The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners

28 Hoteo Ave
Papatoetoe
Auckland
Phone: 09 278 5563
Fax: 09 278 8877

Teachers: Dr Randall Sturm and Dr Peter Vincent

Dr Randall Sturm

I am 39 years old and graduated from Auckland Medical School in 1994. I gained hospital experience in Waikato & Sydney before undertaking GP training in Australia. Upon gaining the Australian GP fellowship in 2000, I returned to Auckland with my family & started general practice in Papatoetoe. I enjoy all areas of general practice including the teaching of registrars. Other life interests include watching sports, drinking wine and taking time to think.

I hope to remain an enthusiastic teacher of GP registrars. I will continue to provide a supportive learning environment so that our registrars develop into safe & competent fellows.

Dr Peter Vincent

I am 54 yrs old and graduated from Auckland Medical School in 1979. I was born in Dunedin and raised in the UK and West Virginia USA before returning to New Zealand to attend university (BSc - Cell Biology and Chemistry) and Medical School.

I am married to Dr Prudence Waters who owns the practice next door.

My interests include computing and skin surgery. I have been employed as a consultant in computer development by Auckland DHB and am currently part of a national working group on coding systems and guideline development. I have an interest in diagnostic systems, voice recognition systems and medical database systems. I developed a dermatology service for South Auckland treating over 2,000 patients and teaching dermatology to GP's.  I am contracted to the Plastic Surgery Dept to do minor plastic and skin cancer surgery on contract. I spend about 4 hours per week doing this and have developed a large library of skin surgery images. I work on call after hours for the Auckland Spinal Unit.

The Practice

We are situated in Papatoetoe opposite Hunters Plaza on Great South Rd, approximately 5 minutes from Middlemore Hospital. We have a purpose built medical centre, with an open plan reception area and consulting rooms situated around this. We have 3 large consulting rooms, an additional smaller consulting room and 2 nurse's rooms. On site we also have radiology, laboratory collection rooms, visiting specialists, pharmacy and physiotherapy.

The practice itself has been in Papatoetoe for over 20 years and has a well established patient base. We are an ACCESS funded practice and are affiliated to ProCare PHO through ProCare Network Manukau. We are currently undergoing Cornerstone Accreditation and hope to have this completed by mid 2008.

The practice is fully computerised with scanning of all incoming mail, electronic sending and receiving of some referrals and all lab results. Our Practice Management System is MedTech 32. Internet access is provided at each work station.

The practice is well equipped with the "standard" general practice items such as sphygmomanometers, otoscopes and ophthalmoscopes etc. In addition we have a practice tympanometer, on site liquid nitrogen for cryotherapy, spirometry with credentialed nurses, ECG machine, portable automatic defibrillator, O2 saturation monitor, nebuliser facilities and excellent surgical equipment.

Our practice population characteristics are listed below:

Total enrolled patients = 5890

Gender - 54% male, 46% female

Ethnicity

Age Ranges

Hours of Operation

Monday to Friday 0830 - 1700hrs  (Late Night to 1900hrs on a Monday)

Saturdays  0900 - 1300hrs on a rostered basis (approx 1:6)

No nights or after hours cover.

The Staff

Doctors
- Peter Vincent (9/10ths for 6 months of the year)
- Randall Sturm (9/10ths)

Nurses – Katie Ford / Dorothy Herring (2 full time positions)

Reception Staff - Bev Pointon / Kim Nihill / Kathy Gutrie (2 full time positions)

Practice Manager - Bev Pointon

Registrar Timetable

The registrar would work 8/10ths alongside one of the GP Registrar teachers.

Consulting times would mirror the GP and may involve one late night per week. Weekend work and After Hours is not envisioned.

An additional 1/10^th would involve research, or in house education sessions or audit within the practice.

The Community

Papatoetoe is a suburb located approximately 20 minutes south of Auckland Central.  It was largely developed in the 1930's and post war era when farming land was subdivided for housing. Initially there were a number of English migrants many of whom are now retired here. Over recent years Papatoetoe continues to attract a migrant population from all over the world. It is one of the more affluent South Auckland communities but with a mix of patients from all cultures and income strata. This provides challenge and variety to the demands of communication in General Practice.

The medical centre is a stimulating environment where there is sufficient expertise in different areas that we are often able to seek advice from a colleague or visiting specialist on a topic of interest.

We see an extraordinary range of interesting medicine and have a great diversity of personalities among our patients. We have a progressive and popular local hospital and a good relationship with our visiting specialists.

Profile updated 17 October 2011