Tairawhiti DHB
Gisborne District
Licensed institutions
Gisborne Hospital
| Street Address: | Ormond Road, Gisborne |
| Postal Address: | Private Bag 7001, Gisborne |
| Phone: | (06) 869 0500 |
Services provided
No services are provided in Gisborne Hospital. The Tairawhiti DHB provides a service for women with assessment and referral to other centres. This service is provided in the Community Clinic, Bright Street, Gisborne.
First trimester
Appointments
Appointments can be made by the GP, or self-referrals are accepted.
| Phone: | (06) 868 9005 |
| Facsimile: | (06) 863 1373 |
Women are seen within a week of referral. Early referrals are encouraged.
Information required from the referrer
NZ residency and personal details, including contact telephone number; parity and gravidity, previous TOPs; LMP, pelvic exam findings, US scan if performed; investigations (HVS, chlamydia and antenatal bloods); history and indications, contraception use at conception; recommended follow-up contraception.
If self-referred, basic tests will be arranged in the community clinic.
Certification
Certification is provided in the clinics/hospitals where the abortion procedure is performed.
Counselling
Counselling is provided in the Community Clinic by the trained midwife/counsellor. Follow-up counselling can also be provided.
The procedure
Referrals are made to AMAC in Auckland or the Terrace Clinic in Hastings or Wairarapa Hospital in Masterton (see those clinics for details of the process).
Follow-up
Women should return to their referring doctors for follow-up within two weeks. However follow-up can be provided in the community clinic.
Cost
The service is free for eligible patients. The Community Clinic assessment is free and the DHB pays the costs of treatment by the other clinic/hospital. Assistance is give for travel (petrol vouchers) and one night's accommodation for the woman; the accompanying person will have to pay their own accommodation.
Second trimester - all grounds, other than fetal anomaly
Second trimester abortion services for non-fetal anomaly grounds are provided by referral either to the Auckland group of gynaecologists, only up to 16 weeks, or to the Level J Unit in Wellington Hospital, up to 19 weeks.
Arrangements for second trimester referrals are made through the Community Clinic as with 1st trimester - see above.
Second trimester - fetal anomaly
Second trimester abortion services for fetal anomaly are provided by the Maternal Fetal Medicine Team at National Women's Hospital. Women are usually assessed by a local obstetrician/gynaecologist and are referral arranged.
DHB responsibilities
All District Health Boards are required to provide termination of pregnancy services "for those women who meet the criteria provided by the Crimes Act 1961 and the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion Act 1977". See Ministry of Health. However accessing accurate, up-to-date and informative details about how individual District Health Boards provide these services, or whether they provide them, has been extremely difficult. The information provided here is the best that we have been able to obtain for this district to date. We will continue to update the website as we obtain further information.
Last Updated: 1 August 2007