Casual Patients Procedure

Services available to casual patients at the Student Health Service, who qualifies, and what to do for urgent care if you're not enrolled with a GP.

This is a plain language version of the Casual Patients Procedure (386kb PDF).

The Casual Patients Procedure applies to domestic students at the University of Waikato who are eligible for publicly funded health services. It does not apply to international students.

A casual patient is an enrolled domestic student who has completed a consent form to use the Hamilton Student Health Service but has not registered with a General Practice (GP). 

Services available to casual patients

  1. Mental health and wellbeing services 

  1. Influenza vaccines 

  1. Meningococcal vaccines (if living in the Halls of Residence) 

  1. Sexual health checks with a nurse (usual consultation fees apply) 

  1. Free Accurate Self-Test (FAST) checks for Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, and Trichomonas (testing is free, but treatment requires usual consultation fees) 

Services NOT available to casual patients

  1. Routine GP appointments for health concerns or long-term conditions 

  1. Repeat prescriptions 

  1. Depo Provera injections 

  1. Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARCs) 

  1. Nursing student health screening forms and vaccinations 

  1. Medical certificates from a GP or Practice Nurse 

  1. Other vaccinations 

Urgent health care process

  1. Administrator checks where the student’s usual GP is located. 

  1. If not enrolled in a GP practice, the administrator encourages enrolment with Student Health Service. 

  1. If the usual GP is local, the student is advised to use their own GP, Practice Plus, or Urgent Care Clinics. 

  1. If the usual GP is out of area, the administrator arranges a nurse phone triage. 

  1. During nurse phone triage, the nurse assesses the urgent health need and advises accordingly. If a GP assessment is needed the same day, a Support Clinician or Nurse Prescriber appointment is booked if available. 

  1. For emergencies (e.g., chest pain, shortness of breath, active bleeding), the administrator informs the nurse to triage the patient in person. 

Definitions

  • LARCs: Long-Acting Reversible Contraception 

  • Urgent health needs: Includes new or worsening pain, active infection, new injury, breathing difficulty, fainting, dehydration, severe allergic reaction 

  • FAST: Free, Accurate Self Testing for Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, and Trichomonas 

  • GP: General Practitioner 

  • Support Clinician: GP or Nurse Practitioner assigned to acute appointments 

  • Nurse Prescriber: Registered Nurse authorized to prescribe some medication 

  • Practice Nurse: Registered Nurse working in General Practice 

  • Domestic Student: Student enrolled at the University of Waikato who is a permanent resident 

  • International Student: Student enrolled at the University of Waikato who is not a permanent NZ resident 

Review and updates

  • This plain language version of the Casual Patients’ Procedure was last reviewed and updated on 01/05/2025 and is set to be reviewed again by 01/05/2028. 

  • If this document is printed, it is valid only for the day of printing. 

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