The Doctors Muritai

15/02/2026

⚠️ SERVICE UPDATE 16/02/2026

Dear patients, unfortunately due to the extreme weather across the region, The Doctors Muritai has lost power and we have made the decision to close the practice for today.

Please keep an eye out on this page for any further updates.

If your appointment has been affected by this closure, one of our staff members will be in touch to reschedule. Many apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Kind regards,
The Doctors Muritai

01/02/2026

📣 12-MONTH SCRIPT LEGISLATION CHANGES

From 1st February 2026 changes to prescribing lengths have come into action, allowing GPs to issue prescriptions up to 12-months in length to some patients, if clinically safe to do so. The decision on the appropriate prescription length will be entirely down to the GP’s discretion on a case-by-case basis but primarily aims at providing easier access to medication for people with long-term, stable conditions.

There are certain prescriptions which cannot be issued more frequently, for example:
▪ Controlled medicines (e.g. opioids, stimulants, etc).
▪ Medications/conditions that require frequent monitoring
▪ Some important points to consider:

Issuing a 12-month prescription comes with an agreement that you must attend at least once per year for a medication review, to check if your medication and/or dosage is still suitable.

Even with a 12-month prescription you cannot collect 12-months’ worth of your medication at once—medicines can still only be collected in 3-month instalments.

All instalments throughout the 12-month period must be collected from the same pharmacy. A 12-month prescription cannot be split between different pharmacies.

Please see the links below for more information on the changes, and what this means for you.
🟢Health NZ’s Increasing Prescribing Lengths factsheet:https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/2025-05/Factsheet%20-%20Increasing%20prescribing%20lengths.pdf
🟢The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners FAQ:https://www.rnzcgp.org.nz/documents/650/12-month_prescription_changes_FAQs_FINAL_2.pdf

28/01/2026

📣 Dear patients, we're excited to announce that patients of The Doctors Silverstream, The Doctors Muritai + The Doctors Lower Hutt can now book Gender Affirming Medicine consultations with Dr AJ Eckert!

Dr Eckert has on 19 years' experience, including 11 years as a primary healthcare doctors specialising in LGBTQIA+ health, sexual health, and gender affirming healthcare services. This is a supportive, informed consent clinic, taking place at the Silverstream practice, for patients of all ages, identities, and gender expression.

Starting with an initial 60-minute consultation to discuss your individual needs and goals, Dr Eckert can help with:
🏳️‍⚧️ Hormone prescribing + monitoring for both binary and nonbinary people.
🏳️‍🌈 Micro-dosing and lower dose hormone therapy.
🏳️‍⚧️ Assistance with + referral for gender affirming procedures and surgeries.
🏳️‍🌈 Pre- and post-operative gender affirming exams.
🏳️‍⚧️ Pelvic exams + Pap smears.
🏳️‍🌈 PrEP + PEP prescribing.
🏳️‍⚧️ STI + HIV testing.

Currently, appointments for this clinic can only be booked via reception--if you are interested in making a booking, or have any questions, please give the team a call on (04) 527 7376.

Kind regards,
The Doctors Silverstream.

26/01/2026

📣 Dear patients, please be aware that The Doctors Muritai will be closed between 12:00 to 13:15 every weekday going forward.

This will also affect our phone lines, so for non-urgent issues during this period time, please call Healthline on 0800 611 116, or call us back after 13:15.

If your call is an emergency, please dial 111.

Kind regards,
The Doctors Muritai

11/01/2026

✨ New Sexual Health Clinic at The Doctors Silverstream ✨

We’re now running a dedicated Sexual Health Clinic for enrolled patients of The Doctors Silverstream, Lower Hutt and Muritai.

📅 Mondays, Tuesdays & Fridays
📍 The Doctors Silverstream

Services available:
✔ Contraception consultations
✔ IUD consultations, insertions & removals
✔ Jadelle consultations & implants (*removals with Dr Castillo)
✔ STI screenings (booked or walk-ins welcome)
✔ Cervical screening
✔ Support for other concerns such as thrush, BV & STI symptoms

💡 Some enrolled patients may be eligible for funding towards minor gynaecological procedures and contraception — your nurse will let you know at your appointment.

📞 To book, call The Doctors Silverstream on 04 527 7376 or ask at Reception.

24/12/2025

If you're usual General Practice is closed over Christmas and New Year, we have appointments available right the way through, including Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and New Years Day and the Day After New Years Day.

Call us on 0800 772 2758 or visit our website www.practiceplus.nz for to find out more, or book an appointment!

22/12/2025

🎄 Holiday reminder: plan ahead for repeat prescriptions & appointments 🎄

💊 Repeat prescriptions
Scripts can take up to 72 hours to process. With limited opening hours between Christmas Day and Monday 5 January, please send any repeat prescription requests as early as possible (especially if your medication will run out over this period).

🕒 The Doctors Muritai holiday hours
Wed 24 Dec 2025: 8:30am–2:30pm
Thu 25 Dec–Sun 4 Jan 2026: Closed
Mon 5 Jan: Normal hours resume

📞 Muritai patients
If you need to contact us with urgent issues between Christmas and New Year, the Muritai phone number will be redirected to our Silverstream Reception team.

🚑 Need care while we’re closed?
Please visit your nearest after-hours urgent care clinic, or call Healthline on 0800 611 116 for free general health advice. In an emergency, call 111.

18/12/2025

🩺 Valley Skin Checks are now on-site at The Doctors Silverstream from Mon-Thurs, bringing convenient, professional skin cancer checks closer to home.

Early detection saves lives.

To book, just give them a call on 04 567 1219, visit their website to book online, or visit their reception signposted within The Doctors Silverstream 🌞✨

Expert skin cancer screening services by Valley Skin Checks, offering full assessments, advanced imaging, and personalised skin health care. Book your appointment today.

17/12/2025

New Zealand has one of the highest skin cancer rates in the world, with overexposure to UV from the sun being the main cause. Knowing what to look for can quite literally save your life.

🧐 See your doctor if you notice:
- New moles or growths
- Changes in size, shape or colour of a mole
- Irregular or blurred borders
- More than one colour in a mole
- A spot that looks “different” from the others

✅ Protect your skin every day:
Use SPF 30+ (or higher) and reapply every 2 hours when outdoors
- Cover up with clothing, a wide-brimmed hat and UV-rated sunglasses
- Seek shade between 10am and 4pm
- Avoid tanning beds and intentional tanning
- Check your skin every 3 months and get any changes checked

Early detection and good sun habits make a huge difference. If you’ve noticed anything new or changing on your skin, book an appointment with your GP or NP.

Skin checks are a standard service offered by all our medical centres. If you or a family member are experiencing skin conditions that worry you, please book...

15/12/2025

We're pleased to announce that The Doctors Muritai now has a page! Local health news and practice-specific updates related to our Muritai practice will be shared on the page, as well as any national health news or alerts that may be relevant to patients.

If you are enrolled with The Doctors Muritai, we encourage you to follow our Muritai page to keep up-to-date with any news and announcements posted.

Follow here: https://www.facebook.com/thedoctorsmuritai/

12/12/2025

📣 You can find our new December '25/January '26 Newsletter here: https://us2.campaign-archive.com/?u=f7e592cef85d33e618fe558ae&id=8ae6b3d3e2

01/12/2025

From today--Monday 1st December 2025--Lower Hutt After Hours Medical Centre is starting their extended opening hours:

🩺 The walk-in urgent care centre is now open every day from 08:00AM to 10:00PM

🩺 Now located on Level 1, Verve on Connolly, 2 Connolly St., Lower Hutt

🩺 For fees and more information, please see their website:

Lower Hutt After Hours Medical Centre. We operate a no appointment necessary walk-in clinic in Lower Hutt for all your medical needs.