Taranaki DHB
New Plymouth District, Stratford District, South Taranaki District
Licensed institutions
Taranaki Base Hospital
| Street Address: | David Street, New Plymouth |
| Postal Address: | Private Bag 2016, New Plymouth |
| Phone: | (06) 753 6139 |
| Facsimile: | (06) 753 7727 |
Sexual Health Clinic
| Street Address: | 188 Powderham St,, New Plymouth |
| Postal Address: | 188 Powderham St , New Plymouth |
| Phone: | (0508) 739 432 (0508)SEXHEALTH |
Services provided
Taranaki Base Hospital provides a surgical termination of pregnancy service up to 16 weeks.
Medical termination of later pregnancies (induction of labour) can be arranged for more severe risk and fetal anomaly.
Early medical abortion now available (2013) as alternative to surgery. Contact Sexual Health Clinic.
Appointments
Patients are initially referred by their GP or Family Planning Clinic to one of the three certifying consultants. These doctors see patients by appointment in the Waitara Health Centre, Hawera Hospital and in Sexual Health/Family Planning rooms in New Plymouth or Te Aroha Medcare.
Appointments for second certification are then made for one of the specialist certifying consultants, who will act as an operating doctor. These consultations are either done in their specialist rooms or in the hospital.
The surgical terminations are provided one day a week, as day patients under general anaesthetic or local anaesthetic in the main operating theatre at the Taranaki Base Hospital.
Information required from the referrer
Before referral, the doctor will need to have accurately dated the pregnancy or arranged an ultrasound scan for this purpose. Routine anti-natal blood tests and STI swabs will need to have been taken, and referral to the counsellor organised.
Certification
Patients are referred by their general practitioners to a local certifying consultant for consideration. If the legal criteria are met the second certificate can be provided by one of the two certifying consultants who will act also as operating surgeon.
Counselling
Counselling can be arranged through the pregnancy choice counsellors at the Taranaki Base Hospital, but the patients may be seen at one of the other local centres (Hawera / Stratford / Opunake/ Patea & Waverly/ Waitara / Mokau Health Centres). GPs should fax a request for counselling to at the Taranaki Base Hospital.
The procedure
The procedure is suction curettage under general anaesthetic, but local anaesthetic is an option if the woman requests it. Medication abortion is also available.
Follow-up
Follow-up is provided by the referring doctor.
Cost
The service is free for eligible patients. Women ineligible for publicly-funded services should enquire about the cost before accessing the services.
Second trimester - all grounds, other than fetal anomaly
Second trimester abortion services for non-fetal anomaly grounds are provided up to 16 weeks as above for first trimester.
Second trimester - fetal anomaly
Second trimester abortion services for fetal anomaly are provided in the Taranaki Base Hospital.
Appointments
Patients should be referred to Fulford Radiology requesting an appointment. Full information should be faxed. A high-risk scanning session is held once a week and all possible abnormalities should be referred to this clinic by the Lead Maternity Care or doctor. The clerk will book the women in to the next clinic.
Certification
If criteria are met, certificates will provided by the two gynaecologists who are certifying consultants.
Counselling
Women will be counselled by the gynaecologist and midwife. Further counselling is available through the hospital social workers if the women wish.
The procedure
Mifegyne® and misoprostol are used as a standard two-day procedure.
Follow-up
Follow-up is provided in the specialist hospital clinic for women and their family/whānau. This is important to provide information and to make recommendations for future pregnancies. Post mortem is always recommended.
Cost
The service is free for eligible patients. Women ineligible for publicly-funded services should enquire about the cost before accessing the services.
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: 1 December 2014