Michael Frampton, Chief People Officer, Canterbury DHB

With the New Zealand Resident Doctors’ Association 48 hour strike action starting tomorrow at 8am, Canterbury District Health Board is reminding people that they can help take the pressure off emergency services by always making their general practice team the first port of call for their healthcare needs.

The 48 hour junior doctors’ strike runs from 8am tomorrow, Tuesday 12 February until 8am on Thursday 14 February.

The Emergency Department (ED) at Christchurch Hospital will continue to provide emergency care during the strike and women should access services at Christchurch Women’s Hospital and Canterbury community maternity units as they normally would. There is also a hospital midwives strike planned to take place from 9am – 9pm on Wednesday 13 February. Women should continue to follow their birth plan and if they are concerned, seek advice from their community Lead Maternity Carer or obstetrician.

For most other health care you should always call your own general practice team first. Having their phone number loaded in your mobile phone is a great idea as it means you can access free health advice after-hours.

When you call your general practice after hours, follow the instructions on their voice mail to be put through to a nurse. A team of nurses are always ready to take your call – any time of day or night. They provide free health advice and if you need to be seen urgently they can tell you what to do and where to go.

You can meet some of the #carearoundtheclock nursing team and learn more about the service they provide here.

If you need to visit a general practice after hours, you can visit one of these Urgent Care practices:
• The 24 Hour Surgery – 401 Madras Street. Phone (+64) 3 365 7777
• Moorhouse Medical – 3 Pilgrim Place, open 8am – 8pm daily. Phone (+64) 3 365 7900
• Riccarton Clinic – 6 Yaldhurst Road, open 8am – 8pm daily. Phone (+64) 3 343 3661

For trusted health advice, you can also visit our HealthInfo website or visit your community pharmacy for health advice.

HealthInfo is a health information website that has information specific to Canterbury. It is written and approved by local doctors, practice nurses, hospital clinicians, and other healthcare professionals and features a mix of health information, fact sheets on different topics and descriptions of local health services.

It’s important to stress that people shouldn’t delay seeking medical treatment if they need urgent medical assistance at any time. Always dial 111 if it’s a life-threatening emergency.

People whose surgery or outpatient appointment has been postponed due to the strikes have been contacted directly. Anyone who wants to check if their appointment or surgery is still on should call 0800 778 226 – after hours you can leave a message.

© Scoop Media