When do I visit the Emergency Department?
If you’ve had a serious accident or a medical emergency, you can rely on prompt, expert care in the Timaru Hospital Emergency Department. It is the best place for people with serious or life-threatening health problems.
But if your health problem is not an emergency, Emergency Department staff will refer you to your GP or the duty GP. This applies to everyone from across the district.
Each year the Emergency Department assesses and treats about 18,000 patients. Patients are seen according to the urgency of their condition. For example, someone who is having difficulty breathing or is seriously injured in a car crash will be seen by the doctor before a person who has a cut. Decisions about the order in which patients are seen are made by the triage nurse. Triage nurses are skilled at deciding the urgency of a patient’s condition. If you are waiting to be seen it is simply because there are patients who are sicker than you who must be seen first.
Detailed information about the Timaru Hospital Emergency Department is Here
What is the role of my GP?
Your GP knows you best. It is important that you have a GP for your long-term coordinated care.
You don’t need to come to the Emergency Department for cuts, sprains, colds and flu. Your GP can treat you for these, and can also arrange an X-ray or blood test for you.
You can download a list of South Canterbury GPs and their phone numbers Here
What if I don’t have a GP?
If you don’t have a GP you need to enrol with one before you get sick. Contact your local practice or the Primary Health Organisation on 03 687-2031 (during business hours). Enrolled patients usually pay less to see a GP than casual patients.
If you have issues with outstanding GP accounts, complaints or the inability to pay a GP, please phone the Primary Health Organisation on
03 687-2031.
To visit the Aoraki PHO website, or to find a GP close to where you live Click Here
Who do South Canterbury residents phone for help?
If you need medical help at any time and it is not an emergency, phone your GP or Practice Nurse at the usual number. GP phone numbers are in the front of the South Canterbury phone book.
If you are phoning after hours, your GP may have the phone diverted to an appropriate person who can help you, or alternately you can phone the duty GP on 03 684-8209.
If you are not enrolled with a GP and it is not an emergency, phone the duty GP on 03 684-8209.
The duty GP line is a new telephone triage service for the public. It is staffed by registered nurses. They will assess the urgency of your problem and will help you contact the duty GP or the hospital if needed.
If you need medical help and it is an emergency, dial 111. Healthline is also available for 24-hour free health advice on 0800 611 116.
Who do tourists and visitors phone for help?
If you are a visitor to the region and it is not an emergency, phone the duty GP on 03 684-8209.
If you need medical help and it is an emergency, dial 111. Healthline is also available for 24-hour free health advice on 0800 611 116.
Your GP and Timaru Hospital want you to get the best possible care in the right place
Timaru Hospital and local GPs are working together to care for patients in South Canterbury. This requires the support of the community. If we all get the right health care in the right place, everyone will benefit because emergency patients will not have to wait as long for treatment in the Emergency Department, people with non-urgent health problems will receive the best, coordinated care from their GP, and health resources will be used wisely.
Information about a new agreement between the Timaru Hospital Emergency Department and local GPs is Here
For More Information: A free brochure called "I Need to See a Doctor - How to get the best possible health care for you and your family in South Canterbury" is available. Download it Here or you can request a printed copy/copies by Contacting Us.