Neighbourhood Medical is a general practice in Bardon with a focus on women’s and children’s health. It is a small, welcoming, private-billing clinic, which is owned and operated by Dr Nicole White and Dr Sarah McDonnell.
Servicing the Local Community
The GPs at Neighbourhood Medical love seeing kids, and aim to make their littlest patients feel relaxed and at home. The wellbeing of the babies and children of the local community is very important to the GPs at the practice, both as parents and as doctors. They understand how stressful it can be when your child is unwell or something is not quite right. They are here to listen to your concerns, big and small.
As we know all too well, sometimes children get sick unexpectedly, and, as such, Neighbourhood Medical do their best to reserve same-day appointments for urgent issues.
GPs with Additional Training in Children’s Health
Whilst all of the doctors at Neighbourhood Medical enjoy seeing children of all ages, Dr Nikki Twomey, Dr Mairaed Crawford and Dr Kathryn (Katie) Franks have a particular interest and have done additional training in the area of paediatrics.
Dr Nikki has a special interest in all areas of infant, child and adolescent health and is currently completing postgraduate studies in child health.
Dr Mairaed and Dr Katie are both parents of young children and have special interests in feeding and sleep problems in babies.
Dr Katie Franks is also a Possums accredited GP, who is available to provide in depth assessment and support to help with feeding and settling difficulties that you may have.
Dr Nicole White has a particular interest in paediatrics and provides healthcare specifically for children through her service GP4Kids. Dr Nicole is experienced in all aspects of child health and has completed a post graduate Diploma of Child Health. She is skilled in the assessment and initial management of children with developmental and behavioural concerns.
Specialised Appointments
As well as immunisations and usual medical care, specialised appointments available at Neighbourhood include:
- Baby Feed & Sleep Consults
- Possums Consults (Dr Katie Franks only)
- Childhood Behavioural & Developmental Assessments (Dr Nicole White, Dr Nikki Twomey)
The doctors at Neighbourhood Medical are happy to manage a full range of children’s health concerns, including:
- Infant growth and wellbeing, including feeding, settling, sleeping
- Monitoring of developmental milestones.
- Childhood immunisation including routine immunisations, additional private vaccines such as Meningococcal B and travel vaccinations
- Childhood illness and injury
- Chronic illnesses
- Behavioural issues
- Learning difficulties and school related problems in early childhood
- Weight management
- Parental stress
The Neighbourhood Medical Practice
The practice is located in a quiet, leafy environment at 1A Stuartholme Road, Bardon. It is just five minutes from Toowong, very easily reached from the end of the Western Freeway. There is ample parking available onsite including several undercover, same-level spaces to make pram access easy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are they taking new patients? Yes. All Neighbourhood Medical GPs with paediatric interests are taking new patients at this time. The standard procedure is for all new patients to have a half-hour initial consult, which gives the GP time to document a brief history, and for you to voice any concerns or worries.
Do they have appointments available today? Neighbourhood Medical has appointments available daily, which can be booked either by phoning their friendly reception staff, or online via the HotDoc booking app. The app updates in real time, allowing you to find the next available appointment at any time of day or night.
Do they bulk bill for children? Neighbourhood Medical is a privately billing practice, with Medicare rebates available on most appointments. Check their website for the full fee schedule.
Are they paediatricians? The practitioners at Neighbourhood Medical are general practitioners (GPs) with particular interests (and, in several cases, further training) in paediatric issues. They are not specialist paediatricians. As such, you do not need to get a referral to make an appointment. While they cannot make formal diagnoses for conditions such as ADHD and ASD, they can do an initial assessment and provide you with some strategies to manage – helping to bridge the gap if you have a long wait time until your paediatrician appointment.
To find out more, please visit the Neighbourhood Medical website.