Our nurses have a pivotal role providing outstanding support and healthcare.  We employ the best nurses with extensive experience, qualifications and clinical skills who ensure their scope remains current.

Practice Nurses
Our practice nurses are integral members of each GP suite.  They assess and plan care to ensure all patients have appropriate support and follow-up. 

Getting to know you
Your experienced practice nurse is the healthcare professional you will have the most contact with.  Your nurse will be interested in all aspects of your life, not just your health.

Our nurses are very experienced in managing chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart complaints.  They spend considerable time engaging in ongoing professional development including formal study, evening sessions of learning and peer review to keep their skills updated.

Key services your nurse will provide:

• childhood, adult and travel vaccinations
• cervical smears
• contraception and sexual health advice
• asthma and diabetes advice and assessments
• wound care
• ECG recording
• ear syringing
• cardiovascular risk assessments including blood pressure and cholesterol checks
• general lifestyle advice – smoking cessation, diet etc

Accident & Medical Nurses
These nurses are experts in acute care, with backgrounds in emergency department and intensive care nursing.  They skilfully triage patients on arrival to ensure prompt service.  No day is the same for these nurses. They manage fractures, plastering, splinting, and wound management. Their attention to detail and soothing demeanour put patients at ease, particularly acutely unwell children. 

Nurse led Clinics
This new initiative provides free consultations to patients with high needs.  Patients can identify their most pressing health issue then receive advice and support to manage it.

If you have been formally identified as having high health needs, you can make an appointment for a clinic via your GP suite receptionist.  If you would like more information about high need eligibility, please contact your practice nurse.

Nurses in Specialised Roles
These nurses providing specific services to target groups of our patient population:

Potace Bennett - Maori & Pacific Health Service

Terrie Spedding - Diabetes consultancy service 

Frith Gray   -    Ear Nurse Specialist 
Frith runs the only Ear Hygiene and Health Clinic in the Hawke’s Bay.  Frith treats all acute or chronic ear problems – infections, wax impaction, discharges and foreign body removal.  

She provides ear suctioning at the centre and also via a mobile service to rest homes and private residences.  Please call 873 8999 to make an appointment with Frith.

Helen Francis  - Primary Care Liaison Nurse

Helen Francis is our primary care liaison nurse, who works intensively with a caseload of up to 30 chronic care patients, registered under our GPs. 

These patients have had more than two long term health conditions and have been in hospital more than three times in the past year. 

The primary care liaison nurse initiative is a first for Hawke's Bay and is funded by Hawke's Bay District Health Board.  The goal is to keep patients as healthy as possible and avoid all preventable visits to hospital.  The project aims to co-ordinate patients' care in the community and work closely with GPs and practice nurses as an added resource to a patient's primary care team. 

 Services

• The primary care liaison nurse is a central point of contact for a patient and their loved ones. She provides information and advice on managing the chronic conditions and on how to prevent a relapse.
• If a hospital admission is required, the primary care nurse liaises with District Health Board staff to:

 - ensure continuity of care

 - raise awareness of the person's complex health needs

 - reduce their length of stay

 - ensure all necessary services are in place prior to discharge

• The primary care liaison nurse ensures that all the services/facilities a person needs in their own home and supporting health clinics are available. This includes home help, WINZ income support, services such as pulmonary rehabilitation, falls prevention schemes, exercise programmes and community health services such as occupational therapists/physiotherapists.

You can contact Helen on 873 8999 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it