Patients are facing long wait times of 3-4 hours at our urgent care centre due to a shortage of appointments with primary care doctors and an influx of patients at the local emergency department. We are trying to add more staff to address this issue, but there is a nationwide shortage of nurses and doctors, which makes it difficult to find and hire new staff.

At East Care, patients are seen based on the severity of their condition, as determined by the Australasian Triage Standards. This means that patients are seen in the order of medical priority.

It's recommended that you visit your primary care doctor for regular medical care. GP's receive funding from local Primary Health Organizations (PHO’s) to care for their patients throughout the year. East Care doesn't receive funding to provide care when GPs are open, but they do receive some funding from Health NZ to provide care after hours. As a result, consultation charges may be lower in the evenings and on weekends.

East Care does not have access to your entire medical history, so they cannot provide repeat prescriptions. They can provide a temporary prescription in some urgent cases until you can see your GP for ongoing care.

East Care is an Urgent Care Centre that provides medical treatment for sudden illnesses or injuries. It is not a primary care facility who enrols patients and does not provide ongoing care. For ongoing medical care, it is best to be enrolled with a local GP.