Drs Verity, Toby and Dan spent the last half of the week in Perth at our annual RACGP conference themed “Reimagining Healthcare”. They explored how innovation, technology and new research will shape how GPs will care for our communities in the future, and how we can work with new technologies [...]

One of our newest GPs Dr Edi Loaiza Maya is also an awesome barber, having recently opened up a barbershop on Racecourse Crescent! He grew up in his mum's hairdressing salon in Columbia, selling meatballs on street corners to help make ends meet for his family before learning hairdressing. His [...]

Congratulations to our newest Newstead Medical FRACGPs Celine and Dave! We had such a great day celebrating this milestone in Hobart, supported by Jeremy, Rebekah and Hnin. 40 new Fellows were admitted to the College on Saturday 21 September, and we celebrated our 2024 award winners and lifetime members. We were joined [...]

As Tasmanian RACGP Chair, Dr Toby Gardner spoke at the RDAT Rural Health Conference in Devonport on 25-26 May. He was part of a panel discussing Multidisciplinary Teams in General Practice and how to better use coordinated care with other allied health practitioners to look after our patients. He was [...]

We recently welcomed Dr Felicty Acheson back to Tasmania! Originally from Scottsdale, Felicity is a local UTAS Launceston Clinical School graduate who has returned home after years working in regional Victoria and around Australia in Aboriginal Health Services. She'll be working Monday to Wednesday at Newstead, Fridays at Kings Meadows, [...]

It's that time of year again! Carpark Flu Clinics will commence on Sunday 21 April. Both government-funded vaccines for eligible patients, as well as private vaccines, will be available. Bookings can be made online through Automed.

After 20 years at Newstead Medical, on Wednesday Dr Felicity Wivell officially hung up her stethoscope. We know she’s looking forward to travelling more, kicking back with a good book, and doing whatever it takes to rope new players into bridge. She’s been such a unique part of the fabric [...]

Congratulations Dr Paul Hanson RACGP Tasmanian GP of the Year! Despite struggling to read and write in Grade 2, he worked tirelessly to get into Medical school at the University of Tasmania. Now, he helps children at Ravenswood Heights Primary School with literacy, encouraging them to pursue their dreams. A fierce advocate for rural health, [...]

Dr Celine Goh has returned to Newstead! Many of you will have already met Celine during her previous time with us, and we're thrilled that she's returned to work with us! She is working full-time with us and is accepting new patients. Welcome back Celine!

On 3 July the Facility Fee at the Urgent Care Centre will increase to $160. This is the first and only increase in fees since the Centre opened over 2 years ago and is necessary for the Centre to remain sustainable given the rising costs of providing our 7-day service. [...]

Big news! From Tuesday 11 July, Dr Verity Foulkes-Taylor will be returning from maternity leave, working every Tuesday and Thursday and Newstead Medical. Having achieved International Board Certification in Lifestyle Medicine, she is currently pursuing a Fellowship in Lifestyle Medicine, and will be working in this space every Tuesday and [...]

We recently celebrated International Nurses Day 2023 on 12 May, the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. Nurses are the backbone of our organisation, and our team regularly give up their evenings and weekends to ensure our patients receive the best possible healthcare. Thank [...]

Flu vaccines have arrived. Flu vaccination is recommended for everyone, with government-funded vaccines provided for those at higher risk: -adults over 65 years old -children over 6mths and less than 5 years old -Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander patients -pregnant patients - those at higher risk of complications from influenza [...]

In line with the update in policy from the Tasmanian Health Service, masks are no longer mandatory when visiting Newstead Medical, the Kings Meadows Medical Centre, the Urgent Care Centre or NewWorkHealth. We recommend using facemasks to reduce the transmission of respiratory viruses and will continue to screen all patients [...]

We’re so excited to welcome Dr Cam McClure back to Newstead Medical full-time! He’ll be largely working in the Urgent Care Centre as our Coordinator, though still doing some limited sessions in General Practice with us. Many of our team have worked with Cam in Emergency Medicine in the past, [...]

We're really excited to welcome Dr Ellie Khalili to the team this year. Ellie relocated from Queensland in 2023, having worked as a GP in Mackay for 4 years. Originally from Iran, she has been working as a General Practitioner since 2011, with a strong interest in skin cancer, women’s [...]

We’re excited to announce the addition of a new physiotherapist, Jelene from Riverside Physiotherapy, to the allied health team. Complementing the work of Justin our exercise physiologist, Jelene has experience in all musculoskeletal conditions including those affecting the elderly. She is a GLA:D provider for patients with osteoarthritis of the [...]

COVID booster vaccine clinics have re-commenced, with the new bivalent BA.4/5 vaccine. If you haven't had COVID infection for over 6 months and are 18-64 you should consider a booster, and ATAGI certainly recommends the booster if you are over 65 or immune-compromised. Image credit: REUTERS

We’re switching our online booking system from HotDoc to AutoMed We’ll be running both platforms in tandem for the next month, but after that you’ll need to book online through AutoMed. AutoMed has a number of extra features that will improve how we communicate with you. You can download the [...]

Dr Karinna is back! After spending the last few years on the mainland completing her training, Dr Karinna Fyfe has returned home to Launceston. She’ll be working Mondays and Fridays at Newstead Medical and every Tuesday at our Kings Meadows Medical Centre, commencing Tuesday 7 February. Karinna has an interest [...]

Along with 26 other GPs from all around the country, Dr Gardner spent 3 days in Parliament in late November lobbying to improve Medicare and bring doctors back to General Practice. There were over 90 separate meetings held over 2 days with Ministers, MPs and Senators, with the RACGP presenting [...]

Justin Ockerby is a locally raised and University of Tasmania-trained Exercise Physiologist who has just joined the team at NewWorkHealth full-time! He is passionate about the benefits of exercise of any level in health, across a full spectrum of conditions, with particular interests in injury rehabilitation and cardiovascular conditions. Outside [...]

With Tasmania experiencing by far the worst flu season in over 5 years, we welcome the announcement today that the State will continue to fund flu vaccination for all Tasmanians until 31 July. You can book online through our website.

Welcome Dr Cormac! Dr Cormac Keane has relocated to Launceston with his young family after 8 years in Mossman, Sydney. A GP of over 20 years’ experience, he is originally from Ireland and trained in the UK before moving to Australia in 2013. Cormac has extensive experience in semi-rural and [...]

Recently we hosted the President of our RACGP , the indefatigable Adj Prof Karen Price at Newstead Medical and the Urgent Care Centre. Along with Tasmanian Chair Dr Tim Jackson and Faculty Manager Catherine Back, they met with Deputy Chair Dr Toby Gardner and the team at Newstead to discuss [...]

Nurses are the backbone of our healthcare system. They’re there to provide for the most vulnerable in our community, and are prepared to walk alongside our patients through the most difficult of journeys. They can bring a smile to patients experiencing the most painful of conditions, and grieve with those [...]

Dr Jeanette Ng relocated to Launceston in 2018 from Sydney, where she studied Medicine at the University of Sydney. She actually worked as a hospital Pharmacist in Singapore prior to starting Medicine, and has since gained extra qualifications in Emergency Medicine through the Australian College of Emergency Medicine. She loves baking, hiking [...]

Rebekah was raised right here in the Tamar Valley and is a graduate of the University of Tasmania. She’s been working in Emergency Medicine across all the major hospitals in Tasmania and in Far North Queensland for the majority of the last 10 years and has now made the move into General [...]

Introducing Dr Jeremy Yang. Dr Jeremy grew up in Hobart and was Dux of the Hutchins School. He studied Medicine at the University of Tasmania in Hobart and completed his Intern year at the RHH before moving North to the Launceston General Hospital (LGH). In 2021 he launched into General [...]

We'd like to welcome Dr Amanda Clifford to the team! Dr Clifford is now working as a General Practitioner between both Newstead Medical and Kings Meadows Medical Centre, and will also be working in our Urgent Care Centre. She has a special interest in antenatal care, women's health, paediatrics, and [...]

We’ve had a number of new doctors join the team at Newstead Medical. We’re really excited to welcome such excellent doctors, and are thrilled that we can now accept new patients to the practice again. We look forward to introducing you to them over the next few weeks!

Tasmania’s borders have now opened. In preparation for changes in the way we will practice, we request that you have a supply of suitable surgical masks Though not yet required just yet, we will soon move to requiring all patients and staff to wear masks on entering the practice, dependent [...]

At the RACGP National awards, Dr Toby Gardner was announced winner of the Australian GP Supervisor of the Year! As well as being a Partner at Newstead Medical, Kings Meadows Medical Centre and the Urgent Care Centre, Toby is Deputy Chair of the RACGP Tasmania, RACGP Examiner, Supervisor Liaison Officer at General Practice Training Tasmania, and [...]

Dr Nick Stacey is back! Dr Nick will be working with us in the Urgent Care Centre for the next two weeks. He is a Tassie local, studying #medicine at University of Tasmania and working for a couple of years as a GP at Newstead Medical. He has spent the past 5 years working locum [...]

The RACGP Fellowship and Awards ceremony were held in Hobart on 28 August. We are thrilled to announce that Newstead Medical won Tasmanian General Practice of the year, and Dr Toby Gardner was awarded GP Supervisor of the year. Dr Georgia Bavin also won the Tasmanian medal for highest score [...]

From 1 July the Australian Department of Health has made a number of changes to Telehealth appointments. While telephone consults will still be available for normal appointments, Telehealth for long consultations and new Mental Health Care Plans will now need to be done via video consultation. The RACGP and Australian [...]

Today we celebrate the massive contribution of Dr Jane Fuller to Newstead Medical in her retirement. An absolute stalwart of the General Practitioners in the North of the state, she has been looking after the health of the Launceston community for almost 40 years. Jane’s also worked in various other roles [...]

We're happy to announce that we can now accept Afterpay, with refunds processed immediately on-site and deposited into your nominated bank account with Medicare.

Phase 2a COVID-19 vaccination for all Australians 50 years and over will commence from 3 May at Newstead Medical. You can book an appointment online at https://www.hotdoc.com.au/.../covid-19-vaccination-clinic-5

Tasmania has the highest COVID vaccination rate in Australia, utilising 100% of our allocation. We still have spaces available in our COVID vaccination clinics for over 70s and those over 50 with a chronic medical condition, and we continue to recommend vaccination for these vulnerable groups as soon as possible. [...]

Private flu vaccinations have arrived. We’re now able to provide on-site vaccinations for businesses, to avoid the disruption of employees having to leave for their vaccination. While we still don’t know how this flu season will play out, there are already a lot more respiratory viruses circulating than last year, [...]

COVID-19 vaccination will commence on Tue 23 March at Newstead Medical for those eligible for the Phase 1b rollout. Existing patients can book online if they meet the eligibility requirements (as per the Department of Health people with a specified medical condition need to provide proof of eligibility via My [...]

On Monday 1 March the Urgent Care Centre opened! 4 years in the planning, we have hit the ground running with multiple varied urgent presentations from Day 1, and has been warmly embraced by the community as an alternative option to presenting to the Emergency Department with non-emergency conditions.

We recently said farewell to Seth, Dr Toby's son, who's been working in reception for the last year (you may have heard his deep dulcet tones on the end of the phone line), as he relocates to Brisbane to study at the Queensland College of Art. Seth's been part of [...]

Dan is back! Dr Daniel Kirk returned to Newstead Medical on Thursday 28 January in a full-time capacity, after he and Dr Verity Foulkes-Taylor welcomed beautiful baby August into the world (last July!). We're stoked that he has returned to our team, and he's now accepting new patients!

We've submitted our Expression of Interest to be a vaccine administration centre for Phase 1b of the Astra Zeneca (Oxford) vaccine programme (i.e. for >70, those with chronic illness, ATSI >55 and high-risk workers not already covered) Bookings will ONLY be able to be made through a National Booking System [...]

From Monday 26 October, entrance to Newstead Medical will be via the rear of the building (Waiting Area 3) as we renovate the main Reception Area. The Elphin Road entrance will be closed for 2 weeks, with access to Waiting Area 3 via the lift or via the door from [...]

Having spent the last two years doing locums in Tasmania, Dr Sandra Newfield and her husband relocated from Wollongong to Launceston in early 2020, just before COVID-19 reached our shores! She enjoys all aspects of General Practice, and is working with us on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Sandra loves gardening, walking [...]

Following the recently announced changes to COVID-19 Medicare incentives our consultation fees for Telehealth appointments will change. This change will take effect on Thursday 1 October. Updated fee information is available on our website.

Dr Georgia Bavin has a special interest in women’s health and the care of mothers and babies in the first year of life including infant sleep, feeding, unsettled behaviour, and maternal mental health. She follows a holistic evidenced-based approach termed Neuroprotective Developmental Care (NDC or the Possums programme) and is [...]

We’ve moved to primarily telephone and video consultations, which are now available to ALL Australians. Did you know that up to 80% of the information we gather from patients is from their history alone (rather than examination)? We know that most of you prefer to see your GP in person, [...]

Too sick to come to the doctor, or concerned you may be at risk of contracting COVID-19 by coming in? The Australian Government Department of Health has recently announced that eligible patients may choose to consult per video or telephone. Specifically, if you meet the current national triage protocol criteria for suspected [...]

Dr Georgia Bavin returned from maternity leave this month! We were of course sad to farewell some of our excellent recent registrars (some of whom we hope will return!) this month, though are looking forward to introducing some absolutely amazing doctors to you over the next few weeks!

We support the RACGP in calling for Medevac to be saved, which gives doctors, not administrators, greater power in determining whether refugees on Manus or Nauru require transfer to Australia for medical treatment. The Minister for Home Affairs retains ultimate decision-making capacity for transfers, though we agree on the importance [...]

Tasmanians born between 1966 and 1994 may not be fully immunised for measles. We were recently visited by Health Minister Sarah Courtney to announce the rollout out a free, State-subsidised catch-up vaccination for those eligible, as well as children between 6-12 months travelling to high-risk areas. Measles is an extremely [...]

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Within the next few weeks, all pathology and radiology tests that you have performed will be AUTOMATICALLY UPLOADED to My Health Record, which 90% of Australians now have. While we think this is a good idea, some people may not want sensitive results visible to other health-care providers. You [...]

Flu season is in full swing, so please try to minimise contact with others if experiencing symptoms, especially younger people and the elderly, and let us know if you think you have the flu when booking in. Alcohol-based hand rubs help limit spread, as the flu can live for up [...]

Did you know that Australia has the highest rate of food allergies in the world, with 1 in 10 infants having a food allergy, a rate double that of 10 years ago? A new campaign has just been launched encouraging the introduction of smooth peanut butter and well-cooked egg from [...]

As you probably know there’s been an unprecedented rush on flu vaccines this year (for good reason) and they’re now in scarce supply.Though over 12 million Australians have already been vaccinated, another 400,000 vaccines will be arriving in Australia in the next fortnight for those not yet covered

Flu shots have arrived! So this is what we know so far: experts have predicted this may be the worst flu season ever, with over 26000 cases confirmed so far and over 4000 deaths predicted. The season has started far earlier than in previous years so we're vaccinating earlier, even [...]

For those not yet covered, for a limited time there are still Tasmanian government-funded meningococcal ACWY vaccines available for all Tasmanians born after 1 August 1997, though in April the vaccines will only be available for adolescents in Year 10 through the school-based programme, and as catch up for 15-19 [...]

Dr Toby Gardner thought about going to art school long before he considered a career in general practice. "Nowadays however, I can't imagine myself doing anything else - except wine-making,” he says. Find out more in this fortnight's General Practice Matters: https://bit.ly/2DXfQWi

Congratulations to Tasmanian recipients of Australia Days honours, particularly local indefatigable cardiologist A/Prof Don McTaggart (AM), who set up the first ICU in the state at the North West Regional Hospital offered the first echocardiographic service in Tasmania, was the first cardiologist at the Launceston General Hospital and is still [...]

As politicians argue over climate change policy, GPs continue to be at the forefront of treating people suffering the effects of extreme heat. 2018 was the third hottest year on record, and so far, we think you’d agree this Summer has been a scorcher! As well as being more subject [...]

After almost 35 years at Newstead Medical, Dr Rob Van Der Vlist hung up his stethoscope on 14 December 2018. Rob has made such a positive impact on many thousands of people over the course of his life and will be sorely missed. Rob bid farewell to many of his [...]

February will see the departure of 3 GP Registrars, Dr James Tan, Dr Karinna Fyfe and Dr Boon Sie, as we welcome 5 new GP Registrars to Newstead Medical: Dr Verity Foulkes-Taylor, Dr Daniel Kirk, Dr Jason Jeffery, Dr Nicole Hutchens and Dr Adam Woodbury. GP Registrars are fully qualified [...]

More Australian five-year-olds are fully immunised than ever before, new data has revealed, with rates at a high of 94.52%. Herd Immunity is when enough of the population has been vaccinated, so that even those who are too young or immune-compromised for vaccination are also protected. When the disease has [...]