Conditions I accept referrals for

General Medicine

I can provide guidance, investigations and management plans for problems, including (but not limited to):

  • Fatigue/tiredness

  • Fibromyalgia and Autonomic dysfunction (Orthostatic Hypotension, POTS)

  • Weight loss

  • Dizziness/funny turns

  • Memory issues

  • Breathlessness

  • Pain, depending on the nature of the situation

  • Nausea/vomiting

Older Person’s Health

I can provide advice, investigations and management plans for issues relating to vulnerability in older age, including (but not limited to):

  • Falling and funny turns

  • Maintaining independence and function at home

  • Slowing down, weight loss and fragility

  • Changes in memory and thinking

  • Medication complexity and side effects

  • Bone health and osteoporosis

Other services I offer

Dementia assessment and risk factor management for older people with memory changes.

Medication reviews for optimising treatment benefits, and minimising side effects and number of medicines.

Medical assessment prior to planned operations or procedures, or post-operative review when recovery becomes prolonged or complicated.

Education, support and guidance around known medical issues when there is anxiety or distress.

Advanced care planning in situations where chronic medical illness is life limiting, to help identify priorities in care and anticipate the future.

What does an appointment look like?

  • Initial appointments usually take 60 minutes. I am available to contact by email to my existing clients to answer questions, and provide a degree of oversight of your care.

  • Follow up appointments are usually 30-40 minutes, which are charged at the hourly rate of an initial appointment.

    For issues that do not necessarily need a physical follow up I often can do a phone call to keep things on track. I am available to contact by email after an initial visit for questions and advice and can support your GP or primary care provider.

  • I have a weekly Saturday morning clinic based out of the consulting rooms in City Doctors, 22 Victoria Avenue Palmerston North.

  • I may request that you complete assessment forms ahead of time to provide me with a better idea of the problems. For cognitive/brain function issues the appointment will usually include more in-depth cognitive testing, which I can perform as part of your assessment.

  • It is important to me that you have clear communication around your care, to get the maximum benefit from your time with me. I provide you with copies of the medical correspondence for your GP. For complex disease management I can supply a plain language letter to you with a summary of the appointment, the plan and other resources appropriate to your situation.

  • You are strongly encouraged to bring a support person/whānau, this is particularly advisable if we are dealing with memory issues. With advance notice we can organise a conference call or zoom if you have individuals who need to be present but can’t attend in person.

  • For people who are vulnerable I offer home visits and visits to Rest Homes/Aged Residential Care agreed in advance, there may be an additional cost.

  • I do not offer Telemedicine for initial appointments, as I usually need to perform a physical examination relevant to the problem at hand. I do offer Telemedicine follow ups (by phone or by Zoom) which can be either short or long depending on what your needs are. For short follow up phone calls there is not usually a charge, unless these are frequent and I am closely directing your management.

  • I am able to see clients from out of the MidCentral DHB region. I need to see people in person for an initial appointment, and accessing investigations and documentation from out of region takes more time.

Pricing and insurance cover

Pricing is freely available on request. I am an Nib Health Partner for Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine. If you have health insurance with other providers I suggest you contact them before booking an appointment to check whether appointments are covered, I provide invoices and receipts for reimbursement. I process payments through online banking and credit cards but do not have eftpos facilities.