes to be seen, please inform our reception immediately so that we can deal with this. Our reception team can be bogged by many phone calls and paperwork, that they may sometimes not be aware of your wait.
6) Referral to specialists do take up more time and most practices have a charge for referrals. Please make the appointment with the specialist of your choice and we can send through the referral letters. If you have questions on the results of test, please call the specialist directly.
7) Some special prescriptions cannot be repeated over the phone and would require face to face consult. Please be aware that as part of our professional responsibility, we need to prescribe and dispense medications responsibly. therefore sometimes your request would be declined. Class A restricted medications would require more time and regular consultation to make sure that it is prescribed safely.
Why am I not seen if I walk-in unplanned to see the Doctor or Nurse in the afternoon?
At Pokeno Family Health, we have an Urgent Care walk-in clinic from 8.30am-12.00pm Monday to Friday with a dedicated extra doctor to deal with overflow and unplanned health needs. This service is only run for 3.5 hours as it is an additional special service that we provide to the community. The 2nd doctor leaves the premises at lunchtime. [Because of Covid-19, this service is no longer available in order the observe social distancing in our waiting room].
Please be aware that in New Zealand, many traditional GP practices do not have a walk-in service and the discretion to accept a walk-in is up to the team on the day. If you have an urgent health need in the afternoon, the remaining doctor and nurse may not be able to fully accommodate your requests as we are usually fully booked in the afternoon.
In order to give dedicated and uninterrupted time to deal with them, the doctor or nurse have the discretion to refer you on to our closest walk-in clinics at Franklin Urgent Care or Counties Care Papakura that you can still access care until evening 10pm.
For immediate life-threatening emergency, please call 111.
If you need urgent medical advice please call Healthline.
Non-urgent medical advice can be requested through our receptionist, and we will contact you back by the end of the day.
Please be aware that in New Zealand, many traditional GP practices do not have a walk-in service and the discretion to accept a walk-in is up to the team on the day. If you have an urgent health need in the afternoon, the remaining doctor and nurse may not be able to fully accommodate your requests as we are usually fully booked in the afternoon.
In order to give dedicated and uninterrupted time to deal with them, the doctor or nurse have the discretion to refer you on to our closest walk-in clinics at Franklin Urgent Care or Counties Care Papakura that you can still access care until evening 10pm.
For immediate life-threatening emergency, please call 111.
If you need urgent medical advice please call Healthline.
Non-urgent medical advice can be requested through our receptionist, and we will contact you back by the end of the day.
do I have to pay to enrol?
There is no enrolment fee. However, all first appointments will require double appointments / extended consult which means that you will be charged for a longer consultation so that we can sort out your paperwork, make sure that we spend sufficient time dealing with all your health issues and get to know you as a new patient.
YOUR HEALTH CENTRE SERVING POKENO, TUAKAU & TE KAUWHATA
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HoursMon - Fri: 8.30am - 5.00pm
Weekend Clinic in Takanini Surgery After-Hours Care provided by Franklin Urgent Care & Counties Care Papakura |
Telephone
09 558 1294
Peak hours between 0830 - 1000. Receptionist lunchbreak at 1200-1230 |
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FEEDBACK, SUGGESTION, COMPLAINTS
Please email [email protected] and we will try to respond as soon as possible |