For Patients and Visitors
What is the Plastic and Hand Surgery service?
The unit provides Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery services for outpatients (clinics) and inpatients (admissions). Both elective (non-urgent) and emergency (urgent) treatment are available in many areas, including:
- Skin Cancer
- Hand Surgery
- Breast Reconstruction
- Facial Trauma
- General Plastic Surgery
We aim to maintain, restore or improve function and appearance, either in the treatment of injuries or for medical conditions.
What can I expect from the service?
The Plastic & Hand Surgery Unit at Northern Health is committed to delivering outstanding care for the community. Our people are passionate about the work they do and strive to offer high quality and safe care. The unit is also dedicated to education, training and research.
We foster collaborative work with nurses, allied health professionals and other departments and we are keen to develop further synergy with the community.
Our service provides:
- Clinic appointments with specialists and nurses
- Communication with your GP
- Provision of interpreter service
- Provision of medical photography
- Hospital admission
- Emergency surgery (via Emergency Department)
- Home visits with nurses
- Periodic review for some conditions
How to refer to the service
A referral is required. Please visit your GP clinic
What do I bring/need for my appointment?
- All relevant investigation results and accurate list of medications
- Details of your GP and/or specialist
- Any medical reports related to the problem
- Radiology films (X-ray, Ultrasound, Scans and MRI) to appointments
- Medicare card
- Any splints, medications or devices currently used
Contact Us
Phone: 8405 8335
Contact us via the link Enquiries – Specialist Clinics
If you have been seen and have any current concerns please call wound clinic 8405 8852; please leave a message and someone will return your call.
For urgent treatment please go to the Emergency Department
If you have a medical emergency please call 000
For Health Professionals
Service Overview
The Plastic & Hand Surgery Unit at Northern Health is committed to delivering outstanding care for the community. Our people are passionate about the work they do and strive to offer high quality and safe care. The unit is also dedicated to education with a solid training program and participation in teaching opportunities such as other units’ programs, internship mentorship program, medical school lectures and research projects. Surgical training is key and the unit has trainees in multiple levels of their training, providing a career pathway for those interested in surgery. We foster collaborative work with nurses, allied health professionals and other departments and we are keen to develop further synergy with the community.
The unit provides treatment for a wide range of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery disorders, both elective and emergency with a high work load of trauma related injuries, including:
- Skin Cancer
- Hand Surgery
- Breast Reconstruction
- Facial Trauma
- General Plastic Surgery
- Wound Clinic
Outpatient Referral Guidelines
The Department of Health and Human Services has developed Statewide referral criteria to assist GPs and clinicians referring patients to Specialist Clinics. These referral criteria have been developed to improve access to Specialist Clinics in public hospitals by improving the quality and appropriateness of referrals.
- Carpal tunnel and other nerve compression syndromes – Carpal tunnel and other nerve compression syndromes | src.health.vic.gov.au
- Dupuytren’s contracture – Dupuytren’s contracture | src.health.vic.gov.au
- Hand fractures and infections – Hand fractures and infections | src.health.vic.gov.au
- Melanoma – Melanoma | src.health.vic.gov.au
- Skin Lesions and other skin cancers – Skin lesions and other skin cancers | src.health.vic.gov.au
- Stenosing tenosynovitis including trigger finger – Stenosing tenosynovitis including trigger finger | src.health.vic.gov.au
Exclusion criteria for referral:
(Services not offered by Northern Health Plastic Surgery Service)
- Removal of lesions below the neck should be directed to general surgery
- Divarication of Recti (Diastasis recti) should be referred to a private surgeon as repair is deemed a cosmetic treatment
- Sarcoma referrals should be directed to St. Vincent’s Hospital
- Severe burn contractures in paediatrics should be directed to Royal Children’s Hospital
- Cosmetic conditions/procedures
- Patients who are being treated for the same condition at another Victorian public hospital
Inclusion criteria for referral:
(not an extensive list):
Lesions
- Melanoma
- Skin Lesions and other cancers
General
- Abdominal skin excess
- Burns and burn scar management
- Foreign body removal
- Hidradentis suppurativa (only when referred by dermatologist)
- Scar revision and management
Hand
- Carpal tunnel and other nerve compression syndromes
- Dupuytren’s contracture
- Hand fractures and infections
- Hand/finger osteoarthritis
- Stenosing tenosynovitis including trigger finger
Face
- Eye conditions (i.e. blepharochalasis, dermatochalasis, ectropion)
- Other faciomaxillary abnormalities
- Nasal/facial fractures
- Nasal reconstruction
Breast
- Breast reconstruction
- Breast reduction
How to refer:
Please follow the instructions on the link: Referrals to Specialist Clinics
For detailed referral criteria and required supporting information please see HealthPathways Melbourne via the link below:
HealthPathways Melbourne – Plastic & Hand Surgery
Team:
Surgeons
The team consists of six Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Consultants. Our surgeons have varied areas of interests covering most of the subspecialties in the discipline and many have successfully completed fellowship training in Australia and overseas. Some of the surgeons participate in overseas humanitarian missions providing care to people and areas that would not have access to plastic and reconstructive surgery otherwise.
- Mr Nigel Mann (Acting HoU)
- Mr Julian Liew
- Mr Brian Yue
- Ms Katie-Beth Webster
- Ms Kimberly Hughes
- Mr Paul DiGiovine
- Mr Justin Easton
- Fellow: Dr Rizwan Sheik
Trainees and Medical Officers
- One accredited registrar
- Three unaccredited registrars
- Four residents
- One intern
Click here for information on our Research and Teaching.
