Please visit the National Women's Health website for more information www.nwhealthinfo.co.nz
The Women's Health Information Unit is located in the Atrium area on level 9 at Auckland City Hospital.
Open: Monday 8am - 4pm, Tuesday 8am - 12noon, Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Contact: Ph: (09) 307 8978 or email: .
The general gynaecology service provides care to women residing within the ADHB catchment of Central Auckland (population - 400,000 approximately). National Women’s Health is also a major tertiary referral centre for Gynaecology Oncology, Urogynaecology and Fertility patients.
The service comprises:
- One inpatient ward (Ward 97) at Auckland City Hospital (ACH)
- Women’s Assessment Unit (WAU) at ACH for both Gynaecology and Obstetric patients
- Day surgery at Greenlane Clinical Centre (GCC)
- Outpatient services at GCC including:-
- General and Specialty Gynaecology Clinics
- Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit
- Epsom Day Unit providing first trimester termination service
- Colposcopy.
District Services
- Secondary gynaecology, including menstrual disorders, pelvic floor dysfunction endometriosis, pelvic pain and sterilisation
- Colposcopy and treatment of cervical and vulvo-vaginal epithelial abnormalities
- Management of miscarriage and pregnancy failure
- Complex hormone replacement therapy and family planning
- Vasectomy consultation and procedures.
Regional Services
- First and second trimester termination of pregnancy
- Fertility services – Fertility Plus is one of three providers in the Auckland region. Services include reproductive endocrinology
- Recurrent pregnancy loss diagnosis and management
- Gynaecology Oncology
- Vulval clinic provides an extended regional service for all vulval disorders. There are 3 centres in New Zealand – Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch
- Female Multidisciplinary Clinics.
Wards and Clinics in the Gynaecology Service
Inpatient Services – Ward 97, Auckland City Hospital
Gynaecology inpatients is a 22 bed ward providing care for women with acute gynaecology problems, preoperative and postoperative care for General Gynaecology, Gynaecology Oncology and women following breast surgery . It also provides care to women with early pregnancy complications and medical terminations of pregnancy up to 20 weeks gestation.
The service has access to the ACH Level 8 High Dependency Unit (HDU) and the Critical Care Unit for those women requiring a higher level of care and monitoring.
Outpatient Clinics
The Gynaecological Outpatient Clinics are held at the Greenlane Clinical Centre and include:
- General Gynaecology (i.e. menstrual disorders, pelvic floor dysfunction, sterilisation)
- Hormone replacement therapy and family planning
- Endometriosis and pelvic pain
- Urogynaecology
- Pre-admissions clinic
- Colposcopy
- Gynaecology Oncology
Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit (EPAU)
EPAU is a nurse-led outpatient service, with a social worker and medical support. This service is based at GCC and provided for women referred for the management of early pregnancy complications, including miscarriage, ectopic and molar pregnancy, and for consultation for second trimester termination. Women requiring surgical management of miscarriage are referred to Ward 97, Gynaecology Services, Auckland City Hospital.
Epsom Day Unit (EDU)
Epsom Day Unit (EDU) is the Auckland Regional Service for first trimester terminations (up to 12.6 weeks on day of referral) of pregnancy. The boundary for the Auckland region is from Mercer in the south to Warkworth in the north. EDU’s telephone contact is (09) 631 0740.
Abortion in New Zealand is legal under the provisions of the 1977 Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act and 1961 Crimes Act. The law requires that two Medical Practitioners, designated Certifying Consultants appointed under the Act, agree to the request for termination of pregnancy and it fulfills the requirements of the Act. The Act also requires counselling to be offered to women.
Referral to EDU is made by a General Practitioner (GP) or from a Family Planning Clinic. The appointment is made by telephone with the scan and referral letter faxed through to the clinic. GPs and FPA clinics are aware of referral criteria to the clinic.
EDU provides a two-day service and it is important that women are aware of this before coming to the clinic.
- Day 1 Process
All women are required to present with a valid photo ID which can include: driver’s license, passport, student ID. Women are also required to present a proof of eligibility for free healthcare services; this may include a birth certificate or a passport.
The assessment on Day 1 includes - psychosocial, medical, legal certification, contraceptive prescription and education. The woman will meet with a social worker, community doctor and registered nurse. The expected timeframe to complete the Day 1 process is 2-3hrs.
Women who do not present with a photo ID or proof of eligibility will be rebooked.
Women who arrive more than 20mins late for Day one appointments will be also be rebooked.
- Day 2 Process
Women will be seen by a surgeon for the second certifying assessment and, if certified, the surgical termination of pregnancy occurs. The expected timeframe to complete the Day 2 process is 3 hrs.
Counselling service
EDU offers pregnancy option counselling and post-operative termination counselling.
Fertility Plus
NWH Fertility Plus offers a range of secondary and tertiary reproductive endocrinology, infertility and sub-fertility services to the women of the Northern Region. Fertility Plus is one of three public providers in the Auckland region. Private investigation and treatment is also available. Fertility is accredited by the Australasian Reproductive Technologies Accreditation Committee.
Publicly funded fertility treatment is available to women under 40 years of age, who are non-smokers and have a BMI under 32. If couples do not meet the criteria for publicly funded fertility treatment, private treatment is available.
Gynaecology Oncology
NWH is the regional service provider for surgical gynaecology oncology, providing services to CMDHB, WDHB and Northland. An extended regional surgical service is offered to Gisborne, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty. This service has a close association with Blood and Cancer Services of ACH (chemotherapy and radiation therapy services).
Women’s Assessment Unit (WAU)
This service is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and provides acute care for women experiencing pregnancy and gynaecological complications.
If an acute situation occurs and assessment is required immediately, a woman will be referred to the Women’s Assessment Unit by her General Practitioner. In WAU the patient will be seen by the Gynaecology on-call team to determine the most appropriate mode of treatment and the necessary investigations will be carried out.
