This summer, wherever your holidays take you around Aotearoa New Zealand, remember that you can still get free health advice whenever you need it.

If your Christmas goes from off the chart to falling apart, you can call your own general practice team 24/7 for care around the clock.

Before you head off on holiday be sure to load your general practice’s number into your mobile phone, because when the doors are closed and the lights are out, a team of staff are ready to take your call – any time of day or night, including public holidays.

Emergency Departments (ED) at hospitals throughout New Zealand often run at capacity over the festive season. Making your regular general practice team your first port of call, wherever you are, will help keep EDs free for those who need emergency care.

If you are heading away, make sure you pack enough of your regular medications for the duration of your holiday. If you’re going to need a repeat prescription while away, get it sorted before you leave town.

Make sure you are aware of the risk that the spread of COVID-19 might affect your holiday plans and be prepared should this happen. Health guidance for the summer can be found here and maintaining good hygiene practices, such as those listed below, is key. And remember to mask up and scan in everywhere you go.

• Wash and dry your hands with soap and water or using hand sanitiser.
• Remember to cough or sneeze into your elbow.
• Clean ‘high touch’ surfaces and objects regularly.
• Wear a mask or face covering and try and keep one with you at all times.
• Maintain social distancing when out and about, especially in crowded places
• Stay home if you’re sick.

If you’re fully vaccinated, you can still get COVID-19, but you’re likely to only have mild to moderate symptoms and will likely need to self-isolate and recover at home. Know where to find up to date information on opening hours for Covid-19 testing centres if you need to be tested. Our resources about caring for COVID-19 positive people in the community will help you make a plan for what to do if you test positive, including if you are on holiday. If you are isolating at home or away, you will have a dedicated contact person check up on you and make sure that you and your whānau are safe.

In a life-threatening emergency call 111.

If you’re feeling anxious or just need someone to talk to you can call or text 1737 any time and you can speak to (or text) a trained counsellor free of charge.

For everything else, whether you’re holidaying in Wanaka or Whangamata, make your general practice team your first call. They can tell you what to do and where to go if you need to be seen urgently.

If you aren’t already enrolled with a general practice team use our handy general practice finder map.

Information for visitors to Christchurch

Visitors to Christchurch who need to see a doctor can visit one of the urgent care practices:

• 24 Hour Surgery – 401 Madras Street open every day, 24/7. Ph 03 365 7777
• Moorhouse Medical – 3 Pilgrim Place. Open 8am – 8pm, 7 days a week. Ph 03 365 7900
• Riccarton Clinic – 4 Yaldhurst Road. Open 8am – 8pm, 7 days a week. Ph 03 343 3661.

Learn more about what an Urgent Care clinic can do by checking out this video.

Trusted health advice

You can also visit our HealthInfo website or 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.

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