Phone your GP day or night for medical advice

Phone your GP day or night for medical advice

Phone your GP day or night for healthcare advice is the message going out to Bay of Plenty residents this Christmas and New Year.

A nurse triage service was introduced to answer after-hours calls for all 30 of the Western Bay’s GP Practices last year and was already in place for Eastern Bay practices prior to that.

“The service helps people get fast, effective advice any time of the day or night,” said Dr Joe Bourne, a GP for Nga Kakano Foundation in Te Puke.

“It is very simple, for medical advice you need only remember the phone number of the GP Practice you are registered with. If the call is after-hours it will automatically re-direct to a qualified nurse who will discuss your treatment options with you.”

Phoning their GP first would mean patients received expert medical advice immediately, helping them get better sooner, added Dr Bourne.

“It’s a good idea to save your GP’s number to your mobile phone so it’s handy when needed,” he said.

“The call could save you time and money. For example, you could save yourself a potentially long wait in the Emergency Department for an issue which could be treated at the pharmacy. And if it’s a simple case of buying medicine over-the-counter this could save you the cost of a consultation.

“So, if you’re sick, save time and money, phone your GP first.”

If the issue is a medical emergency the triage service will be able to connect patients with an ambulance.

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