FAQs

Our practice hours are from 8:30am to 5:00pm, Monday to Thursday.

Enquiries can be made by telephoning our practice at (07) 543 1855.

Once we receive your referral, an appointment will be offered as soon as possible.

This is normally within 6 weeks, often much sooner if possible.

You will receive notification in writing sent to the address provided by your referrer.

You will also receive a text reminder (SMS) if your cell phone number was provided with the referral.

If you have any questions about your appointment, or need to change the time, please call Practice Managers Sally or Michelle on 07 5431855.

Please don’t think that just because you have been referred to a surgeon, you are immediately going to be lined up for surgery!

What’s Going On?
First, we need to understand the cause of your complaint. Medically, this is called a diagnosis.

By reviewing the issues you are having, together with a physical examination, we try and better understand the cause of your problem.

A firm diagnosis may or may not be able to be made at the first visit.

Further investigations or scans may be required to reach a firm diagnosis.

What Can We Do About It?
Once a diagnosis is made, treatment options can be discussed.

Treatment may not involve surgery. Surgery is only appropriate when there are no longer any effective non-surgical treatment options available.

Proceeding with surgical treatment is entirely your choice, once you have had time to weigh up the pros and cons, after discussion with Mr Lamberton.

• Referral letter from your GP or other health professional
• Insurance policy number or ACC claim number
• Copies of medical reports and details of previous operations on the same body region, if available
• List of current medications
• Details of any recent X-rays, scans, MRI’s on the same body region

Most medical information should have already been provided by your health professional with your referral.

Any recent X-rays and scans should be available to us online.

If you have any old X-rays and scans of the same body area, please also bring these as they may offer valuable information into how your condition may have developed.

Other than that, if you don’t feel you have anything special to bring, then don’t be too worried.

As part of the initial assessment, a physical examination will be required.

The examination is undertaken in a private consulting room.

This may require removing clothing from your legs for a short period of time, but not your underwear.

For your convenience, try to avoid tight-fitting jeans or trousers, as well as pantyhose.

You may have to walk a few steps across the room in your underwear, as well as lying flat on an examination bed.

A modesty drape will be used to cover your underwear and groin area.

Note that issues affecting the legs often require an examination of the spine, as well as the entirety of both legs.

Your modesty and privacy will be respected at all times.

You may bring a chaperone or accompanying person entirely at your discretion.

For a complete summary of your rights in the healthcare environment, please see the Code of Consumers’ Rights Click here for NZ Code of Rights

You are very welcome to bring an accompanying spouse, partner, family member or support person, however it is not a requirement and is entirely at your discretion.

If you are particularly anxious about the appointment or worry that you may not retain information, then a partner or family member is often a useful addition to the consultation.

Similarly, if you are hard of hearing, a trusted friend or family member is very welcome.

As a courtesy, and to avoid confusion, it is appreciated if you explain your relationship to the support person at the outset of the assessment. Be reassured that the nature of your relationship to the support person will not in any way affect the outcome of the assessment.

Under the New Zealand Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights, you are entitled to have one or more support people of your choice present.

For a complete summary of the Code of Consumers’ Rights, please refer here [NZ Code of Rights].

Grace Orthopaedic Centre
You appointment will be at Grace Orthopaedic Centre.

Grace Orthopaedic Centre is located at 335 Cheyne Road, Pyes Pa, Tauranga, right next to Grace Hospital.

Click [here] to see Google Map directions.

On your mobile device, enter ‘Grace Orthopaedic Centre’ into Google Maps and you will find directions.

Mr Lamberton’s Rooms
Mr Lamberton is located in Suite 1 on the ground floor at Grace Orthopaedic Centre.

You will see Mr Lamberton’s desk upon entering the building to the left of the main door. Please check in with his Practice Manager, Sally or Michelle, on arrival.

Bathroom facilities and chilled water are available immediately adjacent to the waiting area.

Parking is provided outside the building, within 100 metres of the front door. Drop off parks are right at the front entrance.

A wheelchair is available if you require assistance.

It Is always prudent to check your insurance coverage before the consultation, and to be familiar with the billing and claim procedures of your insurer. These differ significantly from company to company.

Southern Cross Insurance members
If you are insured with Southern Cross, please remember your membership number or card.

Mr Lamberton is an Affiliated Provider to Southern Cross for Initial Consultations and Follow-Up appointments. This means the claiming is done for you by Mr Lamberton’s Rooms.

Southern Cross will pay your policy allowance directly to Mr Lamberton. Please note that there may be a shortfall that you are responsible for, depending on your policy.

If you require surgery, we will assist you with obtaining prior approval from your insurer.

If you have an injury that you understand is covered by ACC, please confirm that you have a valid claim before attending your appointment to avoid any unexpected costs.

ACC will have sent you a confirmation letter accepting your claim.

There are 3 key bits on information for ACC injuries-

• Body site
• Date of Injury
• Claim Number

If necessary, check with ACC before your first appointment-

• Phone: 0800 101 996
• Email: claims@acc.co.nz
• Website: www.acc.co.nz/im-injured

On arrival for your appointment, please confirm your ACC claim is “verified” with the practice manager.

Your rights as a health consumer are summarised in the following link to the Health and Disability Commissioner website. [http://www.hdc.org.nz]

You can print a copy here

Orthopaedic surgery is the treatment of bone and joint disorders affecting the upper limb, the lower limb and the spine.

The word ‘orthopaedic’ comes from the Greek words ‘orthos’ meaning ‘straight’, and ‘paed’ meaning ‘child’. It was coined by French physician Nicolas Andry in 1741, as initially he was concerned with correcting spinal and bony deformities of children.

An orthopaedic surgeon is a medical specialist who has undergone a minimum of 6 years’ additional training after obtaining a standard medical degree.

In New Zealand, a medical degree is an MB,ChB which stands for Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery.

All New Zealand medical practitioners are required to be registered and approved by the New Zealand Medical Council and will have a registration number.

New Zealand orthopaedic surgeons are trained and registered by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, a conjoined professional body of Australia and New Zealand.

Orthopaedic surgeons are trained in all branches of surgery, but tend to specialise in particular body regions such as the hip or the shoulder, or certain age groups such as children’s surgery, or specific disorders such as tumour surgery.

Mr Lamberton specialises in adult hip and knee surgery, with the following qualifications:

• BHB 1989 Bachelor of Human Biology, University of Auckland
• MBChB    1992    Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, University of Auckland
• FRACS (Orth.)    2000    Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
• Fellow    2000    New Zealand Orthopaedic Association
• NZMC    Vocational Registration NZ Medical Council

The length of each assessment will vary depending on the nature of the problem.

You will be offered either a 15, 30 or 45 minute appointment slot.

If additional X-rays are required, they can be obtained on-site, normally within half an hour. I endeavour to see you again after the X-rays, which might take another 20 minutes for discussion.

If advanced imaging such as MRI scanning is needed, this will need to be arranged separately and a follow-up appointment to discuss the results will be required.

The consultation fees are proportionate to the length of the assessment.

Southern Cross Insurance members

If you are insured with Southern Cross, please advise of your membership number on arrival.

As an Affiliated Provider to Southern Cross for consultations (and for surgery), we bill Southern Cross directly for your consultation fee. Please note that depending on your policy type, there may be a shortfall or co-payment that is required from you at the time of consultation.

Medical Insurance

If you have insurance with other medical insurers, you are required to pay us on invoice and submit the invoice for reimbursement from the insurance company.

It is always prudent to clarify your insurance coverage before the consultation, and to be familiar with the billing and claim procedures of your insurer. These differ significantly from company to company.

ACC Patients

If you are referred under an active and verified ACC claim, please confirm this with the practice manager upon arrival.

For verified claims, the consultation fee will be covered by ACC and you will not be required to make a contribution.

Note that if X-rays are required, there may be an ACC surcharge payable to the radiology service.

If you have an injury that you understand is covered by ACC, please confirm that you have a valid claim.

If necessary, check with ACC-

• Phone : 0800 101 996
• Email : [javascript protected email address]
• Website : www.acc.co.nz