What helps→
Nicotine replacement
Read moreWhat helpsNicotine replacement
Patch plus a faster form for cravings. Most people use too little, not too much.
All Medicare-eligible consultations are bulk billed for patients with a valid Medicare card. Some items, including privately purchased vaccines and consumables, attract a fee.
Quitting is not a single event you either succeed or fail at. It is a process, and each attempt teaches something. Support roughly doubles the odds — and it is free to ask.
Willpower alone succeeds for a small minority. What reliably improves the odds is a combination: something to manage the nicotine withdrawal, and support to handle the habit and the triggers. Together they roughly double the chance of a quit attempt lasting.
Vaping is now a major issue among young people in particular. Many vapes contain nicotine even when labelled otherwise, and dependence can develop quickly. Quitting vaping uses much the same approach as quitting smoking, and it is worth asking for help rather than assuming it should be easy.
Often several. That is normal and it is not failure — each attempt gives information about what triggers a relapse.
Yes, particularly when a patch is combined with a faster-acting form for cravings. Under-dosing is the most common mistake.
There are prescription options. What is suitable is an individual clinical decision, and Australian law does not permit naming prescription medicines in advertising, so it is a conversation for your appointment.
Patch plus a faster form for cravings. Most people use too little, not too much.
Chosen deliberately, a week or two out, with the triggers planned for.
13 7848. Free, evidence-based telephone counselling, and it genuinely works.
Booked in advance for the first fortnight, when relapse risk is highest.
The first week is the hardest. Knowing that makes it easier to ride out.
Stopping smoking changes how the body handles some medicines. Tell your GP you are quitting.
Nicotine dependence is often minimised — by smokers, and especially by people who vape.
Vaping within an hour of waking, needing it to concentrate, feeling irritable without it, or having tried to cut down and failed all point to dependence.
Bring them in, or encourage them to come alone — young people can consult confidentially. Approaching it as a health problem rather than a discipline problem gets far better results.
Yes. Lung function decline slows at any age, and heart risk falls substantially within the first few years.
One of the strongest single markers of dependence.
Common, and a reason to add support rather than try harder alone.
Withdrawal, and treatable.
A useful, honest indicator of how strong the pull is.
Vapes have no natural stopping point the way a cigarette does.
Many vapes contain nicotine regardless of the label.
Dependence develops faster in adolescence, and it is worth acting early.
Worth assessing rather than assuming it is nothing.
Often within days, and one of the more encouraging early changes.
Walking gets easier, often noticeably, within a couple of months.
Cilia in the airways recover and infections become less frequent.
And continues to fall the longer you stay stopped.
This holds true at any age and after any number of years.
Asking for help is not an admission of anything. It is the single most effective thing that changes the odds.
Book a longer appointment. There is no lecture and no judgement — most people who smoke have had plenty of both.
Consultations are, with a valid Medicare card. Nicotine replacement products have a cost, and some are available on prescription at a lower price.
Yes. Talking about it is a legitimate appointment in itself.
Yes. Young people who understand the care being offered can consent to it, and consultations are confidential.
Quit smoking support
Vaping cessation
Nicotine replacement
Quitline 13 7848
No lectures
Young people welcome
Bulk billed
Support doubles the odds
Quit smoking support
Vaping cessation
Nicotine replacement
Quitline 13 7848
No lectures
Young people welcome
Bulk billed
Support doubles the odds
Quit smoking support
Vaping cessation
Nicotine replacement
Quitline 13 7848
No lectures
Young people welcome
Bulk billed
Support doubles the odds
Often several. That is normal, not failure.
Yes, especially a patch combined with a faster-acting form. Most people use too little.
Free telephone counselling on 13 7848. Evidence shows it substantially improves success rates.
Consultations are, with a valid Medicare card.
Yes. The approach is similar, and dependence is real even when the label says nicotine-free.
Yes, if they understand the care being offered.
Yes. Benefits begin within days and continue for years, at any age.
Possibly. Stopping smoking changes how the body handles some medicines, so tell your GP.
General information onlyThis page is general health information for anyone who finds it useful. It is not advice about your own situation and it does not replace a consultation with a doctor who knows you. If you are worried about a symptom, book an appointment or call (02) 6530 7404. In an emergency, call 000.
Bulk billed with a valid Medicare card · Mon–Fri 8:00am–5:00pm · Muswellbrook Fair, Rutherford Road.
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Some vaccine courses are given over a month or more, and a few need time to work before they protect you at all. Leaving it to the week before is the single most common travel health mistake.
Several vaccines are given as a course rather than a single dose, spread across weeks. Others produce protection only after ten to fourteen days. Booking late does not just risk missing a dose — it can mean flying before the protection has taken effect.
No. Come anyway. Some protection is better than none, and a lot of travel health is advice rather than injections — food, water, insect bites, and what to do if you get sick.
It depends entirely on your route, including where you transit. Some countries require proof on entry. Bring the full itinerary and we will check.
Most are privately purchased rather than funded. Reception will quote you before you book so there is no surprise.
Travel health advice is only as good as the information it is built on. Two people flying to the same country can need quite different things depending on where they are staying and what they will be doing.
Considerably. Air-conditioned city hotels carry different risks from village homestays or camping, and the advice differs accordingly.
Bring it up — it is one of the most important parts. Managing diabetes, heart disease or asthma while travelling needs planning, and some destinations complicate it.
Yes. A letter listing your medicines and conditions is worth carrying, particularly for anything injectable or controlled.
Countries, dates, and how long in each. Include transit stops — they can change entry requirements.
Hotels, hostels, family homes, camping. It changes advice on food, water and insects.
Trekking, diving, working with animals, volunteering in healthcare, visiting family in rural areas. Each carries its own considerations.
Conditions, medicines, allergies, and any previous reactions to vaccines.
So we only give what is genuinely outstanding rather than repeating things.
Pregnancy, young children, older travellers and long stays all raise specific questions worth asking.
Most travel illness is not exotic. It is food, water, insects and accidents — which is why the conversation matters at least as much as the injections.
It depends on the region, the season and the type of trip. Where prevention is advised we discuss the options, including the trade-offs of each.
Sometimes. For some destinations a standby course makes sense, along with clear instructions on when to use it and when to seek care instead.
Yes, and check that it covers your existing conditions and the activities you plan. Medical evacuation is extraordinarily expensive without it.
The commonest cause of travel illness by a wide margin. Simple habits prevent most of it, and we go through them.
Prevention covers more than malaria — dengue and several other illnesses have no vaccine, so avoiding bites is the protection.
Road trauma is the leading cause of serious injury to travellers. Worth planning for, and a reason insurance matters.
Enough medication for the trip plus extra, carried in hand luggage, with a letter listing what and why.
Especially where you are less acclimatised than at home. The same rules as an Upper Hunter summer, in unfamiliar surroundings.
Knowing how you would access care, and what your insurance actually requires you to do first.
Travel vaccinations
Destination-specific advice
Malaria prevention discussion
Travellers' diarrhoea planning
Yellow fever certificate requirements
Medication letters for customs
Pre-existing conditions & travel
Book six weeks ahead
Travel vaccinations
Destination-specific advice
Malaria prevention discussion
Travellers' diarrhoea planning
Yellow fever certificate requirements
Medication letters for customs
Pre-existing conditions & travel
Book six weeks ahead
Travel vaccinations
Destination-specific advice
Malaria prevention discussion
Travellers' diarrhoea planning
Yellow fever certificate requirements
Medication letters for customs
Pre-existing conditions & travel
Book six weeks ahead
Six weeks before departure, and earlier for longer or more remote trips.
No. Book directly and say it is a travel appointment so enough time is allowed.
The consultation is bulk billed with a valid Medicare card. Most travel vaccines are privately purchased — reception will quote you first.
Yellow fever vaccination must be given at an approved centre. Ask reception when you book and we will tell you where to go if we cannot do it here.
Say so when you book. Some vaccines and some antimalarials are not suitable, and some destinations are better avoided — it is worth a proper conversation.
Worth mentioning, because visiting friends and relatives often means rural areas, home-cooked food and longer stays — a different risk profile from tourism.
Not usually. Many vaccines last years. Bringing your record means we only give what is genuinely due.
We go through this in the appointment, and you leave with something in writing. Fever after travel always needs assessing on return.
General information onlyThis page is general health information for anyone who finds it useful. It is not advice about your own situation and it does not replace a consultation with a doctor who knows you. If you are worried about a symptom, book an appointment or call (02) 6530 7404. In an emergency, call 000.
Bulk billed with a valid Medicare card · Mon–Fri 8:00am–5:00pm · Muswellbrook Fair, Rutherford Road.
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Most people already know what they are supposed to do. What is usually missing is a plan that fits shift work, a farm, a family and a budget — and someone to review it when it does not work.
Weight is influenced by genetics, medicines, sleep, stress, hormones, mental health and circumstance, not just willpower. Treating it as a character problem is both inaccurate and unhelpful, and it is one of the main reasons people stop coming to the doctor at all.
Practical support here means looking at what is actually driving things — including medicines that cause weight gain, untreated sleep apnoea, thyroid problems and depression — and then building something realistic. Care plans give access to Medicare-subsidised dietitian and exercise physiology sessions, which is where most of the useful detail happens.
Only if you want to be. Some people find it useful and some find it counterproductive. Waist measurement and how you feel are both legitimate measures.
Almost everyone has. Most plans fail because they were never built for the life the person actually lives — shift work, a farm, small children, a tight budget. That is a design problem, not a willpower problem.
Medicines are one part of the picture for some people. What is suitable is an individual clinical decision made in a consultation, and Australian law does not permit us to advertise or name prescription medicines. Bring it up at your appointment and it will be discussed honestly.
Several common medicines cause weight gain. Sometimes there is an alternative.
Untreated sleep apnoea makes weight loss much harder, and it is very common in the Hunter.
Bloods rule out the medical contributors before anything else is assumed.
Depression, anxiety and stress all affect eating, sleep and activity. Treating them helps.
A care plan brings in dietitian and exercise physiology sessions at reduced cost.
Plans need adjusting. Coming back when something is not working is the point, not a failure.
Start with a long appointment so there is time to look at the whole picture rather than the number.
Consultations are, with a valid Medicare card. Subsidised allied health sessions may still have a small gap.
Regular short reviews work better than occasional long ones. Every four to eight weeks is a common rhythm.
No. If you have had that experience elsewhere, say so — it is more common than people admit and it changes how we approach things.
Weight & lifestyle support
Subsidised dietitian
Exercise physiology
Care plans
No lectures
Shift-work friendly plans
Regular review
Bulk billed consultations
Weight & lifestyle support
Subsidised dietitian
Exercise physiology
Care plans
No lectures
Shift-work friendly plans
Regular review
Bulk billed consultations
Weight & lifestyle support
Subsidised dietitian
Exercise physiology
Care plans
No lectures
Shift-work friendly plans
Regular review
Bulk billed consultations
Only if you want to be.
Consultations are, with a valid Medicare card.
Yes, and a care plan makes sessions subsidised.
Exercise physiologists specialise in exactly that. A care plan gives access to subsidised sessions.
Sometimes. Thyroid problems, sleep apnoea, some medicines and depression all contribute, and all are checked.
That is an individual clinical decision made in consultation. Australian law does not permit advertising prescription medicines, so bring it up at your appointment.
Every four to eight weeks tends to work better than occasional long gaps.
Then the useful question is which plans failed and why. That is usually informative rather than discouraging.
General information onlyThis page is general health information for anyone who finds it useful. It is not advice about your own situation and it does not replace a consultation with a doctor who knows you. If you are worried about a symptom, book an appointment or call (02) 6530 7404. In an emergency, call 000.
Bulk billed with a valid Medicare card · Mon–Fri 8:00am–5:00pm · Muswellbrook Fair, Rutherford Road.
Prefer to meet us first? Meet the doctors →
Diabetes, heart disease, asthma, COPD, kidney disease, arthritis. Managed properly they sit in the background of your life. Managed one appointment at a time, they tend not to.
Long-term conditions rarely announce that they are getting worse. They drift — and because the change is gradual, people adjust their lives around it without noticing. These are the things worth bringing in.
No. A review is a scheduled check, not the only time to come. If something has changed, book — the plan can be updated any time.
Very common, and one plan can cover them together. That is part of the point of having a plan rather than separate appointments.
If you keep them, yes — blood pressure, blood sugar, peak flow, weight. A fortnight of real numbers is far more useful than memory.
Needing it more than a couple of times a week, or more than you did last year, usually means the preventer plan needs revisiting.
Night symptoms are one of the clearest signs that asthma is not as controlled as it looks during the day.
Breathlessness doing something you managed easily last year is worth investigating rather than accepting.
Two or more in a year, or one that takes weeks to clear, is a reason to look at your lungs properly.
Drinking more and passing urine more, especially overnight, is a classic sign that sugar levels have crept up.
Persistent fatigue is easy to attribute to age or work. It is also one of the commonest signs of poor control.
Especially on the feet. Any wound below the ankle in someone with diabetes deserves prompt attention.
Usually starting in the toes or fingers. Worth reporting early rather than once it is established.
Shoes feeling tight at the end of the day, or socks leaving deep marks, is worth a check.
Needing more pillows than you used to, or waking short of breath, should be assessed.
An ECG takes minutes and is done here, with your doctor reading it during the same visit.
Pain that comes on at a predictable distance and settles with rest is worth mentioning.
Quietly dropping an activity because it has become hard is often the first real sign, and the easiest to miss.
Side effects, cost or simply forgetting. Tell us — a plan built on medicines you are not taking helps nobody.
Living with a long-term condition takes a toll. Low mood makes every other part harder to manage, and it is treatable.
None of these mean something has gone badly wrong. They mean the plan is due for a look — which is exactly what a review appointment is for.
It sets out what condition is being managed, what you are aiming for, who is involved, what each person does, and when it gets looked at again. Medicare funds it because managing long-term conditions properly works better than treating flare-ups as they arrive.
Medicare-funded care planning is for people with a long-term condition — generally one present for six months or longer, or likely to be. Ask us and we will tell you.
The planning appointment and reviews are bulk billed here with a valid Medicare card. Allied health visits under the plan are subsidised, and the provider may still charge a gap.
A set number per calendar year, shared across all the allied health you use. Reception can explain the current arrangement when you book.
Named clearly, along with anything else that interacts with it. Most people have more than one thing going on.
Specific and yours, not generic. Walking to the shops without stopping is a better goal than a number on a page.
Your GP, our nurses, any specialists, and the allied health people the plan gives you access to.
Medicines, monitoring, what to do if things flare, and the point at which you should ring us.
Booked in rather than left to chance. Reviews are where a plan earns its keep.
You leave with it. A plan you have never seen is not a plan you can follow.
This is not an exhaustive list, and having something not named here does not mean it cannot be managed with a plan.
Bring it in anyway. The list above is what we see most, not what is eligible.
A plan works alongside specialist care rather than replacing it — it is what keeps everyone working from the same page between specialist visits.
Yes. Our practice nurses do a lot of the monitoring and follow-up, which usually means shorter waits and more regular contact.
Monitoring, medication review, foot and eye checks, and coordination with the specialists and educators involved.
The most common long-term condition there is, and one of the most rewarding to get right. Usually symptomless until it is not.
Ongoing management after a heart event, or risk reduction before one. ECG on site, with results read in the same visit.
A written action plan, inhaler technique checked in the room, and spirometry here rather than referred away.
Breathing tests, flare-up plans, vaccination, and support with smoking if you want it. Relevant to a lot of people around here.
Regular blood and urine monitoring, medication adjustment, and referral when it is warranted.
Function first — what you want to be able to do — with medication as one part of a broader plan.
Straightforward to monitor with regular blood tests and dose adjustment.
Long-term physical illness and low mood travel together often. Both belong in the same plan.
Most people we write plans for have two or three of these at once. That is normal, and it is precisely why a single coordinated plan works better than separate appointments.
The whole point is that it is a loop rather than a one-off.
Regularly, and the interval depends on the condition and how stable it is. It is booked at the time rather than left to you to remember.
Come in. A plan is a working document, not a fixed contract, and it can be updated whenever something shifts.
Where possible, and it is worth asking for. Continuity matters more with long-term conditions than almost anything else.
Chronic condition care plans
Diabetes care
Heart health & blood pressure
Asthma & COPD reviews
Kidney health monitoring
Arthritis & pain
Medication reviews
Allied health referral & coordination
Health assessments
Chronic condition care plans
Diabetes care
Heart health & blood pressure
Asthma & COPD reviews
Kidney health monitoring
Arthritis & pain
Medication reviews
Allied health referral & coordination
Health assessments
Chronic condition care plans
Diabetes care
Heart health & blood pressure
Asthma & COPD reviews
Kidney health monitoring
Arthritis & pain
Medication reviews
Allied health referral & coordination
Health assessments
Broadly, one that has been present for six months or longer, or is likely to be. Diabetes, asthma, heart disease and arthritis are typical examples.
No. Book directly with us. We write any referrals the plan needs.
Care planning and review appointments are bulk billed here with a valid Medicare card. Allied health providers may charge a gap on top of the Medicare subsidy.
Longer than a standard consultation. Say it is for a care plan when you book so enough time is allowed.
Your medicines — the actual boxes if you can — any readings you keep, and letters from specialists.
Yes, where relevant. Part of what a plan does is make sure everyone involved is working from the same document.
Then it is a good time to come in. Nobody is going to lecture you — the plan starts from where you actually are.
Yes, and it often helps. Two people remember more of an appointment than one.
General information onlyThis page is general health information for anyone who finds it useful. It is not advice about your own situation and it does not replace a consultation with a doctor who knows you. If you are worried about a symptom, book an appointment or call (02) 6530 7404. In an emergency, call 000.
Bulk billed with a valid Medicare card · Mon–Fri 8:00am–5:00pm · Muswellbrook Fair, Rutherford Road.
Prefer to meet us first? Meet the doctors →
Type 2 diabetes develops over a long time without symptoms. By the time thirst and tiredness appear, blood sugar has usually been high for a while — which is why risk assessment matters more than waiting for signs.
Type 2 diabetes is diagnosed on blood tests — usually HbA1c, or fasting glucose, sometimes a glucose tolerance test. Prediabetes sits in between, and is the most important stage to catch, because progression is often preventable.
Once diagnosed, care follows an annual cycle: HbA1c every three to six months, blood pressure and cholesterol, kidney function and urine testing, a foot check at least yearly, and an eye examination at least every two years. A care plan gives access to subsidised dietitian, podiatry and exercise physiology sessions.
Average blood sugar over roughly three months. Most adults with type 2 diabetes aim for around 7 percent or less, but the target is individual — for some older people a higher target is safer.
For some people, particularly early after diagnosis, substantial weight loss can bring blood sugar back into the normal range. It is not guaranteed and it is not a failure if it does not happen.
Diabetes can damage nerves, so an injury may not hurt. A yearly check finds problems while they are still small.
Average blood sugar. The main measure of control over time.
Controlling it protects kidneys, eyes and heart as much as sugar control does.
Blood test plus a urine test for early protein leak — often the first sign.
Circulation, sensation and skin. Finds problems before they are felt.
Diabetic retinopathy is symptomless until late, and treatable when found early.
Renews subsidised dietitian, podiatry and exercise physiology sessions.
High blood sugar builds slowly and often silently. Low blood sugar, in people on certain medicines, arrives fast and needs treating immediately.
If you can swallow safely, take fast-acting sugar — jelly beans, juice or glucose tablets — then follow with something longer-acting. Recheck in 15 minutes. If someone is unconscious or fitting, call 000.
Some diabetes medicines — including insulin and one common class of tablets — can cause hypos; others rarely do on their own. Ask which of yours can, and make sure you know the signs.
Yes, daily if you have any nerve or circulation problems. Look at the soles with a mirror if you cannot see them.
And still feeling thirsty. One of the most reliable early signs.
Particularly a new pattern rather than a lifelong one.
Very easily attributed to age, work or stress.
More typical of type 1, but it happens in type 2 too.
Recurrent infections are a common first clue.
In people on medicines that can lower blood sugar too far. Treat immediately with fast sugar.
Often noticed by family before the person notices it themselves.
This is the point at which someone else needs to help.
A sign of overnight lows that needs the medicine reviewed.
Risk rises substantially, and earlier than most people expect.
A strong predictor of later type 2 diabetes. Worth regular testing.
More predictive than overall weight.
Especially at night. Nerve damage often starts in the toes.
Can be blood sugar changes, but always worth an eye check.
The most important warning of all, because pain is missing.
Prediabetes is the stage worth finding. Progression to type 2 is often preventable.
Diabetes care is shared between your GP and the practice nurse, with a care plan bringing in dietitian, podiatry and exercise physiology.
Usually every three to six months, more often when starting or changing medicines.
It depends on your medicines. People on insulin generally do; many on tablets alone do not need to check daily.
Yes, with a valid Medicare card. Some allied health sessions have a gap even when subsidised.
Diabetes care
Type 1 & type 2
Annual cycle of care
Foot & eye checks
HbA1c monitoring
Subsidised dietitian & podiatry
Care plans
Bulk billed
Diabetes care
Type 1 & type 2
Annual cycle of care
Foot & eye checks
HbA1c monitoring
Subsidised dietitian & podiatry
Care plans
Bulk billed
Diabetes care
Type 1 & type 2
Annual cycle of care
Foot & eye checks
HbA1c monitoring
Subsidised dietitian & podiatry
Care plans
Bulk billed
On blood tests — usually HbA1c or fasting glucose, sometimes a glucose tolerance test.
Around 7 percent or less for many adults with type 2, but targets are individual and a higher one is sometimes safer.
Remission is possible for some people, particularly early after diagnosis with substantial weight loss.
Usually every three to six months.
It helps considerably, and a care plan makes sessions subsidised.
At least every two years, more often if changes are found.
Consultations are, with a valid Medicare card.
It is the most valuable stage to find. Progression is often preventable.
General information onlyThis page is general health information for anyone who finds it useful. It is not advice about your own situation and it does not replace a consultation with a doctor who knows you. If you are worried about a symptom, book an appointment or call (02) 6530 7404. In an emergency, call 000.
Bulk billed with a valid Medicare card · Mon–Fri 8:00am–5:00pm · Muswellbrook Fair, Rutherford Road.
Prefer to meet us first? Meet the doctors →
Medicare funds a long appointment at certain ages and for certain groups. It is the one appointment designed to look at everything rather than the thing you came in about.
A health assessment is a long, structured appointment. The practice nurse takes measurements and history, then your GP reviews everything and makes a plan. It covers blood pressure, weight and waist, blood sugar and cholesterol risk, kidney function, smoking and alcohol, activity, mood, screening you are due for, immunisations, and family history.
Its value is that it looks for the things you have not noticed. Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease and early heart disease all develop silently for years, and all are far easier to manage when found early.
Medicare funds several. Broadly: a type 2 diabetes risk assessment at 40–49 for people with a high risk score, a one-off general health check at 45–49 for people with a risk factor for chronic disease, an annual assessment from 75, and an annual health check for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of any age. Reception can check what you are due for.
Yes, with a valid Medicare card.
An assessment of your risk of a heart attack or stroke over the next five years, using blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking status, diabetes and other factors. For most adults without known heart disease this is recommended from age 45, from 35 if you have diabetes, and from 30 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is repeated within five years if your risk is low and within two years if it is intermediate.
Once every three years for people aged 40 to 49 with a high risk score on a short questionnaire.
A one-off structured assessment, available once between 45 and 49 for people with a risk factor for chronic disease.
The most comprehensive, covering balance, memory, senses, medicines and home.
Available annually, covering the full picture at every life stage.
Your five-year risk of heart attack and stroke, and what would lower it.
Home readings, family history with ages, and every medicine in its box.
Booked as a long appointment, usually starting with the practice nurse.
Between 45 minutes and an hour, depending on which assessment.
Often yes. Having them done beforehand means the results can be discussed at the assessment rather than afterwards.
Usually a short list of practical actions, plus a care plan if you have a chronic condition.
Medicare health assessments
40–49 diabetes risk check
45–49 general health check
75+ annual assessment
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander health checks
Heart health check
Bulk billed
Practice nurse and GP
Medicare health assessments
40–49 diabetes risk check
45–49 general health check
75+ annual assessment
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander health checks
Heart health check
Bulk billed
Practice nurse and GP
Medicare health assessments
40–49 diabetes risk check
45–49 general health check
75+ annual assessment
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander health checks
Heart health check
Bulk billed
Practice nurse and GP
Broadly: 40–49 for a type 2 diabetes risk assessment, 45–49 once for a general health check if you have a risk factor, annually from 75, and annually at any age for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Yes, with a valid Medicare card.
Between 45 minutes and an hour.
Only if blood tests are arranged beforehand, and you will be told.
An assessment of your five-year risk of heart attack and stroke, recommended for most adults from 45, from 35 with diabetes, and from 30 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
It depends on which assessment. Some are annual, some are one-off.
No. Book directly with us.
It becomes a plan — often a care plan, sometimes further tests or a referral.
General information onlyThis page is general health information for anyone who finds it useful. It is not advice about your own situation and it does not replace a consultation with a doctor who knows you. If you are worried about a symptom, book an appointment or call (02) 6530 7404. In an emergency, call 000.
Bulk billed with a valid Medicare card · Mon–Fri 8:00am–5:00pm · Muswellbrook Fair, Rutherford Road.
Prefer to meet us first? Meet the doctors →
Vaccines on the National Immunisation Program are funded if you are eligible and your appointment here is bulk billed, so there is nothing to pay. The schedule is built around the ages at which each illness does the most harm. If you have fallen behind, catch-up is bulk billed and routine — nobody here is going to make you feel bad about it.
These are the vaccines funded by the Commonwealth for eligible people. They are listed by the illness they protect against rather than by product name. Your GP or nurse will confirm which apply to you on the day.
Several vaccines are funded earlier, or funded when they are not funded for others, because the burden of these illnesses is higher and starts younger. If you identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, telling us means we can offer you everything you are entitled to — and you are never obliged to answer.
Additional vaccines are funded for people with certain conditions — no spleen or a poorly functioning spleen, significant immunosuppression, chronic heart, lung, liver or kidney disease, diabetes, and others. Meningococcal ACWY and B, pneumococcal, influenza and shingles are the main ones. Ask at your appointment which apply to you.
Common, and not a problem. We check the Australian Immunisation Register, and where there is genuinely no record we can start a catch-up schedule from scratch. Blood tests are occasionally useful but usually not necessary.
Different list, different timing, and mostly not funded. Start six weeks before you fly. See travel health.
From 1 October 2026 COVID-19 vaccination moves onto the National Immunisation Program, with funding focused on older adults and people who are significantly immunocompromised. Because the detail was still being finalised when this page was last reviewed, please ring us on (02) 6530 7404 for current eligibility rather than relying on this page.
RSV is a common respiratory virus. In most people it is an ordinary cold. In babies under six months and in adults over 75 it is one of the more common reasons for hospital admission, and in the Upper Hunter it runs through the winter — roughly April to September, usually peaking before influenza does.
Protection now comes at three points in life, and each works differently. All three are funded, but by different programs.
A single RSV vaccination during pregnancy passes protection to your baby before birth. It is funded on the National Immunisation Program, in every pregnancy, and is given from 28 weeks — ideally by the end of 36 weeks, but later is better than not at all.
It protects your baby for up to six months from birth, which covers the period when RSV is most dangerous. It can be given at the same visit as your whooping cough and influenza vaccinations.
Where a baby is not covered by a dose given in pregnancy, protection can be given directly to the baby instead. This is an antibody injection rather than a vaccine — it provides protection immediately rather than prompting the baby’s own immune system.
It is funded by NSW Health through the NSW RSV Prevention Program, which runs year-round rather than seasonally, for babies up to 6 months of age who did not get protection through pregnancy, who were born within two weeks of the mother’s dose, or who have a medical condition that raises their risk. Some children up to 2 years with risk conditions are covered for a second season.
It is usually given in hospital before you go home. If it was missed, we can give it here.
RSV vaccination became funded on the National Immunisation Program on 15 May 2026 for everyone aged 75 and over, and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults aged 60 and over. It is a single dose — there is no booster at this stage.
If you are between 60 and 74 and not Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, it is not funded. It may still be reasonable for you, particularly with heart or lung disease, and it can be purchased privately. Ask us and we will explain the cost and whether it is worth it in your case.
If you had the RSV vaccination from 28 weeks and your baby was born more than two weeks later, your baby is covered. If not, or if you are not sure, ring us and we will check and arrange it.
Yes. RSV can be given at the same visit as influenza, COVID-19, pneumococcal and shingles vaccinations. Doing them together saves a trip.
It starts like a cold, then the breathing becomes the problem — fast or laboured breathing, sucking in at the ribs, a persistent wet cough, wheeze, and poor feeding. Any baby who is working hard to breathe, feeding poorly, or unusually drowsy needs to be seen the same day. Call 000 if breathing is severely difficult or the lips look blue.
Currently yes. Only a single dose is recommended and no further dose is advised, including for people who bought a dose privately before the program began.
This causes more confusion than anything else in immunisation. A vaccine can be recommended for you by the national guidelines and still not be paid for by the government. Both facts can be true at once, and neither is a mistake.
NSW Health funds several vaccines outside the national program, for specific groups:
These are not funded and you would pay for the vaccine. We will always tell you the cost before ordering anything in.
Bulk billed immunisations
Childhood schedule
School catch-up
HPV catch-up to 25
RSV in pregnancy from 28 weeks
RSV funded from 75
Flu vaccine for over 65s
Recorded on the register
Catch-up welcome at any age
Bulk billed immunisations
Childhood schedule
School catch-up
HPV catch-up to 25
RSV in pregnancy from 28 weeks
RSV funded from 75
Flu vaccine for over 65s
Recorded on the register
Catch-up welcome at any age
Bulk billed immunisations
Childhood schedule
School catch-up
HPV catch-up to 25
RSV in pregnancy from 28 weeks
RSV funded from 75
Flu vaccine for over 65s
Recorded on the register
Catch-up welcome at any age
No, not for a standard immunisation visit. The vaccine is funded if you are eligible, and the appointment is bulk billed with a valid Medicare card.
Yes. Funded catch-up is available for everyone under 20, and for refugees and humanitarian entrants of any age. Bring whatever records you have; if you have none we can look up the Australian Immunisation Register.
No. Book an appointment and we will check the register and tell you. That is easier and more reliable than working it out yourself.
From 15 May 2026 it is funded on the NIP for everyone aged 75 and over, and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults aged 60 and over. It is a single dose. Adults aged 60 to 74 are not funded and would need to purchase it privately.
Three things are funded in every pregnancy: whooping cough, influenza at any stage, and RSV from 28 weeks. The RSV dose is what protects your baby in its first six months.
Because recommendation and funding are different things. It is recommended from 50 but only funded from 65, or from 50 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults, or from 18 if you are immunocompromised. Between those ages you can buy it privately.
Shingles for most people aged 50 to 64, RSV for adults 60 to 74, meningococcal B outside the funded groups, Q fever, rabies for travel or work, and travel vaccines generally. We will always tell you the cost before we order anything in.
Yes. Every dose we give is recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register, which is what childcare, school and Centrelink checks read from.
Usually yes, and it is often preferable to coming back repeatedly. Your GP or nurse will tell you which can be given together at your appointment.
General information only This page is general health information for anyone who finds it useful, and describes government immunisation programs rather than any particular vaccine product. Eligibility rules and program dates change — the funding described here was current at the review date below, and reception can confirm what applies to you today. It is not advice about your own situation and it does not replace a consultation. If you are worried about a symptom, book an appointment or call (02) 6530 7404. In an emergency, call 000.
You do not need to know what you are due. We will check the register and tell you. Mon–Fri 8:00am–5:00pm · Muswellbrook Fair, Rutherford Road.
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Most people who want to change their drinking or drug use never raise it with a doctor, because they expect judgement. What you will actually get is a confidential conversation and some practical options.
Support here starts with an honest conversation about what you are actually using and what you would like to be different. It might end with nothing more than information, or with blood tests, a plan to cut down, a withdrawal plan, a referral to a specialist service, or treatment for something underlying like anxiety, chronic pain or sleep.
The Australian guidelines suggest healthy adults drink no more than ten standard drinks a week and no more than four on any one day to reduce the risk of alcohol-related harm, with no safe level established for people who are pregnant or under 18. Most people who exceed this are not dependent — which is precisely why raising it early is worth doing.
Yes, like any health information, and it is confidential like any health information. It is not shared with employers, family or police.
Not necessarily. Cutting down is a legitimate goal, and for many people it is the right one.
Yes. Withdrawal from alcohol and from some sedative medicines can cause seizures and can be life-threatening. This is a medical reason to get help rather than stop abruptly on your own.
A structured plan with a target, not just an intention. Often enough on its own.
Done safely, sometimes at home with support, sometimes in a facility.
Anxiety, depression, chronic pain and sleep problems very often drive use.
Local and regional alcohol and other drug services, arranged through us.
Liver, blood count and other markers, so you know where you stand.
Living with someone else's use is its own burden. Family Drug Support runs a 24-hour line on 1300 368 186.
Dependence is one end of a spectrum. Most harm happens well before it.
The guidelines suggest no more than ten standard drinks a week and no more than four on any day. Many people are surprised how large an actual standard drink is compared with what they pour.
It can be. Four or more drinks on one occasion carries its own risks, separate from weekly totals.
You can come in about that too. Family Drug Support runs a 24-hour line for families and friends on 1300 368 186.
The current Australian guideline for reducing lifetime risk.
Carries its own risk, separate from the weekly total.
A home pour is very often two standard drinks, not one.
Gradual increase is the most common pattern and the easiest to miss.
Repeatedly, rather than occasionally.
One of the most useful single questions to ask yourself.
Or planning the day around when you can.
Rather than to feel good. A meaningful shift.
An important sign, and a reason not to stop abruptly alone.
Alcohol fragments sleep even when it helps you fall asleep.
Alcohol worsens both, which drives a cycle that is hard to see from inside.
Blackouts are a significant marker at any level of use.
Often the most accurate signal, and the easiest to dismiss.
Including on a mine site or around machinery, where the stakes are higher.
A quiet but reliable measure.
None of this requires a label. Wanting something to be different is enough reason to book.
Book a longer appointment and say it is something you want to talk through. Reception will not ask what about.
Yes. The same confidentiality applies as to any consultation.
No. Medical information is not shared with employers without your consent.
Then that is where we start. Coming in to think about it is a legitimate appointment.
Confidential support
No judgement
Alcohol & other drugs
Withdrawal planning
Referral to specialist services
Family support
Bulk billed
Your GP stays involved
Confidential support
No judgement
Alcohol & other drugs
Withdrawal planning
Referral to specialist services
Family support
Bulk billed
Your GP stays involved
Confidential support
No judgement
Alcohol & other drugs
Withdrawal planning
Referral to specialist services
Family support
Bulk billed
Your GP stays involved
Yes, the same as any consultation. It is not shared with employers, family or police.
The guidelines suggest no more than ten standard drinks a week and no more than four on any one day.
No. Cutting down is a legitimate goal and often the right one.
It can be. Alcohol and sedative withdrawal can cause seizures. Get help rather than stopping abruptly alone.
Consultations are, with a valid Medicare card.
Yes. Local and regional alcohol and other drug services can be arranged through us.
Yes. Family Drug Support also runs a 24-hour line for families and friends on 1300 368 186.
NSW Alcohol and Drug Information Service, 1800 250 015, any hour of any day.
General information onlyThis page is general health information for anyone who finds it useful. It is not advice about your own situation and it does not replace a consultation with a doctor who knows you. If you are worried about a symptom, book an appointment or call (02) 6530 7404. In an emergency, call 000.
Bulk billed with a valid Medicare card · Mon–Fri 8:00am–5:00pm · Muswellbrook Fair, Rutherford Road.
Prefer to meet us first? Meet the doctors →
Some of the most useful work in a long-term condition is not done by a doctor. It is done by the person who shows you how to move without pain, or how to read your own blood sugars, or who finally tests the hearing everyone has been nagging you about. Three of those people work from our rooms at Muswellbrook Fair.
Allied health is the term for the health professionals who are not doctors or nurses but are university-qualified in their own field. Your GP diagnoses the condition and sets the medical plan. Allied health is where the week-to-week work of actually living with it gets done — and it is usually where people make the most progress.
You do not need to know which one you need before you ring. If you are not sure, book a standard GP appointment and ask. Working that out is part of what the appointment is for.
No. Most people referred have an ordinary long-term condition — type 2 diabetes, sore knees, blood pressure, a chest that plays up in winter. You do not need to be at crisis point to benefit.
No. Allied health works by agreement. If a program is not realistic for your life, say so and it gets changed — a plan you will actually follow beats a perfect one you will not.
Yes. Tell your GP and the referral goes to them instead.
These are not bulk billed. With a care plan Medicare pays part of the fee and you pay the gap. Reception quotes you before you book, so there are no surprises.
An Accredited Exercise Physiologist is university-qualified to prescribe exercise as a treatment — for a heart condition, for diabetes, for arthritis, for a back that has not been right in years. It is closer to rehabilitation than to personal training.
The first appointment is an assessment: what you can currently do, what hurts, what your condition allows, and — the part that matters most — what you would realistically keep doing. Then a program is built around that answer, supervised, and adjusted as you improve.
Nobody is going to hand you a printout of squats and wish you luck.
Type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes, heart disease and cardiac recovery, COPD, osteoarthritis, persistent back or joint pain, osteoporosis, falls risk, and coming back from injury or surgery.
That is the usual starting point, and it is not held against you. Programs commonly begin with a few minutes of walking or a handful of movements done sitting down.
Tell them — that information changes the program. Pain is data, not failure.
With repeat measurements rather than assumption. You will be able to see what has changed.
Regular prescribed exercise is one of the more effective things available for type 2 diabetes, alongside your medicines.
Strengthening around a painful joint frequently does more over time than resting it.
Balance and strength work reduces falls risk, which matters more with every passing year.
A Credentialled Diabetes Educator is usually a nurse with additional qualifications in diabetes, and their appointments are long. That is the point of them. A GP appointment sets the medical plan; a diabetes educator has the time to go through how you carry it out — the monitoring, the food, the medicines, and the questions you did not think to ask at diagnosis.
It is especially worth doing when you are newly diagnosed, when your medicines change, when you are starting an injectable treatment, or when your numbers have drifted and nobody has quite explained why.
There is no lecture and no telling off. If the last six months have gone badly, that is exactly the appointment to book.
Reading your own blood glucose numbers, using a meter or a continuous glucose monitor, carbohydrates and portions in practical terms, when and how to take your medicines, injection technique where relevant, recognising and treating a hypo, sick day planning, foot and eye checks, and travel, shift work or fasting.
Often more so. Treatments change, and most people were given a great deal of information in one go at diagnosis and retained a fraction of it.
Yes, and it is a good idea — particularly whoever does the cooking.
The National Diabetes Services Scheme, which provides subsidised supplies such as test strips. Registration can be arranged here.
Along with any recent readings, so they can be looked at together rather than described.
The actual boxes, including anything from the chemist that is not on prescription.
Write them down beforehand. They reliably vanish the moment the appointment starts.
Amplifon is an independent hearing care provider whose clinicians consult from our rooms. They carry out hearing assessments, explain what the results mean, and where hearing aids are appropriate, fit and maintain them. Amplifon is a separate business and sets its own fees — the convenience is that the appointment is in the same building as your GP.
Hearing loss is easy to leave for years. It arrives slowly, and it is almost always the people around you who notice first. Having it measured tells you where you actually stand, which is more useful than everyone guessing.
You ask people to repeat themselves, conversation in a pub or a full room is hard work, others say the television is too loud, you have ringing in your ears, you have worked around machinery, mining or firearms noise, or a family member has raised it with you.
No. A test measures your hearing. What you do with that information is a separate conversation, and plenty of people leave with nothing but a result.
The Australian Government Hearing Services Program may apply to pensioner concession card holders and some veterans. Ask Amplifon when you book.
Reviews, adjustments and repairs can be done here too.
Allied health
Exercise physiology
Diabetes education
Hearing care with Amplifon
On site at Muswellbrook Fair
Care plans written here
Medicare-subsidised visits
Reports back to your GP
Allied health
Exercise physiology
Diabetes education
Hearing care with Amplifon
On site at Muswellbrook Fair
Care plans written here
Medicare-subsidised visits
Reports back to your GP
Allied health
Exercise physiology
Diabetes education
Hearing care with Amplifon
On site at Muswellbrook Fair
Care plans written here
Medicare-subsidised visits
Reports back to your GP
Not to attend privately. A GP referral under a care plan is what makes exercise physiology and diabetes education Medicare-subsidised. For hearing you can book directly with Amplifon.
No. Medicare subsidises part of the fee when you hold a care plan, and there is usually a gap. Reception will tell you the amount before you book.
A written plan your GP makes for a long-term condition. It sets out what is being managed and who is helping, and it unlocks a set number of Medicare-subsidised allied health visits each calendar year.
A set number per calendar year under a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan. Medicare sets the figure and we will confirm it at your appointment.
Conditions that have lasted, or are likely to last, at least six months — diabetes, heart and lung disease, arthritis and others.
Yes, with a valid Medicare card.
Days vary by term. Phone reception on (02) 6530 7404 for the current schedule.
Tell us. It is a common barrier, there are sometimes concession rates, and it is far better discussed than left.
General information only This page is general health information for anyone who finds it useful. It is not advice about your own situation and it does not replace a consultation with a doctor who knows you. If you are worried about a symptom, book an appointment or call (02) 6530 7404. In an emergency, call 000.
Ring reception, say which service you are after — or that you are not sure — and we will point you the right way. Mon–Fri 8:00am–5:00pm · Muswellbrook Fair, Rutherford Road.
Not sure which service? Start here →
People adapt to breathlessness without noticing — walking slower, taking the lift, doing less. Good asthma and COPD care is about what you can do, not just what the tests say.
Asthma and COPD are different conditions that share a lot of management. Both need the right inhalers, used correctly; a written action plan telling you what to do when things worsen; vaccination; and regular review.
Inhaler technique is where most control is lost. Studies consistently find the majority of people use their device incorrectly, which means much of the dose never reaches the lungs. Having technique checked — not described, but watched — is one of the highest-value ten minutes in medicine.
A written plan, personal to you, setting out what to do when symptoms are stable, worsening, or severe. Having one reduces hospital admissions.
With a puffer, almost always. A spacer gets substantially more of the dose into the lungs and reduces side effects.
Yes. Chest infections are the main cause of flare-ups, and vaccination is one of the most effective things you can do.
Green, amber and red — what to do at each stage, in your own words.
Watched, not described. This is where most control is lost.
Puffers, spacers and dry powder devices suit different people. Getting it wrong wastes the medicine.
Influenza annually, plus pneumococcal and COVID as recommended.
Structured exercise and education. Among the most effective treatments there is.
The only intervention that slows the decline in lung function. Support is available and it works.
The most useful signs are often behavioural. What have you stopped doing?
Needing your reliever more than twice a week, waking at night with symptoms, or symptoms limiting activity all suggest control could be better.
Some reduction is normal. Being unable to keep up with people your own age is not, and it is worth investigating.
Symptoms clearly worse than your usual over days, needing more reliever, or a change in sputum colour or volume with COPD.
The clearest single marker that control could be better.
Night symptoms are a strong signal, not a minor annoyance.
Including things you have quietly given up.
More than about two or three canisters a year is worth reviewing.
Rather than the usual day-to-day variation.
Particularly relevant in COPD.
A useful early warning that things are escalating.
Often the point at which the action plan should be started.
One of the most sensitive early signs of COPD.
Adaptations happen without conscious decision.
Worth mentioning even if you have adjusted around it.
Bending plus exertion — a common late marker.
Tell us about the work you have done, however long ago.
Plan ahead in smoke season and know your action plan.
Thunderstorm asthma is a real risk during grass pollen season.
If you have quietly stopped doing something because of your breathing, that is the thing to mention.
Lung conditions are reviewed with the practice nurse and your GP, with spirometry available on site.
At least yearly when stable, and more often after a flare-up or a medication change.
No, but periodically. It tracks whether things are changing.
Yes. Both asthma and COPD qualify, which brings in subsidised allied health.
Asthma & COPD care
Written action plans
Inhaler technique checks
Spirometry on site
Flu & pneumococcal vaccination
Dust exposure history
Care plans
Bulk billed
Asthma & COPD care
Written action plans
Inhaler technique checks
Spirometry on site
Flu & pneumococcal vaccination
Dust exposure history
Care plans
Bulk billed
Asthma & COPD care
Written action plans
Inhaler technique checks
Spirometry on site
Flu & pneumococcal vaccination
Dust exposure history
Care plans
Bulk billed
A written plan setting out what to do when symptoms are stable, worsening or severe. It reduces hospital admissions.
Reliever use twice a week or less, no night symptoms, and no limits on activity.
With a puffer, almost always. It gets far more of the dose into the lungs.
Yes, on site. See the spirometry page for how to prepare.
A structured exercise and education program for COPD. It is one of the most effective treatments available.
Yes, every year. Chest infections are the main cause of flare-ups.
Considerably. Tell us about mining, farming, welding and construction work, however long ago.
Yes. It brings in subsidised allied health, including exercise physiology.
General information onlyThis page is general health information for anyone who finds it useful. It is not advice about your own situation and it does not replace a consultation with a doctor who knows you. If you are worried about a symptom, book an appointment or call (02) 6530 7404. In an emergency, call 000.
Bulk billed with a valid Medicare card · Mon–Fri 8:00am–5:00pm · Muswellbrook Fair, Rutherford Road.
Prefer to meet us first? Meet the doctors →