Welcome to
Stoke & Waimea Medical
A Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners Cornerstone Accredited Practice.
Enrolments now being accepted for both
Waimea Medical and Stoke Medical
Stoke & Waimea Medical is a Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners Cornerstone Accredited Practice.
This means that we have met a range of standards set by the college in order to provide a quality service to our patients. We achieved our inaugural accreditation on 8 February 2010.
We are committed to providing quality medical care to our patients. We hope you will find this website helpful.
Our website will show you some of the services we provide, along with some information to help you understand in more detail how and / or why we provide the specific service.
We welcome your views and feedback on how you find your visit at Stoke & Waimea Medical. We are open-minded and will take note of all comments and suggestions. Often we will be able to change the way we work in response to your ideas.
Summer Fun – Be Sun Safe
With longer days and sunnier weather drawing us outdoors, now is the time to remind yourself and your family of ways to keep your skin safe and prevent cancer:
The 5 S's for sun protection are Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, and Slide.
· Slip on sun-protective clothing that covers as much skin as possible, such as long-sleeved shirts.
· Slop on broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher (or SPF 50+) and reapply every two hours.
· Slap on a wide-brimmed hat to shade your face, ears, and neck.
· Seek shade under trees, umbrellas, or built structures, especially during peak midday hours.
· Slide on UV-blocking sunglasses to protect your eyes and the delicate skin around them.
Be your own skin detective
Look over your entire body regularly. Skin cancers can be in places you can’t see yourself, so you may need to ask someone to help you check.
Check regularly (monthly) and keep track of spots and moles so you know if they have changed.
See your GP or Nurse Practitioner as soon as possible if you:
· see or feel something that's new on your skin
· see or feel something that’s different from other spots or moles
· notice a spot or mole that’s changed from the last time you checked - this could include a change in the colour, shape, or size
· a sore that does not heal.
Don't delay in seeking medical advice if a lesion is bleeding, oozing, scaly, swelling, or itchy.
Some skin cancers can spread very quickly, so noticing a change in your skin quickly (early detection) means that it's more likely to be treated successfully.