Pihanga Health

General information

Appointments
Please ring 07 384 7576 or email manager@pihanga.co.nz for an appointment. Every effort will be made to accommodate your preferred time. Emergencies will always be given priority and our reception staff will attempt to contact you if there is any unforeseen delay or your GP has been called away. Longer consultation times are available, so please ask our receptionist if you require some extra time. If you or a family member requires an interpreter service, we can organise this for you. Please let us know this when you make the appointment. If you arrive without an appointment, you may be asked to return at a more suitable time, unless you have an urgent problem.

After Hours Care Arrangements
This practice provides after hours care via a triage system. If you think you need to see a Doctor after hours, phone the normal practice phone number and your call will be diverted to a triage service where you will be spoken to by a nurse who will assess your need to be seen by a Doctor. If she/he thinks you do need to be seen you will be directed to the Duty Doctor on call in Taupo. After 10pm, you will be asked to phone Taupo Hospital.

Home Visits and Telephone Access
Home visits are available for regular patients whose condition prevents them from attending the surgery. GPs in the practice may be contacted during normal surgery hours. Your call will be put through to a Nurse who will assess your need for a home visit. She will discuss this with a Doctor. You will be contacted with an approximate time of the visit. Your call will always be put through to the GP or Nurse in an emergency.

Test Results
The Doctor may request that you have some clinical investigations done either routinely or to assist in diagnosis. The results usually take up to 5 working days to come in. We do not routinely contact you with all your results, but we will always phone you your results are abnormal or if you need a follow-up appointment. If you have not heard from us, you can phone and request your results from one of the Nurses. Please phone after 2pm in the afternoon.