‘ Phone Your GP 24 / 7 ’ is the message this Christmas and New Year if you have a non-urgent medical issue .

A free phone triage system in the Western Bay means that your call will be answered by a registered nurse 24 hours a day , 7 days a week , 52 weeks a year .

Accessing the service is easy , simply ring your normal GP Practice number any time of day . If the call is after-hours it will be automatically re-directed to a qualified nurse who will discuss your treatment options and point you in the right direction for the care you need .

“ The GPs at our practice all support it ,” says Dr Bryce Kihirini a GP for Nga Kakano Foundation in Te Puke . “ There is no GP service after 5pm in Te Puke so if our patients have an issue they have to make the journey to Tauranga . It ’ s a long way to go and can be an unnecessary expense for some families .

“ To be able to call a registered health professional and run the symptoms past them and being told either , you do need to go , or no you can sort that out with your GP in the morning or whatever the advice may be , is reassuring . It can save time and money but probably the peace of mind is the biggest thing .”

Tauranga Hospital Emergency Department Clinical Director Dr Derek Sage says if it wasn ’ t an obvious emergency people should always phone their GP first .

Dr Bryce Kihirini , from Te Puke ’ s Nga Kakano Foundation , says people are getting peace of mind from a new afterhours telephone nurse triage service .

During last year ’ s holiday season Tauranga Hospital ’ s Emergency Department saw over 2000 patients in 12 days ( Christmas Day to 5 January ). The average number of people seen each day was 171 with New Year ’ s Day the busiest with 191 patients .

Dr Sage says a high number of people attending ED were coming to the wrong place for treatment , adding that those who did attend with minor ailments could expect a long wait .

“ People attending the ED with minor ailments will likely be confronted with significant waits to be seen , with those who are sickest being seen first . However , whilst the ED ’ s triage process ensures the sickest are seen first , those left in the queue are still monitored .”

People are being advised to save their GP ’ s number to their mobile phone so that they have it handy when needed . If the issue is a medical emergency the triage service will be able to connect patients with an ambulance .

Those people visiting the Western seBay of Plenty who are not registered with a local GP can access the same service by calling 0800 367 432584 .

Second Avenue Health Centre will be open Monday to Sunday - 8am to 9pm throughout the Christmas holiday period .

The Doctors , Bayfair and Papamoa provide a walk-in service during their hours of operation .

View opening hours of other Medical Centres on the following link

http :// www . wboppho . org . nz / medical-centres / christmashours-2016-2017 /

attending the Incredible Years ® parent programme , Dianne developed a homebased intervention to add to the mix .

“ Often parents struggling with difficult behaviours feel a sense of shame , blamed and failure . Having a therapist visit the family in their home and set small achievable weekly goals , and to

Tauranga Clinical Psychologist Dianne Lees .

use the IYP strategies effectively for their children , helps parents feel supported and empowers them to make a positive change .”

Dianne says the home visits also allow therapists to see first-hand how family dynamics play out , which can have an impact on a child ’ s behaviour .

“ The Therapist can also pick up on other stressors like financial issues which may not always be revealed outside the home .”

Dianne ’ s research showed those who received additional home support while attending IYP had less behavioural issues with their children six months after the programme finished , compared to those who did not .

“ We know the best way to improve a child ’ s behaviour and reduce the likelihood of them progressing to crime in later life , is to intervene in their early years .

“ Providing home support while parents are on the IYP has potential to reduce antisocial behaviourand teen crime which is good for the family and community as a whole ,” says Dianne Lees .

Dianne ’ s research has been presented to the Ministry of Health for consideration for future policy decisions .

Parents and caregivers can register for the Incredible Years ® programme by calling Freephone : 0800 486 947 .

Mum of four Jasmyn Pearson says she feels more confident and empowered having been on the Incredible Years ® progamme .

“ The environment in our house is a lot calmer and less stressful than it was before . Tantrums still happen of course , but I know how to deal with them now without losing the plot and feeling drained and exhausted all the time .

“ Incredible Years hasn ’ t been an exercise in parent-berating at all . Some of what I had already been doing was great , some stuff needed tweaking , and other stuff just needed to go .”

any loaned hospital equipment to Tauranga Hospital ’ s main reception .