Nelson-Marlborough DHB
Tasman District, Nelson City, Marlborough District
Licensed institutions
Nelson Hospital
| Street Address: | Tipahi Street, Nelson |
| Postal Address: | Private Bag 18, Nelson |
| Phone: | (03) 546 1800 |
| Facsimile: | (03) 546 1680 |
Services provided
First trimester
Nelson Hospital provides first trimester abortion services, both surgical and medical,for all eligible women.
Referral
Referral is made by GP or family planning doctor.
Information required from the referrer
NZ residency and personal details, including contact telephone number; parity and gravidity, previous TOPs; LMP, pelvic exam findings, USS if needed; investigations (HVS, chlamydia and antenatal bloods); history and indications, contraception use at conception; recommended follow-up contraception.
Counselling
Counselling is available at the Nelson Hospital, and is offered to every patient. This usually arranged by the referring doctor after the initial appointment and before the first patient is seen by the certifying consultant.
Counselling is also available post-procedure.
Certification
The first step is referral to one of the two specialist gynaecologists, who are certifying consultants, in their rooms in the community. This costs the patient $50. The second certificate is provided by the other certifying consultants.
Appointments
An appointment is then made for the operation to be performed in Nelson Hospital usually by the gynaecologist who has seen and examined the woman.
The procedure
The operating procedure is fitted in to a routine gynaecology operating list. The method used is surgical suction curettage under general anaesthetic. Early medical abortion is also available as an option.
Follow-up
Patients are advised to see their referring doctor post-procedure for follow-up one to two weeks after the procedure. Complications requiring hospital admission are dealt with by Nelson Hospital Emergency Department.
Cost
The service is free for eligible patients. Women who are not eligible for publicly-funded services should enquire about the cost before accessing the service. Currently the cost is approximately $1,500.00 for non-residents.
Second trimester - other than fetal anomaly
Second trimester terminations other than for fetal abnormality are usually sent to Te Mahoe Unit, Wellington Hospital.
Te Mahoe Unit requires that women be seen by a local counsellor before referral and a scan performed for accurate dating.
Patients travelling to Wellington are directed to WINZ if they are in financial difficulty and can claim under a Special Needs Grant for $300.00 for their travel expenses.
Second trimester - fetal anomaly
Second trimester abortion services for significant fetal anomaly are provided in Nelson Hospital by medical induction of labour using mifepristone and misoprostol.
Manuka Street Trust Hospital
| Street Address: | 36 Manuka Street, Nelson |
| Postal Address: | 36 Manuka Street, Nelson |
| Phone: | (03) 548 8566 |
Services provided
This is a private hospital. Abortions are seldom performed in this hospital but are sometimes provided for exceptional circumstances by specialist gynaecologists.
Wairau Hospital
| Street Address: | Cnr Hospital & Taylors Pass Roads, Blenheim |
| Postal Address: | PO Box 46, Blenheim |
| Phone: | (03) 520 9999 |
| Facsimile: |
First trimester
Wairau Hospital provides first trimester abortion services for all eligible women.
Appointments and certification
Initial appointment is made by the referring doctor (GP or Family Planning Clinic) with one of the two GP certifying consultants in the community. These doctors then arrange an appointment with the operating doctor in the clinic at the Wairau hospital.
Separate appointments are required for both certification visits and the operation (maximum appointments over 3 days).
Information required from the referrer
NZ residency and personal details, including contact telephone number; parity and gravidity, previous TOPs; LMP, pelvic exam findings, USS is performed; investigations (HVS, chlamydia and antenatal bloods); history and indications, contraception use at conception; recommended follow-up contraception.
Counselling
Counselling is available through the Social Work Department and arranged by the referring doctor as required.
The procedure
The operating procedure usually takes place on a Thursday. The method used is suction curettage under general anaesthetic.
Early medical abortion is not available in Marlborough.
Follow-up
Patients are advised to see their referring doctor post-procedure for follow-up. Complications requiring admission are dealt with by O & G team at Wairau Hospital.
Cost
The service is free for eligible patients. The charge for those ineligible for publicly-funded services is $1500 plus extra if scan required.
Second trimester - all grounds, other than fetal anomaly
Patients are referred to the Te Mahoe Unit, Wellington Hospital
Patients travelling to Wellington are directed to WINZ if they are in financial difficulty and can claim under a Special Needs Grant for $300.00 for their travel expenses.
Second trimester - fetal anomaly
Wairau Hospital only provides a second trimester induction procedure where there is intrauterine fetal death.
For women who have confirmed fetal anomaly referral is made to Wellington.
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 they may not necessarily provide the services themselves. Accessing accurate, up-to-date and informative details about how individual District Health Boards provide these services, 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: 27 July 2013