Services

CLINIC SERVICES

Our doctors and nurses offer the following services among others. If you require a service not listed on this page, please speak to your doctor.

Appointments

Please call 9874 3344 to make an appointment. Alternatively, you can click on the top right corner of this webpage to Book Online.

We use HotDoc as our provider for our appointment system. They have provided this statement after the ABC report disclosed that an online booking provider, HealthEngine, had been passing on patient details to third parties.

HotDoc has a strict policy around how it handles any patient data as summarised below:

HotDoc does not pass on any patient data to 3rd parties
HotDoc does not engage in 3rd party advertising
HotDoc strictly abides by its Company Promise found here

When booking your appointment, the receptionist will ask you to confirm your address and date of birth in addition to your name. We will also need to do this on other occasions such as when you request a repeat prescription or referral etc. The reason for this is to be sure we always have your correct record and there is no misidentification or mismatch.

In an effort to provide an efficient service, our receptionists will ask for your medicare card at every visit.

Standard appointment times are for 10-15 minutes.

For multiple smaller problems or a complicated issue longer appointments are available, but please let the receptionist know when making your appointment. The gap fee for this does not change ie: it is not more costly to you as a patient for a longer appointment once you receive your rebate from medicare.

Consultations for completing medical reports and travel vaccinations and information also require long appointments. Please note that consultations for medical reports and travel vaccinations may not be covered by Medicare.

Urgent medical problems will always be dealt with as a matter of priority. Our staff are experienced in helping you decide the most appropriate action for your needs. See our About Us page for details on after hours consultations.

Asthma Education and Support

Our clinic can assist you with your asthma management. For your first appointment you will need to see a nurse for approximately 45 minutes, then see your doctor for a standard appointment straight afterwards. Our receptionists will be able to assist you in coordinating these appointments. Subsequent visits may be shortened to only 30 minutes with the nurse and a standard appointment with the doctor. Asthma appointments can be made on Monday – Wednesday.

Care Plans

In cases where patients have an ongoing medical issue(s), our doctors may recommend the implementation of a Care Plan, to assist with monitoring symptoms and treatments, and achieving health care goals. This may also involve a Team Care Arrangement, particularly where there are several specialists or other providers involved in your care. The government provides specific funding in these cases which may entitle you to free physiotherapy or dental visits. Please ask your doctor for more information during your consultation.

Cervical Screening

For most women Australian authorities recommend cervical screening every five years, although in some situations a shorter period is recommended. We have a recall system in place which will send you a reminder letter when it is time for your next cervical screening, however responsibility does lie with the patient so you are advised keep your own records and not rely completely on our reminder system. If you have had the cervical screening elsewhere we would appreciate you letting our practice nurse know, so that we can maintain an up to date medical record for you.

All of our doctors are happy to do cervical screening, please let the receptionist know if you would prefer a female doctor. The results of cervical screening and HPV tests taken in this clinic are routinely forwarded to the National Cervical Screening Registry – please speak to your doctor if you have any problems with this policy.

Chiropractic

Dr Terence Heng is both a qualified GP and Chiropractor. He is a Chiropractic lecturer at RMIT University in Bundoora and also works as a Surgical Assistant with various specialists. He has a special interest in complex musculo-skeletal management and would like to seek further collaboration between both the chiropractic and medical profession. If you are a musculo-skeletal practitioner and would like further advice regarding a patient, please feel free to call our clinic & speak to one of our practitioners.

Dr Heng also practices regularly at our other clinic, Nunawading Clinic. He consults from both clinics and is able to access your records from either clinic.

Counselling

All of our doctors are available for confidential counselling. Please ensure you ask the receptionist for a long appointment when booking in.

Diabetes Education and Support

All of our general practice nurses participate in diabetes management. Most appointments with the nurse will need to be 30 minutes long, and booked on a day when your own doctor is consulting if possible. Ensure you tell the receptionist that this is a diabetes visit when booking in.

Family Planning

Family planning services are provided by all of our doctors. In addition, several of our doctors are registered to provide shared care throughout your pregnancy with various local hospitals.

Home Visits

Home visits are available for patients on our register who are unable to come to the clinic. We appreciate it if these are arranged as early in the day as possible, to ensure a doctor will be able to see you. Please note that we are only able to provide visits locally, within the area bordered by Springvale Road, Whitehorse Road, Burwood Hwy, Dandenong Creek and Heatherdale Road.

Our doctors also regularly visit patients in hostels and nursing homes in the area. For more information please call the clinic.

Liquid Nitrogen Therapy

Liquid nitrogen is often used to “freeze” off sunspots and warts – please ask your doctor if you have any concerns.

Medicals

All of our doctors are able to do general medical checks for employment or other purposes. It is preferable for you to make these appointments with your usual doctor, since they will be the most familiar with your history. Please let the receptionist know you would like a medical when making your appointment so that a longer time can be allocated to you.

Minor Surgery

We are able to perform minor surgical operations here at the clinic, such as suturing, removing moles, skin cancers etc. Please let the receptionist know when making your appointment, as you will generally need an extended appointment time and we will also need to book the treatment room for you.

An out of pocket fee applies to these procedures for all patients. Please discuss this with your doctor at the time of consultation.

Pathology Collection On-Site

Melbourne Pathology has a collection centre here at the clinic which can be contacted on 9872 5976. Their opening hours are 8:00am – 4:30pm Monday to Friday and 8:30 – 11:00am on Saturdays. On Sundays and public holidays the Vermont branch is closed.

For centres with more extended opening hours check on the back of your referral form at the list of collection centres to find one that will suit you.

Phonecalls

Our busiest time is from 8:30am to 11 am. Waiting times are less should you call after those hours. Our doctors will be busy attending to their patients and their preference would be for you to make an appointment to address any issues. However, our GPs will take and return phone calls where appropriate. Please tell the receptionist if the matter is urgent and leave your best available contact number with a short message with our receptionist to help your GP prioritise your return call.

Our doctors will take or return phone calls from patients when appropriate. Please tell the receptionist if the matter is urgent.

Physiotherapy

Jamin Smalley

Jamin is a member of the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APAM) and is registered with the Australian Physiotherapy Board.

Jamin is a compassionate, friendly, caring person who is dedicated to achieving the highest standard of care, to ensure the best possible outcome for his patients. He employs a predominantly hands on treatment approach which involved soft tissue massage, mobilisation, manipulation, ultrasound, postural advice and exercises to encourage and maintain full rehabilitation.

Jamin has extensive experience in both New Zealand and Australia, working within multiple private practice settings, sports teams, gyms, community health settings, a medical centre and a day activity service for people with disabilities. His experience enables him to work with people of any age and assists him to effectively treat all musculoskeletal conditions. His treatment specialities include sports physiotherapy and providing pain relief for muscular, joint, arthritic and spinal conditions.

Oliver Wong

Oliver graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Hons) and joined the BodyMotion team in February 2021.
Oliver has had a keen interest in sports from a young age, which has led to his interest in the treatment of sporting and musculoskeletal injuries. He is currently a keen basketballer and has had previous experiences working at different football clubs as a sports trainer. Oliver is particularly interested in treating conditions of the knee, shoulder, neck and back. As a physiotherapist, Oliver is passionate about working together with his clients to help them achieve their goals. He uses a combination of manual techniques and exercise therapy in order to achieve the best outcomes.
Away from physiotherapy, Oliver is an avid foodie and loves travelling to try out new cafes and restaurants. He is also always happy to chat about anything and everything to do with the AFL and NBA.
Oliver is able to speak basic Mandarin.

Podiatry

Michael Sezenias

Michael has been a podiatrist at Vermont Health Care since graduating from La Trobe University Melbourne in 2019 with a Bachelor of Applied Science and Masters of Podiatric Practice.

He has experience in all facets of podiatry and has a special interest in custom orthotic prescription, ingrown nail surgery and paediatrics. Other areas that he specialises in include gait analysis, diabetes assessment and general nail and skin care.

Michael regularly attends professional development events including Australian Podiatry Association national and state conferences, surgical practice seminars run by the Australian College of Podiatric Surgeons and wound management courses run by Gippsland Health. In addition, he strives to stay up to date with the latest podiatric research to deliver the best clinical outcomes for his patients.

Outside of work, Michael enjoys playing tennis and squash as well as running to maintain fitness, which enables him to work closely with patients to get them back on the court/track as soon as possible. Other personal hobbies include snowboarding, hiking, and music.

Bethany Batten

Bethany completed a Bachelor of Applied Science and Masters in Podiatric Practice at La Trobe University Bundoora, and has since enjoyed working as a Podiatrist in private practice. Furthermore, Bethany completed her Diploma in Nursing and finds her experience as a Nurse has aided in providing a holistic level of healthcare.

Bethany specialises in helping patients with a broad range of concerns such as dermatological conditions, musculoskeletal injuries, diabetic foot checks and paediatric assessments. She is accredited in laser nail treatment for fungal nails, ingrown toenail surgery and utilises orthotic therapy/exercise for lower limb pathologies. Bethany endeavours to build close relationships with her patients and will personalise your appointments to fit your individual goals and requirements.

Outside of work, Beth regularly attends Pilates and enjoys socialising with friends / family and spoiling her toy poodle Pippa.

Pregnancy Tests

We stock pregnancy tests here at the clinic – please ask the doctor during your consultation. You will need to buy the test from us, which will usually cost $8.70.

Prescriptions

Repeat prescriptions may be obtained without a consultation by patients who have seen the doctor in the last week. Due to the time it takes a doctor to check and update your patient file and write the prescription, there may be a $15 fee for this service since only face-to-face consultations are currently covered by Medicare. However, if you call within three days of your last appointment, the doctor will write your script without a charge.

Recalls and Results

This practice operates a computer based recall system for sending reminders for follow up in some situations.

This does not cover all or even most situations where your doctor has advised review but is used to aid follow up for some common checks such as cervical screenings, and some pathology results and examination reviews.

Therefore, please note that although every effort is made to send reminders, it is your responsibility to return for follow-up, check-ups and all test results. If you do not wish to be a part of this system, please advise your doctor. However, please remember that these activities are designed to enhance the ability of your doctor to provide the highest quality of care to you.

Obtaining results

Patients are required to return for an appointment to discuss test results unless by prior arrangement with the doctor who ordered the test.

A common misbelief is that the results are normal and nothing further needs to be done if you are not called up. This is not the case. Even if the results are normal, your GP may want to discuss other options with you. We at Vermont Health Care strive to provide the best medical care possible, hence we appreciate your effort in making a follow up appointment to discuss your results.

In accordance with the privacy legislation we are unable to give results to anyone but the patient who had the test. In most cases this includes children of 15 years of age and over who are able to understand the nature of the test and the implications of a result. A patient may, however, provide written authorization for another person to receive results on their behalf. Over the telephone it may not be possible to know if the caller is the patient and in general it is advised that patients return for receipt and discussion of results.

Referrals

Where necessary, our doctors will provide referrals to a wide range of specialist and other services. Patients are advised to make an appointment to discuss the issue with their GP, who can then make an assessment of the most appropriate referral. While our doctors may occasionally provide a referral without a consultation, this will generally be only to a specialist the patient has seen previously and where the problem has already been assessed here at the clinic.

Please note that there is also a $20 fee for referrals that are written without a consultation.

Shared Ante-Natal Care

Expecting mothers are encouraged to make a shared care appointment to arrange an obstetrician. Doctors currently doing shared care are Dr Wayne Piez and Dr Kelly Tulloch. Shared care appointments will need to be for 30 minutes, so please let the receptionist know when booking in.

Spirometry

Lung function tests which can be performed by one of our practice nurses. You will need to make a 30 minute spirometry appointment, and the receptionist will give you an instruction sheet. This can be posted out to you if you make the appointment over the phone.

Spirometry appointments will be bulk billed if you have a healthcare or pension card. If you do not have one of these cards then the first visit will be $30 to cover the cost of the mouthpiece. Provided you bring the mouthpiece back for subsequent visits you will then be bulk billed. Veterans will always be bulk billed for this service.

Sports Medicine

Sports medicine services are available with all doctors in the clinic. Please let the receptionist know when calling if your problem is urgent. In some cases, we may need to refer you for medical imaging or specialist physiotherapy services. Your doctor will be happy to discuss any issues with you during the consultation.

Dr Terence Heng offers chiropractic care from both Vermont Health Care and Nunawading Clinic. You will be able to claim a portion of the fee if covered by your private health insurance policy.

Vaccinations

Our nurses provide vaccinations for children with the childhood immunisation program. Please call the clinic to make an appointment with the nurse.

For travel vaccinations you will need an appointment with your doctor to discuss the locations you plan to visit and which vaccinations you will need. Please let the receptionist know when you book in as you may need a longer appointment.