Opening Hours
Monday – Friday: 7.00am – 10.00pm
Saturday: 9.00am – 6.00pm
Sunday: 9.00am – 6.00pm
Should you require medical advice outside of our opening hours, please call Healthline on 0800 611 116.
Weekend appointments, from 5.30pm Friday, are reserved for urgent consultations only.
Ropata Doctors and Directors
| Directors | Doctors |
| Dr Sam Burcher | Dr Ruvimbo Bangure |
| Dr Sean Cullen | Dr Devika Bartlett |
| Dr Liz Hemmingsen | Dr Karin Burcher |
| Dr Chris Master | Dr Howard Grigg |
| Dr Sarah Painter | Dr Samer Hermiz |
| Dr Paul Rowan | Dr Sara Huse |
| Dr Matthew van Rij | Dr Rose Johnston |
| Dr Gillian Yardley | Dr Connie Pragassam |
| Dr Rob de Villiers | |
| Dr Peter Wood | |
| Dr Ceyan Yu |
NEW PATIENTS
Please allow up to 10 working days to obtain the transfer of your records from your previous practice. Please note we are unable to make GP appointments until medical records are received, if within New Zealand.
CANCELLATION OF APPOINTMENTS
Please ring as early as possible if you are not able to keep an appointment so that we may offer it to someone else. There may be a charge for non-attendance or if cancelled within an hour of appointment.
CHAPERONE
It is your right to have someone with you during a consultation and examination. This can be a friend or family member. If necessary, we will provide a nurse for this service. This request would in no way offend the doctor.
REPEAT PRESCRIPTION
These may be requested via Manage My Health with the prior approval of your doctor. Please ring the Prescription Line at the Practice between 7.00am and 10.00pm and have the names and strengths of your medication at hand. Please allow 48 hours before collection. There is a prescription charge as per our website. Please note an invoice is generated at the time of the request.
HOME VISITS
The area for home visits is the Lower Hutt valley including Taita, south to Petone, and the Western Hills. The doctors do not make house visits to patients who reside outside these areas. Please note we are unable to offer night or weekend visits. All home visits are to be requested and will be reviewed and confirmed by the doctor.
PRACTICE FEES
It is normal practice for all new patients to pay first for the first three months. Our fees are displayed on the website. Payment is requested at the time of service. Payment may be made by cash, EFTPOS, MasterCard or Visa. A $10.00 administration charge will apply to all accounts that remain unpaid at the end of the month. Ropata does use the services of a debt collection company and collection fees will be added to the account. Unpaid debts can result in patients being dis-enrolled. Any account enquiries, please ring the Practice.
ENROLMENT ELIGIBILITY
If you are a New Zealand citizen (this includes people from the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau) or resident, you are eligible for the full range of publicly funded health and disability services.
This is also generally the case if you hold a residence class visa; you hold a work visa that allows you to stay in New Zealand for at least two consecutive years; or you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident staying in New Zealand for two years or more.
International students are not eligible to enrol and should make sure they have medical insurance.
If you are not eligible to enrol, you will still find it useful to register with a doctor as a non-enrolled patient at that general practice. Registration does not entitle you to cheaper visits or to subsidised medicines, but it does bring many of the other benefits of enrolling such as building up a relationship with a family doctor who can support you and your family’s needs.
COMPLAINTS AND FEEDBACK PROCEDURES
Please contact our Practice Manager, email Complaints@Ropata.net.nz or speak to your doctor, should you wish to discuss dissatisfaction with any aspect of the service provided at Ropata Health. Brochures outlining consumers’ rights from the Health and Disability Commissioner are available from reception.
THE PRACTICE NURSE
We operate a number of nurse-led clinics for diabetes, cardio-respiratory issues, Care Plus for long-term conditions, and outreach services. Please ask about these at reception, or talk to your doctor or a nurse. All nurses liaise closely with the doctors and are happy to be contacted at any stage should you have problems.
EXPECTATIONS OF PATIENT BEHAVIOUR
We value that our staff have a very difficult task juggling the needs of doctors, patients, and ringing telephones. Your patience is appreciated. As employers we are obliged to provide a safe workplace for our staff. Patients who verbally or physically abuse or threaten staff will be required to leave the practice and seek their care elsewhere.
IMMUNISATIONS
The routine immunisation schedule for children; 6 weeks, 3 months, 5 months, 12 months, 15 months, 4 years and 11 years.
Routine immunisations for adults; 45 years and 65 years.
Please give copies of your immunisation history for the nurse team to update your records. They will communicate with you directly if you are eligible for any catch up immunisations.
Te Whatu Ora may provide funding at times for immunisation targets. We will contact you to let you know if you are eligible.
Travel immunisations require a questionnaire to be completed from https://ropata.health/services/travel-clinic/. You must initiate this at least 6 weeks prior to your travel dates.
PRACTICE VOCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMME
This Practice is a teaching practice for the General Practice Vocational Training Programme. This means that we have Registrars, qualified doctors with two or three years’ experience, training to be general practitioners. From time-to-time you may be offered appointments with the Registrar if your own doctor is fully booked. Sometimes a qualified GP from the practice may sit in on these consultations, or the session may be videotaped. We do need your consent to take part in this teaching process and you are at liberty to decline. Your confidentiality will be maintained at all times.
MINOR SURGERY
We also offer a minor surgery service for our own patients, as well as accepting referrals from GPs in the Hutt Valley for patients requiring skin lesion excision or other related minor surgeries.
TEST RESULTS
Please allow three working days for your test results to come back to us from the Laboratory. If you require your results, you can leave a message for the nurse. In accordance with the Privacy Act guidelines, information regarding a patient will only be given out to that person.