Gain Health Centre

31/03/2026

Free Wellness Day - 2 May

Gain Health Centre, Orongomai Marae and Unichem Upper Hutt are working together to organise our annual ‘Ra Whakahauora - Wellness Day’ event on Saturday 2 May 2026 for the Upper Hutt and wider Community at Orongomai Marae.

Together we will provide free health and wellbeing services to the community.
We will be providing free:

Mirimiri (contemporary Māori massage)

GP, Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Prescriber consults

Scheduled vaccines

Women’s health advice

Health and wellbeing services

Plus, face painting and a sausage sizzle!

The event runs from 10am to 2pm, and we’d love to see you there.

29/03/2026

Women’s health services

Our Women’s Health services include breast examinations, contraception advice, routine cervical screening, perimenopause and menopause support, and personalized care for other women’s health issues.

All of our GPs are experienced in this area and available for women’s health concerns. If you are enrolled with a male GP and would prefer to see a female GP for a women’s health discussion, you’re welcome to request this. Just let Reception know when booking your appointment.

27/03/2026

12-month scripts

Repeat prescriptions are now available longer periods (up to 12 months) for long-term medications when your condition is stable, and no medication alterations are needed. The decision to approve or decline a medication lies with the prescriber. A consultation is required for this to ensure your condition and treatment is appropriate.

25/03/2026

Flu vaccines coming soon

As autumn rolls around, so does the peak flu season. It may be your workmate, partner, or members of your whānau. Anyone, even fit and healthy adults, can catch the flu.
The flu is very contagious and can spread before symptoms appear until several days after symptoms start. Flu germs spread easily through talking, coughing, and sneezing.

The flu vaccine is free 🆓for many people:
* Anyone 6-months and older should get a flu vaccine and it’s free for those who meet the following criteria. Check if you’re eligible for a free flu vaccination.
* Pregnant people
* People aged 65 years and over
* People under 65 years with long-term medical conditions like diabetes, asthma, or heart disease
*Children aged 4 years and under who have been hospitalized for respiratory illness or have a history of significant respiratory illness
*People under 65 years with serious mental health and addiction conditions.

If you don’t fit the eligibility for the funded vaccine, you can still get the flu vaccine with us for a small fee. We will be running daily flu vaccine clinics. To book, please visit us in person or call us on 04 528 5353.

23/03/2026

What is endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a chronic condition where tissue that is similar to the lining of the uterus grows in places outside of the uterus.

It’s a common condition that affects up to 1 in 10 people in New Zealand. The cause of endometriosis is not fully understood. It’s believed there is a strong genetic component, and that it can run in families. Those who have an immediate relative (mother or sister) with endometriosis are seven times more likely to develop endometriosis than those who do not.

The most common symptom of endometriosis is pelvic pain, usually during periods. Symptoms include:

1. Painful periods (dysmenorrhoea)
2. Bowel problems (diarrhoea, bloating, constipation, painful wind, painful bowel movements)
3. Pain during s*x (dyspareunia)
4. Infertility (inability to conceive) or sub-fertility (delayed conceiving)
5. Fatigue, tiredness, or low energy
6. Pain in other places, such as the lower back
7. Pain at other points in the menstrual cycle (often with ovulation)
8. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
9. Abnormal menstrual bleeding, including very heavy periods
10. Bladder issues (pain before/with urinating, recurrent urinary tract infections, interstitial cystitis).

If you notice any of these symptoms, book an appointment with a GP or Nurse Practitioner.

05/03/2026

💙 A simple test that could save your life

The National Bowel Screening Programme offers a free bowel screening test for people aged 60–74. The test can help find bowel cancer early, when it’s easier to treat.

✔️ How to get a kit
Most eligible people will receive a kit automatically in the mail. If you haven’t received one, you can request a kit by calling 0800 924 432.

📦 Returning your kit
Once completed, you can drop it off at any Awanui Lab (for locations see photo below)

The test is quick, simple, and can be done at home.

If you have questions or need help completing the test, please contact our practice — we’re happy to help.
Screening could save your life or the life of someone you love.

04/01/2026

Manage My Health, the patient portal app, experienced a cyber incident just before New Year.

At this stage, we do not know whether our practice or patient data was affected. Manage My Health will notify affected patients directly with information on next steps. We expect this process to begin very soon.

Following a forensic reviewed by experts, MMH has assured us the application is now safe to use. MMH is encouraging enabling two-factor authentication and updating your password.

Currently, we do not have any further information.

Manage My Health has published an FAQ page and regular news updates on their website FAQs - Cyber Breach | Manage My Health

Find the answers to the most frequently asked questions related to the recent Cyber Breach.

06/12/2025

The Holidays are on the way!

Please plan ahead for repeat prescriptions and routine appointments, as demand often increases at this time of year.

Holiday hours🎅🕎:

22-24 Dec 2025: Open
25-28 Dec 2025: Closed
29-31 Dec 2025: Open
1-4 Jan 2026: Closed
5 Jan 2026: Normal hours resume

Repeat prescriptions💊:
Please get your prescription requests in early! To ensure your script is processed before we close for the holidays, the cut-off date for prescription requests is 23 December. Requests received after this date will not be actioned until we reopen on 5 Jan.

Need care while we’re closed?
For after hours care, please contact Practice Plus (available weekdays 9am – 10pm and weekends and public holidays 8am – 8pm), or visit your nearest urgent care / after-hours facility. For general health advice, call📞 Healthline on 0800 611 116. In an emergency, call 📞111.

04/12/2025

Reminder: Our healthcare team may use Heidi, an AI note-taking tool, to write their clinical notes.

This means less time typing and more time focusing on you. It’s safe and secure and you can ask to see what it writes.✍

These tools simply help our team capture clinical notes more efficiently – but don’t worry, our healthcare team always reviews everything carefully. AI isn’t used for diagnosis, and it won’t make any clinical decisions. Your health information stays safe, private, and within the practice. If you have any questions or would like more information, just let us know - we’re here to help.

If you’d prefer that our team doesn’t use AI during your consultation, just let our friendly Reception team know when you arrive for your appointment.

29/11/2025

Congratulations to Matt on 19 years of service as a volunteer firefighter!

Huge congratulations to Matt, who has just been awarded his 19 years of service bar as a volunteer firefighter – adding to an already very impressive medal line-up!

We were lucky enough to be there for Employers’ Night at the Stokes Valley Fire Station, where we were treated to wonderful hospitality and a behind-the-scenes look at the station Matt has served for nearly two decades.

In the photo, we’re standing in front of “Betsy”, a 1939 Ford fire truck that Matt helped restore and now drives on special occasions. We were thoroughly blown away seeing what Matt and his fellow volunteers have done (and continue to do) to provide fire service to the region.

Ka pai, Matt – what an achievement!

28/11/2025

Helpful Tips for preventing or improving type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes

Pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes can be prevented or improved by making lifestyle changes including:

*Healthy eating: Eat a balanced diet. Consider how much and when you eat, being mindful of carb, fibre, fat and salt intake. Find healthy and delicious diabetes-friendly recipes.
*Being active: Regular physical activity helps your cells use insulin and lowers your blood sugar
*Getting enough sleep: Poor sleep can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

All of these are important to your long-term health. If you’re struggling with your eating, exercise or sleep habits, please seek support and advice from our expert clinical team. We’re here to support your health and well-being.

26/11/2025

Understanding Diabetes

Diabetes is when the level of glucose in your blood is too high.

If it’s not controlled, it can damage the organs in your body. The amount of glucose in your body is controlled by hormones - primarily insulin. With diabetes, your body is unable to produce insulin, or it doesn’t respond properly to the insulin it produces.

Types of diabetes

Type 1 diabetes:
This is an auto-immune condition where the body attacks the cells in your pancreas that make insulin, so not enough is produced. Type 1 diabetes usually begins in childhood and can appear suddenly, often after a viral infection. Type 1 diabetes isn’t lifestyle related.

Type 2 diabetes:
When your body can’t use insulin effectively. The insulin-making cells in your pancreas produce insulin, but the insulin isn’t working well. About 90% of people with diabetes have type 2, and it's one of the fastest growing preventable health conditions in New Zealand.

Gestational diabetes:
When a pregnant woman who was not known to have diabetes before pregnancy develops high blood glucose levels during pregnancy. About 4-8% of pregnant women are diagnosed with gestational diabetes. If left untreated it can lead to problems for both mum and baby. Usually, it goes away after giving birth but may recur in future pregnancies.

Pre-diabetes:
Pre-diabetes is when your blood glucose level is higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. People with pre-diabetes can make lifestyle changes to reverse diagnosis.

Common symptoms include:

*Unexplained weight loss
*Frequent urination
*Extreme hunger
*Irritability
*Excessive thirst
*Extreme tiredness
*Blurred vision
*Slow healing cuts and bruises

If you notice any of the above symptoms in you or a family member, it’s important to talk to a GP 👩‍⚕️for testing, diagnosis and treatment.