Telephone calls for our nurses – process change

Our nurses are not able to cope with the volume of calls asking to speak to them during the day. This is because they are busy with nursing duties for patients in the clinic and may not be able to return a phone call for many hours. We are aware this is very frustrating for you. To help you, reception will now screen all requests to speak to nurse, and the reception team will be able to help you with most of your queries such as booking appointments for smears, Aclasta and iron infusions, immunisations, travel vaccines; repeat prescriptions; referral to specialists; copies of blood test or other results. Non-urgent queries about your medication or request for specialist referral will be given to your doctor or the duty doctor and you will be contacted within 2 working days. Urgent allergic reactions will be referred to the duty doctor immediately. 

If you want to know when your hospital appointment is: the hospitals unfortunately do not let us know this information. Please call them directly on 09-6384949 for Auckland Hospital/Greenlane; and 09-2771660 for Middlemore/Superclinic and ask for booking clerk.

If you can see your blood test results on the portal, your doctor has assessed the results as normal. You will also get a text from your doctor after test results are back to confirm this. Sometimes there is a number slightly out of range – this is normal variation and not of any medical concern. Not everyone has test results always perfectly in range. If there is a concern about your results, you will be called and your results will not be available on the portal until you are informed about them. Some tests take up to 10 days to come back.

If you have not been seen by our doctors and are unwell and want telephonic advice, you will most likely be advised to come in for a consultation. This is to keep you safe – it is not possible to fully assess an illness over the phone. 

Our nursing team will continue to manage calls for INR/warfarin dose adjustment; complex vaccine queries; and if you have been seen by our doctors in the last week and are still unwell. You will get a call back within 1 working day. 

We are confident this will result in a better and more efficient service to you. Our reception team has had detailed training and have been given clear and safe guidelines to follow in triaging your phone calls. We have also put in systems to ensure that you are always called or texted if a test result is of concern and you can be reassured that all results you can see on the Portal are normal for you and do not need anything further done.