Health NZ – Waitaha Canterbury

23/09/2025

🚶‍♀️ It’s Safe Mobility September! 🚶‍♂️

Do you know someone who might be at risk of a fall? This month is a great time to support and encourage them to stay safely active — and keep moving with confidence beyond September too.

Regular physical activity like walking can boost well-being, improve strength and balance, and help prevent falls. This is especially important for:
• Older adults
• People with physical disabilities
• Anyone recovering from hospital care that limited their mobility.

💪 Helpful resources for strength and balance:
• http://spr.ly/6188Ak2yu – access the Live Stronger for Longer website to find local community strength and balance classes near you.
• http://spr.ly/6189Ak2yR – Nymbl is a free, easy-to-use app designed to help improve balance, mobility and reduce falls risk.

Let’s help each other stay active, independent, and safe. 💙

22/09/2025

Senior doctors are striking today and tomorrow (23 and 24 September). Find the right care for you and your whānau and keep emergency departments for emergencies only:

✅ Online GP Care (24/7) - Book same-day appointments with NZ-qualified doctors if you’re not enrolled or can’t wait. Book via info.health.nz/onlineGP.
💊 Pharmacy - Great for coughs, colds, minor infections, emergency contraception, immunisations and more.
🏠 Self-care advice - Visit info.health.nz for trusted tips on managing symptoms at home.
📞 Healthline - Free 24/7 advice from qualified nurses and paramedics: 0800 611 116.
👩‍⚕️ Your usual GP or nurse - Many offer same-day appointments for urgent issues.
🌙 After-hours or urgent care clinic - For non-life-threatening issues like cuts, sprains or minor injuries.
📞 Ka Ora - Rural Telecare. After-hours help from a doctor or nurse: 0800 252 672.
🚨 Emergency? Call 111 - For chest pain, breathing problems, choking, unconsciousness, severe bleeding, severe allergy/anaphylaxis, severe burns, or severe pain.

Find the right healthcare: info.health.nz/services-support/find-the-right-healthcare-for-you-and-your-whanau
Strike info: tewhatuora.govt.nz/for-health-professionals/employment-relations/industrial-action

22/09/2025

Living rural? Need after-hours healthcare? 🏡
Ka Ora Telecare is here for you - an after-hours phone and video health service for people in rural Aotearoa.

Available:
Weekdays: 5pm - 8.30am
Weekends and Public Holidays: 24/7

👩‍⚕️ Speak with a nurse, kaiāwhina, doctor or nurse practitioner - no need to be enrolled with a GP.
📱 Call 0800 2 KA ORA (0800 252 672) or book online for a same-day appointment.

Whether you're at home or on holiday, Ka Ora makes it easier to get the care you need, when you need it.

*Free for tamariki under 14.
Learn more: kaora.co.nz

22/09/2025

💻 Remember the online GP service is available 24/7 while there is a senior doctors' strike on 23 and 24 September.

The online GP service offers you round-the-clock access to trusted medical care when your regular GP is unavailable, or you're not enrolled. You can connect with NZ qualified, registered doctors and nurse practitioners who can assess, diagnose, treat, prescribe, and refer, all online.

The new service complements regular general practice and helps ease pressure on clinics. Subsidised fees are available for children under 14, young people aged 14 to 17, and Community Services Card holders.

Learn more and book at: info.health.nz/onlineGP

21/09/2025

Pharmacies can help with a lot! Including:

✅ Expert medication advice
✅ Emergency contraception
✅ Some immunisations
✅ Some urinary or eye infections
✅ Fixing up minor cuts
✅ Checking rashes
✅ Doing basic health checks

And more.

Pharmacists are a great first port of call - especially if you’re unsure what to do or what type of medical help you need.

Find your closest one through healthpoint.co.nz.

Learn more about what pharmacists can help with at info.health.nz

20/09/2025

Not sure what to do about a health concern? 📞
Healthline is here for you - free, 24/7, and staffed by qualified nurses and paramedics. Whether it’s a fever, a weird rash, or just needing advice, you can call anytime.

📱 Call 0800 611 116 or request a callback through healthy.org.nz

It’s confidential and available whenever you need it.

19/09/2025

Senior doctors at Health New Zealand hospitals and health services will strike for 48 hours on the 23rd and 24th of September.

During the strike, hospital emergency departments will be open for emergencies only.

If it’s not an emergency, you can:
✅ Call Healthline for free health advice from a nurse or paramedic, 24/7 on 0800 611 116
✅ Visit your GP, urgent care clinic, or book an online GP appointment
✅ Visit a pharmacy – they can help with more than you think! For example, some urinary infections, eye infections, emergency contraception and more.
✅ Or for after-hours care in rural areas, call Ka Ora on 0800 252 672.

In an emergency, always call 111. Register for the 111 TXT service, so you can contact Fire, Ambulance or Police in an emergency via text message.

If you need help communicating, the free NZ Relay service can help you.

For info about the strike visit: tewhatuora.govt.nz/for-health-professionals/employment-relations/industrial-action -senior-doctors-48-hour-strike-planned-for-23-and-24-september-2025

19/09/2025

Senior doctors at public hospitals and health services will strike for 48 hours on the 23rd and 24th of September.

During the strike, hospital emergency departments will be open for emergencies only.

If it’s not an emergency, you can:

✅ Call Healthline for free health advice from a nurse or paramedic, 24/7 on 0800 611 116
✅ Visit your GP, urgent care clinic, or book an online GP appointment at info.health.nz/onlinegp
✅ Visit a pharmacy – they can help with more than you think! For example, some urinary infections, eye infections, emergency contraception and more.
✅ Or for after-hours care in rural areas, call Ka Ora on 0800 252 672.

In an emergency, always call 111. Register for the 111 TXT service so you can contact Fire, Ambulance or Police in an emergency via text message

If you need help communicating, the free NZ Relay service can help you.

For more info visit: info.health.nz

16/09/2025

Spring gardening is great for the soul. But don’t forget to protect your lungs.
Legionnaires’ disease is a serious infection caused by breathing in dust from potting mix, soil or compost.

It’s not contagious, but it can be dangerous.

✅ Wear gloves and a mask
✅ Open bags away from your face
✅ Dampen the mix to reduce dust
✅ Wash your hands after gardening

If you feel flu-like symptoms, talk to your doctor and mention your gardening.

Learn more: info.health.nz/conditions-treatments/lungs/legionnaires-disease-legionellosis

15/09/2025

12/09/2025

Ka Ora Telecare is an after-hours video and over-the-phone service that supports the health of people living in or visiting rural communities.

You will be greeted by a Kaiāwhina or a Nurse, who will assess your health needs for free. You can then either see a clinician directly or you may also choose to schedule an appointment later in the evening.

All appointments are free for tamariki under 14 years old. If you are 14 years old or older and need to speak with a nurse practitioner or doctor, there will be a charge – details of these are on the Ka Ora website 👉 http://spr.ly/6187fjbYB

You can speak with the Ka Ora service by calling 0800 252 672.

Ka Ora is open:
• Weekdays overnight from 5pm – 8am
• Weekends and public holidays – 24 hours

07/09/2025

👉 An opportunity for anyone working in health or the community to learn new ways to support your patients or clients to get screened and immunised.