On this page

For Babies and Children
Women’s Health
Men’s Health
Tired All the Time?
Skin Checks
Diabetes
Heart Disease
Lung Disease

Chronic Disease Management / Enhanced Primary Care
Mental Health
ATSI Health
Annual Health Checks
Travelling?
Work Cover
Q Fever

For Babies and Children

 
Your new baby
At BMC we don’t just vaccinate! We provide checkups for newborns as per the “Red Book” child health record. We’d love to meet you and your newborn soon after you leave hospital and again at about 6 weeks, 4,6,12 and 18 months of age and then a more detailed checkup at 4 years of age before starting school. Let us know when you’re booking for a checkup and vaccination.

Be sure to fill out the questions in the “Red Book” before you come along, including the Parent’s Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) at each age-checkpoint.

Child development and behaviour
As well as the standard check points, we are happy to do a developmental check on your child any time you have concerns. You might be worried about their growth, their development of abilities to move, communicate, or play, or their behaviour.

It can be helpful to do a PIE chart assessment at home http://kookyclinic.com.au/piechart/ and bring it along.

If your child’s teacher has raised concerns, it’s essential to get them to write down what they’re worried about, and bring that along. Please bring the latest school reports, including guidance reports, hearing tests etc. If your child has seen any allied health therapists such as psychology, occupational therapy, speech pathology, optometry or physio, bring their reports or at least, contact details.

When we’ve done an assessment, we may arrange further testing such as blood tests or hearing tests; and we may refer to a paediatrician or allied health team.

For many children, a GP Management Plan and a Team Care arrangement may be appropriate allowing some extra funding (link to page on BMC site). There may also be special funding available for a psychologist or allied health under the Allied Health Intervention http://www.bsphn.org.au/child-health-wellbeing/ or ATAPS For Kids http://www.bsphn.org.au/mental-health/ataps-for-kids/

Men’s Health

 
Men have special needs. Men go to the doctor less and die younger than women. Heart disease and cancers are special problems; early detection and correcting risk factors can help. Especially in rural areas, men face particular risks from anxiety, depression and suicide. There are also issues like snoring and sleep apnoea, erection problems, and skin cancer from outdoor work.
 
 

Skin checks

 
Skin cancer is a killer in Australia and especially in Queensland, where we have some of the highest rates in the world and 60% of us get a sunburn every year.

Doctors at BMC are trained to do full skin checks “head-to-toe” and can cure most skin cancers, especially if detected early, while they’re small. Treatments available at BMC include:

– Freezing “cryotherapy” with liquid nitrogen sprays
– Anticancer creams like fluorouracil (Efudix), imiquimod (Aldara) and ingenol (Picato)
– Minor surgery
– Plastic surgery (small skin flaps and skin grafts)
– Curettage and cautery

We also diagnose and treat pre-cancerous skin disease like sunspots. More information is at Cancer Council Queensland https://cancerqld.org.au/glossary/skin-cancer/
 

Heart Disease

 
Heart disease includes heart attacks and everyday, Australian’s give up work and play because of heart problems. The good news is that much heart disease can be prevented, and the power is in your hands. Doctors at BMC can check your risks for heart disease and help you improve your chances.

Smoking, cholesterol, blood pressure, weight, exercise and snoring can all be changed. Patients who have had a heart attack, stent or bypass can access 3-4 bulk-billed checkups every year and we can also arrange funded visits to optometrist, podiatrist, dietitian, physio etc if needed (gap payments may apply)

More information about your heart health is here https://heartfoundation.org.au/your-heart
 

Chronic Disease Management / Enhanced Primary Care

 
If you are living with a “chronic disease” you may be eligible for 3-4 bulk billed checkups every year and possibly for funded visits to optometrist, podiatrist, dietitian, physio etc if needed (gap payments may apply).

Eligible chronic diseases include:

– Heart disease and stroke
– Lung disease including severe asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis
– Diabetes
– Arthritis
– Child development delays

ATSI Health

 
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia can access special programs from Medicare and the Australian Government to achieve better health outcomes. Medicare even has a special access line for information about their programs. Call 1800 556 955

At BMC we can offer:
– Help enrolling with Medicare and registering as an ATSI person
– ATSI Health Checks bulk-billed every 9-12 months
– Chronic Disease Management Plans bulk-billed every 4-6 months
– Closing The Gap (CTG) prescriptions free if you have a Chronic Disease
– Tailored immunisation programs for ATSI children and adults

Travelling?

 
Doing the “Grey Nomad” trip any time soon? They say there’s no point getting older if you don’t get smarter too. Here are some tips for the smarter long-term Aussie traveller.

• Come and see us a month before you plan to leave (even if you’re not ‘due’ for a checkup). We’ll do a checkup anyway, set you up with any scripts you might need, and print off a health summary as well as any notes your doctors along the way might need.
• Set yourself up with myhealthrecord.gov.au (a free, secure, online health record provided by the Federal Government). We can upload a basic health summary there and it will be accessible from many GPs and hospitals in Australia. You can scan and upload your Advance Health Directive there too.
• Your long-term conditions still need checkups. Whether it’s diabetes, blood pressure or your sunspots, plan ahead so you’ll be in a community with medical services when you’re due.
• Book appointments (like you book accommodation) at least a fortnight out. In many parts of regional and rural Australia waiting times for non-urgent appointments for new patients are MUCH longer than your regular GP.
• Running out of medicine is about as smart as running out of fuel, and will get you the same amount of sympathy. Keep a stash in reserve and if you have to break into it, top up at the next pharmacy. Know where the next pharmacy is just like you know where the next fuel stop is.
• If you are having wound dressings, make sure you carry plenty of spares. You might need to change them yourself and some special dressings will not be available or may be a lot more expensive in remote areas.
• Plan for additional health care costs. You will probably not be bulk-billed, and in some places (like rural South Australia) even in an emergency department you may be treated by a local doctor as a private patient with a fee payable.
• If you’re over 75 or you have an MR license or any other sort of license certificate, check the expiry date. See you usual GP to get a certificate to cover the whole trip.
• If any other sort of certificate will expire while away, see your GP now.
• If you are taking any opiate (morphine-related) medicines for chronic pain, see your GP at least a month before departing. Most other doctors will NOT prescribe for someone they do not know.
• Remember that emergency departments are only there for emergencies.
• Figure out how you will communicate. Mobiles don’t work in most of remote Australia. You can call 000 or 112 in an emergency if another carrier has coverage but if there is NO carrier available it will not work. Your best option is a satellite phone; also consider an EPIRB, PLB or SPOT device.
• Make sure you know how to use your GPS or Emergency+ app to get exact lat/long coordinates for your position.
• Be considerate of other travelers. Pull over often to let following vehicles pass, use your 2-way radios to communicate on the road and park where you’re not in others’ way.
• Make sure you have more than 1 person travelling who can drive your vehicle, including with van or trailer.

And don’t forget to send us a postcard!

(thanks to Dr Kate Kloza and colleagues at “GPs Down Under”)
 
 
Overseas

If you are going overseas, come and see your GP at least 6 weeks before leaving. Make a long appointment and bring your itinerary and a list of vaccinations you have had in the past.

Before you come, look up your destinations here to get an idea of what precautions you will need to take. It helps if you print the relevant pages to bring along.

Q Fever Immunisation

 
Beaudesert Medical Centre provides testing and immunisation for Q fever.

Please advise reception that you are booking for Q fever immunisation. You need 2 visits, 7 days apart. The first visit is for a skin test and blood test. At the second visit you will be immunised if skin AND blood tests are negative. Immunity is developed by 15 days after the second visit.

Special pricing applies to Q fever testing and immunisation. Please check with reception.

More information is here