PATIENTS JOURNEY
Triage phone/telehealth consultation:
In order to assess the urgency of your consultation our Neurosurgery Nurse Practitioner Andrew Scanlon, PhD will contact you to have a remote consultation through either a phone call or video call. He will also organise the appropriate imaging studies prior to your first consultation with me. This consultation has no out of pocket expense and the aim is to assess urgency, have all the diagnostic studies ready for your first consultation or in some cases avoid an unnecessary one if your condition is not within our areas of expertise.
First onsite consultation:
Usually 20-30 minutes to discuss your condition, organise further diagnostic studies (if needed) and provide advice. In the first consultation, I only offer surgery for urgent cases. Otherwise, I prefer to give patients time to think about options or get a second opinion. A friend or family member is always welcome to attend with you and engage in the discussion if you want.
Follow up consultation:
Usually 15-20 minutes. In some cases, follow-up consultations may be conducted over the phone or video call for your convenience.
For patients requiring surgery:
(10 to 20% of the cases) I discuss the dates available and the most suitable location: The Epworth Richmond, Warringal Private and Austin Health
I also have a detailed discussion of the risks and benefits of the interventions. I always emphasise that all the operations I do are safe and universally accepted as valid options of treatment.