Contact Public Health Nursing - Te Punaka Oraka

Registered nurses and health professionals who have knowledge, experience and training in tamariki/child, rangatahi/youth and whānau/family health.

• This is a free and confidential service for children and young people and their whānau.
• The service provides nursing support, advice, referral and coordinated services for ages 0-18years who are eligible for and/or attending early childhood centres/kura/schools and youth clinics.
• Registered nurses are available to listen and talk with parents/caregivers about children’s health and wellbeing.
• School and preschool health, well tamariki/child and rangatahi/youth health assessments, with the aim of improving, promoting and protecting the health and wellbeing of children, young people and their family/whānau.
• Rural ranagatahi/youth health

• Tamariki/children
• Rangatahi/young people
• Parents and caregivers
• Whānau/families
• Early childhood centres/kura and schools
• Other health, education and support providers

• In the community
• At school or pre-school
• Kohanga Reo
• Kura Kaupapa.
• At your home.
• Alternative training institutions.
• At the workplace.
• At a venue of your choice.

• Self referral clinics at Intermediate, area schools and some secondary schools.
• Other schools by appointment.
• At community clinics (rural Nurse).

• Advice, education and support to schools and early childhood centres on child health and development, health promotion, prevention and protection in context of child/youth health and wellbeing.
• Communicable disease/immunisation advice and support.
• School based vaccination in some areas.

• Before School Checks (12th and final Well Child Check).
• Tamariki/child health developmental, physical wellbeing and behavioural assessments, brief interventions and referrals.
• Home visiting.
• Health and Disability coordinated care across schools, home and other agencies.
• Communicable disease/immunisation advice and support.
• Health education, advice and support to tamariki/children, rangatahi/young people and whānau/family.

• Our service offers diversity and free & confidential individual health and wellbeing youth assessments.
• Education and health promotion, prevention and protection.
• Brief intervention and referral as well as access and support to other services.
• Health and disability coordinated care across school, home and other agencies.
• School rangatahi/youth health clinics.
• Rural rangatahi/youth sexual health and contraceptive clinics up to age 25 years.
• School based year 9 assessments/alternative education assessments (decile 5 and below schools).

• Gateway assessment (Health, Oranga Tamariki and Education coordinated health and wellbeing/education assessments).
• Immunisation coordinators provide advice, support and authorisation for cold chain accreditation for vaccination programmes.
• Outreach/home visiting immunisation service.
• Health services are provided to Puketai residential care facility, group home, teen parent centres and some activity and alternative education facilities.

• All Southern DHB Health Professionals and support staff adhere to the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights and Health Information Privacy Code.
• Te Punaka Oraka Service keeps a record of the public health nurses/registered nurses visits/ interactions with clients and this is kept in order to document progress and outcomes. This is stored as part of the Southern DHB patient health record.
• An interpreter service is available by prior arrangement through your health provider.
• Your health information is viewable by other relevant Southern DHB health professionals and your General Practice.
• Non-identifiable patient information is used for statistical and research purposes in order to make quality improvements and to align resources correctly.
• You have the right to withdraw consent of information to be stored and used for research/statistics.
• Southern DHB promotes the safety and welfare of all clients and requires all health professionals to report safety concerns for children/young people and their families/caregivers.
• Clients have the right to access and request correction of their information. This can be arranged via Patient Enquiries (Otago) or Clinical Records (Southland).
• Otago Contact:
  Patient Enquiries
  information@southerndhb.govt.nz
• Southland Contact:
  Clinical Records
  clinicalrecordssth@southerndhb.govt.nz

All referrals/inquiries can be sent to: publichealthnursing@southerndhb.govt.nz

Main office Dunedin/Otago: (03) 476 9800
Freephone/text: 0800 247 224

Other offices in Otago:

• Oamaru: (03) 433 1161
• Balclutha: (03) 419 0465

Central Lakes offices:

• Dunstan, Dunstan Hospital: (03) 4404309
• Frankton, Queenstown: (03) 4509162
• Maniototo, Maniototo Hospital: Phone (03) 4449424

Main office Invercargill/Southland: (03) 2110117 

Other Southland offices:

• Gore: (03) 208 7015
• Te Anau: (03) 249 7717
• Northern Central Southland: (03) 248 7997