Welcome to Mana Medical Centre
Mana Medical Centre
107 Mana Esplanade, Mana, Porirua 5026
Telephone: 04 233 8019 Fax: 04 233 8056
We hope that this brochure will help you to understand how this practice works. We would like to make it as easy as possible for you to see a doctor or nurse, so please tell us if there is anything you do not understand or think we should change.
Mana Medical Centre Doctors
Dr Vic Allcock
Dr Mike Lyons
Dr Maki Jagose
Dr Charlotte Dempster
Dr Vipul Patel
Dr Monika Vieregg
Dr Alice Zwart
Dr Caroline Armstrong
Making an appointment
Appointments are scheduled in 15 minute periods. If you have complex or multiple problems please consider it may not be possible to complete in one appointment. You may require a further appointment or double appointment (at a higher cost) which needs to be requested at the time of booking.
Our reception staff are on duty Monday to Thursday from 8am to 6pm and Friday 8am to 5pm. Please telephone and ask for an appointment when you need to see your doctor. We also have extended evening hours please ask our receptionist if you specifically require an early evening appointment.
In the event of an emergency, injury or severe illness a nurse will assess triage and treat until a GP or ambulance is available.
Prolonged appointment times are required for insurance and immigration medicals and for small surgery, please inform the receptionist if you are making an appointment for these.
Telephoning the centre
Our medical centre operates five lines for our telephone number (04 233 8019). We apologise if you have to wait for your call to be answered. If you calls urgent please keep phoning until you contact us.
Special services available at this practice
Family Planning:
Confidential advice and, where required, treatment is available to our patients. We offer advice on all aspects of fertility and contraception. Sexual health and contraception advice is free to people 23 years of age and under. A face to face consultation is required for this free service.
Maternity Care
Is no longer provided by our GP’s see our receptionist if you require a list of maternity care providers.
Travel Inoculations
Mana Medical Centre is a WHO registered Yellow Fever Centre. We offer a full range of travel vaccinations including Yellow Fever, JE, rabies, meningitis etc. Mike, Vic and Julie (our travel nurse) have formal qualifications in travel medicine. We encourage patients to plan early for vaccinations (at least 6 weeks before travel). Call the Practice Nurse for a pre travel assessment of requirements.
Surgical Procedures
We are equipped to handle minor general surgical procedures – for example, the removal of moles, or in grown toenails and fitting of IUCD’s. Usually the time required to carry out these procedures will mean booking a double appointment.
Procedures that requiring liquid nitrogen (to remove warts and other lesions) are undertaken every day.
Terminal Illness Care
Your doctor can discuss with you or your family about supporting patients at home. Your doctor will visit as required, and will assist the caring team of family friends and district nurses to make conditions as comfortable as possible for our patients. We work closely with the Hospices and palliative physicians when appropriate.
Home visits by your doctor
All of the doctors in this practice are available for home visits if you are unable to come to the Centre. Should you need a house call, please telephone the Centre before 10am so that your doctor can be advised. Note: urgent visits will be made at any time. The doctor may arrange for an ambulance to your house.
Repeat Prescriptions
Once you have had your initial consultation with your new GP here, repeat scripts can be requested by phoning the script line 233 5139 and will be ready after 2pm the next working day, There is a charge of $22.50 per script requested. Urgent scripts requested on the same day will be $25
Please also note that prescriptions for non regular medications cannot be supplied over the phone. Providing a repeat prescription is at the doctors’ discretion.
Practice Nurses
Our practice nurses are fully trained to deal initially with medical enquiries and advice, assessments of minor medical problems, blood pressure checks, cervical smears and follow up of conditions such as asthma, diabetes and obesity. They also arrange for all the immunisations.
Our practice nurses run our “care plus” programme where they work with you and your doctor (in the case of people with multiple chronic illnesses) to achieve your aims in maintaining good health within the confines of the illness. They provide this through monitoring and assessment along with your involvement, in a timely, effective and efficient process. Please ask the nurses or your doctor about “care plus”.
Telephone Advice
Our Practice Nurses will handle routine advice and answer general enquiries. If required a message can be left with the nurse or receptionist and the doctor will call back as soon as possible. A message can also be left with reception.
Joining and Leaving the Practice
Under the Privacy Act, we must obtain any request for transfer of case notes in writing. Please obtain a form from the receptionist for this purpose. Please note anyone over the age of 16 years is required to sign their own transfer form.
Our Computer
Mana Medical Centre runs computerised appointment, accounting and clinical records systems. Our aim is to strive for efficiency and to provide our patients with the most up-to-date services and facilities possible. All computerised information remains confidential to the practice staff and yourself, and is not able to be accessed by any outside agency.
Recall Service
Preventing ill health is an established goal of modern General Practise. There are several ways of helping to prevent disease in our lives. Some of the more obvious ways are: to stop smoking and to cut down on alcohol. We should all try to reduce stress in our lives. Sometimes we can over look some aspects of disease prevention. The centre has a computer programme, which allows us to automatically send out reminders for the following check-ups:
Immunisations
You will be notified if the various immunisations listed are overdue. If you need more information please talk to the practice nurse.
Cervical Smears
Smears are recommended for all women who are or have been sexually active. Smear tests should be taken routinely up to the age of 70 years. Advice about if and when a smear should be taken can be obtained by telephoning your practice nurse.
Mammography:
Mammograms are recommended for all women ages 45-70. A letter will be sent out when women turn 45 years old inviting them to enrol with Breast Screening Aotearoa, a free breast screening service. If you have any concerns or family history of breast cancer please contact your GP.
Particular Diagnosis:
This is an important service for those who require regular screening for a particular disease. For example, those who suffer from hypertension, diabetes, asthma, vitamin B12 deficiency, thyroid disorders or people who are on epileptic medication. Naturally other specific diseases are also included in our recall programme.
Payment of Fees
Your health is more important than money, and we would be very concerned if any patient deferred medical treatment. Payment options include Cash, Cheque, EFTPOS, Credit Cards and Automatic Payments Spread over time.
We prefer that you settle your account at reception following your appointment, but if necessary we can post an account to you. Any amount outstanding at the end of the month has an administration charge of $5.00 added to it, Credit extending beyond this must be arranged with your doctor or the Practice Manager. Outstanding debts of 90 days and over will have additional debt collection fees added to them.
Consultation fees are made up of a charge to you and a government subsidy. In the case of an accident related consultation, ACC covers this subsidy and you pay the part charge. Some consultations are completely covered by a government subsidy and there is no charge to you e.g. childhood immunisations and under the age of 25 sexual health consultations.
Some consultations are free to you because we deem them important and want no barriers to attendance and so have forgone charging a fee e.g. 6 week-old baby check, 5 year-old childhood checks.
Certain medical exams are dictated by an outside agency and receive no government subsidy e.g. Driving Exam (LTSA), Immigration medicals (Immigration NZ), Insurance medicals (Insurance agency), surgical procedures, use of liquid nitrogen (which has to be bought in).
Service
We strive to give you the best possible health care services, however, if you are unhappy about out service, or feel there are things we could do to improve it, we welcome your suggestions, however, if you are unhappy about our service, however, if you are unhappy about our service or feel there are things we could do to improve it we welcome your suggestions, Please do not hesitate to contact the Practice Manager.
What to do when the centre is closed
In a medical emergency dial 111 and ask for ambulance service
Healthline 0800 611 116
Kenepuru Accident and Medical 24hr service on (04) 918 2300, Kenepuru Hospital, Rahia Street, Porirua
Urgent Pharmacy
Located in Kenepuru Hospital Emergency Department
Hospitals
Kenepuru Hospital, Rahia Street, Porirua – Telephone: (04) 385 5999
Wellington Hospital, Riddiford Street, Newtown – Telephone: (04) 385 5999