A new study has shown a popular class of medication may be associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. 

We should like to stress that the risk if real, is VERY SMALL and if you are taking these medications you should continue to do so. 

Stopping them suddenly is very dangerous - if you are concerned, please make an appointment.  You should not stop taking the medication without discussing it with us first.

As a rule, we don't advertise on this site, but we thought that it was health-related and targetting a group of patients often neglected. 

Exercise is without doubt the best medicine, with proven benefits in preventing or delaying heart disease, stroke, dementia, falls, respiratory disease and even cancer. 

It's a great venue for it too, with plenty of parking nearby.

Unless you have been living under a rock recently, you cannot but have noticed that there is a lot of political debate about whether cannabis should be legalised, decriminalised or made available on prescription. 

As ever there is a vast amount of misinformation in the media and online so we thought to try to provide some perspective.  Be warned - you may be surprised and may not like what we have to say here but it is as far as can be told, the truth.

Updated 19/07/19

Whilst we don’t generally recommend alternative treatments, we get asked about complementary therapies a lot so we thought we would ask Simone Reddington from the Apothecary at the Tannery in Woolston to put together a checklist for you.

On Sunday 1st July 2017, Anuj Shah married Jyotika Muneshwari Mani in a traditional ceremony held in her home town of Wanganui.  Despite him hailing from New York, a large contingent of his family made the trip to New Zealand and of course, so did a bunch of us from SHC.  Read on for more pictures.

Hackers have locked up the data in thousands of computers including in General Practice and hospitals across the UK and round the world.

Could your data be at risk?

Our long-term after-hours provider, the 24 Hour Surgery, will be moving from the block next to Southern Cross Hospital on Bealey Avenue from Wednesday 10th May 2017.

After hours services will be provided from the new facility at 401 Madras Street.

This building is a lot harder to find as it is set back off the road and the signage is small but the facility itself is much larger and better equipped than the old building.

Our lovely nurse, Joy - pictured on the left in this image,  is to be married in July.  Hearts are breaking all over Sumner as she has charmed young and old over the last two years. 

We are overjoyed that she has found love and devastated that she has chosen to go and live in the USA with her new man, a Dentist no less. 

Joy's last day of work will be 17th May this year so if you need a last smile from her, better make it quick!

If you have needed a prescription over the last month or so you may have noticed a bit of a change.

Your prescription now has a barcode and number in the bottom right hand corner. This is because we are now producing the new NZePS electronic prescriptions, which means the information necessary for your prescription is now sent directly to your pharmacy when they scan the code.

Sumner Health Centre is one of the first practices in Christchurch to be using this innovative new system.  The other is our sister practice in Hei Hei.

October 2016 sees a change to the way two key funding streams for general practice will be administered.  Funding currently allocated to the Care Plus stream and to High Use Health Cards will be pooled into 'ECAP' Extended Capitation funding to be used to benefit all patients in our practice.  So, what does this mean for you?