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Anyone can use CareHQ, including visitors to New Zealand. We don't enrol patients and using CareHQ won't change your relationship with your enrolled practice.

Booking on behalf of someone else i.e an elderly parent

• You must register the patient using the patient’s own registration details (name, DOB etc) so that the clinician can access their medical records.
• Please make sure you have their permission to share their confidential medical information, and that they understand the consents that you are confirming on their behalf.
• You must include both an email and phone number, so the patient gets sent the consult link via two channels. Any post-consult medical information and the receipt will be emailed to the email address provided. A family email can be used but please ensure the patient has access to whichever email is used.
• Patients booked using a spouse, family member or guardian’s login details, will not be able to be seen by the GP, unless they are children under 16 years and have been added to the parent or guardian’s account.

Booking for an international visitor

• International visitors and international students please book the International clinic type.
• When you book, please upload any documentation or relevant images when prompted. You will also need a New Zealand physical (street) address which is a legal requirement if the GP needs to provide a prescription for medication or a specialist referral. This can be the address of your accommodation in NZ.
• Ask an English- speaking person to support you if necessary. If you have more than one issue to discuss, please book a 30-minute consult.

If you have any queries about bookings, please email admin@carehq.co.nz

Children who are not members of Southern Cross

Children under 16 years

• The parent or guardian must register with CareHQ first and create a profile using their own information.
• Once registered, the parent can select Add a Child, add the child’s details and then select the child for the appointment.
• If the parent is a Southern Cross member, they will need to use a different email address when they register from the one used in their MySouthernCross profile.

For children over 16 years

• They must register themselves, create their own profile and book their consultation.

Children who are Southern Cross members

For children under 16 years

• Bookings must be made through the MySouthernCross app and clicking on CareHQ consults.
• Only the policyholder can book a CareHQ consultation. The policyholder should see and be able to select the child in the MySouthernCross app during the booking process.
• The child's details, along with the policyholder’s email and mobile number, will be sent to the CareHQ GP.
• If the policyholder cannot see the child, contact Southern Cross member services at 0800 800 181.

For children over 16 years

• They must book a consultation via the MySouthernCross app using their own login details.
• If booked using a parent’s profile, the CareHQ GP will not be able to see them.

If you have any queries about bookings, please email admin@carehq.co.nz

• Cold and flu symptoms: respiratory infections and viruses
• Skin Problems: Rashes, eczema, acne & infections
• Allergies & Breathing: allergies, asthma
• Digestive Health: Heartburn, constipation, diarrhoea, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), diverticulitis
• Muscle & Joint Pain: back pain, joint Pain (eg: Gout, Arthritis), Muscle Pain
• Mental Health: anxiety, depression, stress
• Repeat Prescriptions: e.g for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, hay fever
• General Health & Wellness: Women’s health, sexual health screening, STI (Sexual Transmitted Infections, Chlamydia, Herpes etc)

If you have a medical emergency such as severe pain, collapse, or shortness of breath, please call 111 immediately.

For ongoing complex health issues or requests for certain medications, you may be asked to see your regular GP. Maintaining a good relationship with your enrolling GP clinic can help you and your whānau to enjoy your best possible health, continuity of care and long-term support.

For medical certificates for activities such as driving, diving, flying, clearance for sports, school camps etc where physical interaction is required.

Our terms and conditions have more information. If you are unsure, please email the team on care@carehq.co.nz to check before you book.

Billing and Payment queries

Pricing can be found at Pricing. Appointments cancelled within 6 hours of the appointment time will not be refunded as detailed in our terms and conditions.

The price you pay will depend on your age, the clinic type you choose, whether you are a CSC holder and if you are eligible for government funding. You’ll see the confirmed price at the end of the booking process before you need to pay.

If you have a coupon code, you’ll be asked to apply it when you get to the payment screen. Enter it and click ‘Apply’.

Your payment card (Debit or credit) will be charged after your consultation, and you'll get a receipt by email. Cancel at least 6 hours before your consultation for a full refund. If you cancel within 6 hours or miss your consult, you'll be charged in full. The charge on your credit card will be held and debited at time of consult.

Southern Cross Health Insurance members can book a free CareHQ GP consultation from 7am to 7pm using the MySouthernCross app.

If you are not with Southern Cross, please check with your insurer to confirm if a virtual consultation is covered.

If you have a query about billing or payment, please email admin@carehq.co.nz

Booking

When you book with CareHQ you’ll still be enrolled with your usual practice. We need to collect your personal details in the CareHQ app or when you book online so we can identify you and send you consultation notifications. Check our privacy policy to see what we collect and share.

To ensure your health and wellbeing needs are met, you may be asked to book a follow-up appointment to discuss test results, follow up on your progress, or to deliver care not completed within your initial 10-minute consultation. There will be a separate cost for any follow-up consultation.

We suggest you book a video consultation rather than phone so the GP can see you clearly on the video, assess any symptoms and ask you some key questions to find out how they can best care for you.

If you would like to choose the gender of your GP, you can do that when you book. GPs available over the next 6 days will be shown.

You can book a CareHQ registered nurse if you require a sick note for up to 7 days, have a UTI or a STI. If you require a medical certificate for more than 7 days, or for a certificate extension, please book to see a GP. Patients must be over 14 years of age to see a nurse.

You’ll receive up to three notifications of your appointment: There is a link in the first confirmation email where you can cancel your appointment if needed. If you need to change your appointment, please cancel it, and book a new one. The notifications include:

1. Your booking confirmation by email
2. Confirmation email seven hours before your consultation including a link for your consultation
3. A final reminder confirmation (email/text) 15 minutes before your consult including a link for your consultation

Cancelling

If you need to cancel your consultation, here’s how to do it. If you want to change the time of your consult, please cancel the existing one and book a new one.

1. You can cancel your consultation using the link in the consult confirmation email you received when you booked. Clicking the link generates a one-time pass code to your phone which when entered, cancels the appointment.
2. Or, you can log back in to CareHQ, go to ‘My appointments’ in the navigation, click on your scheduled appointment and click cancel.
3. If you booked via the My Southern Cross app, go back into CareHQ via the Southern Cross app, select My Appointments in the drop-down navigation, clicked on the scheduled appointment and click cancel.

You’ll be charged the full consultation fee if:

• You cancel your booking within six hours of your consultation time.
• You don’t turn up for any of your booked consultation time.
• You don’t answer the phone if our Doctor tries to call you. Please ensure your phone settings do not block incoming calls from numbers with no caller ID.

For more details, check our Cancellation and Refund policy.

If you have a query about billing or payment, please email admin@carehq.co.nz

You’ll be sent an email and a SMS / text message confirmation with a secure link for your consultation 15 minutes beforehand. Click on the link and go through to the waiting room. The GP or Nurse will join you as soon as they are free. If they are a few minutes late, they may be finishing with the previous patient and will join as soon as possible.

Our virtual consultations are 10-15 minutes in duration. If you need to discuss more than one issue, or a mental health issue, please book an extended 20-30 minute consult. Please ensure your phone settings do not block incoming calls from numbers with no caller ID.

Before the consultation:

• Make sure you have a good internet connection and stay in one place
• Find a private and quiet space
• Make a note of your usual medication or have them on hand
• Have the name of your usual GP practice and the name of your preferred pharmacy ready in case you need a prescription.

After the consultation:

The GP will check you understand what they think the problem is - and what should be done about it. This may include any or all the following:

• Emailing a prescription to your preferred pharmacy for you to collect
• Emailing you a lab test form, for example you may need a blood test
• Arranging a follow-up appointment for you through CareHQ
• Recommending a follow-up appointment in-person
• Writing a referral to a specialist or allied health service
• Emailing you some educational material about your condition or problem
• If for whatever reason you’re not happy with the care you received, you can email feedback here.

If you have a query about your prescription, lab test form, or test results please email care@carehq.co.nz

Using CareHQ doesn't affect your relationship with your enrolled GP. We'll share your notes with your GP unless you ask us not to during your consult. We encourage note sharing for your continuity of care.

This is the process by which the patient and his/her/their physician-led team are cooperatively involved in ongoing health care management toward the shared goal of high quality, cost-effective medical care. It is facilitated by a physician-led, team-based approach to health care reducing fragmentation and therefore improving patient safety and quality of care.

CareHQ supports the concept of continuity of care and supports the role of General Practitioners in providing continuity of care to their patients in all settings, both directly and by coordination of care with the health care team and other health care professionals.

Check our privacy policy for details on what data we collect and who we share it with.

To reset your password, use the forgot password link on the log in page.

If there's a technical issue during your CareHQ consultation, the GP will call you on the mobile number you provided. They will try to help, or you may need to finish the consultation on your phone. Their call will show as an Unknown Number. Please don’t block the call.

The minimum phone or tablet requirements are:

• Android 5.0 or higher. CareHQ is fully supported on devices with ARMv7 processors required for video calling.
• iOS10 or higher, on the following supported devices:
  • iPhone 6S or later
  • iPad Air or iPad Air 2
  • iPad Mini 2 or later
  • iPad Pro (1st generation) or later
  • iPad (5th generation) or later
  • iPod touch (6th generation)

For administration queries, such as booking or cancelling an appointment, pricing, payments and refunds, please email admin@carehq.co.nz. Our admin team is available 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday.

For clinical queries, such as prescriptions, test results or whether CareHQ is right for you, please email care@carehq.co.nz. Our nurse team are available 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday and periodically over the weekend and in the evening.