After hours services are available to help you if you need medical care outside the opening hours of your general practice.

Medical emergencies

If it’s a medical emergency, call 111 for an ambulance. A medical emergency includes chest pain or tightness, difficulty breathing, choking, severe bleeding or bleeding that won’t stop, sudden weakness or difficulty talking, fainting or unconsciousness.

Northland DHB Whangārei Emergency Department is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Patients can be referred by their GP, delivered by ambulance, or they may self-present. On arrival at the Emergency Department, all patients undergo a brief triage or screening to determine the nature and severity of the illness or injury. On the basis of this assessment, those with more severe symptoms or injuries are treated before those with less serious conditions. To help keep waiting times down, please keep the Emergency Department for genuine emergencies. If you are unsure whether it’s an emergency, telephone Healthline on 0800 611 116. A registered nurse will take your call and tell you what you should do.

Accident & Urgent Medical

Whangārei

White Cross Whangārei provides comprehensive services for accidents and illnesses seven days a week.

Location, opening hours and contact details

Mid-North

In the Mid-North area, you can access after-hours services by contacting your local medical centre. A triage nurse will assist you, assess your health needs, and refer you to the after-hours on-call GP if you need it. The GP after-hours centre is at the Bay of Islands Hospital, Hospital Road, Kawakawa.

You must ring your local medical centre before going to the GP after-hours centre.

If you attend the GP after-hours centre, there will be a charge. Charges are displayed at local medical centres and the GP after-hours centre.

You can call the Mid-North at any time after normal weekday and weekend clinic hours.

Far-North

Kaitaia Hospital, 29 Redan Road, Kaitaia, includes an after-hours facility. It is a 26-bed general hospital serving a wide population and provides a substantial community health service.

Telephone health support and advice are available 24/7

Healthline is a telephone service staffed by an experienced team including registered nurses, paramedics and health advisors, who can provide you with information and advice on health care. Calls are free, and you can call at any time, seven days a week.

Call Healthline free:

• For general health advice and information call 0800 611 116 anytime
• For COVID-19 health advice call 0800 358 5453 anytime
• For COVID-19 vaccination advice call 0800 28 29 26 (8am-8pm 7 days a week)