2024 Christmas Closure
North Coast Surgical Suite will be closed from 5pm on 23rd December 2024 until 10am 2nd January 2025.
In cases of emergency please dial 000.
Our doctors are independent practitioners and may choose to see a few patients during this time frame if they feel it is necessary. If you have been given an appointment during this time period, your doctor will be available to see you, however should you call the rooms you will receive the "closed for Christmas" message. In this case leave a message on the answering machine and you will be contacted if necessary.
Due to his excessive public waiting list Dr Stephen Strahan will not be accepting new public referrals again until March 2025.
2023 Christmas Closure
North Coast Surgical Suite will be closed from 3pm on 22rd December until 10am on Wednesday 3rd January.
In cases of emergency please dial 000.
Our doctors are independent practitioners and may choose to see a few patients during this time frame if they feel it is necessary. If you have been given an appointment during this time period, your doctor will be available to see you, however should you call the rooms you will receive the "closed for Christmas" message. In this case leave a message on the answering machine and you will be contacted if necessary.
November 2022: Dr Robert Simon announces retirement from the public hospital system.
After more than 30 years of dedicated service to the public system Dr Simon plans to significantly reduce his commitment from 30th June 2023. Due to the size of his public waiting list he will be unable to accept new referrals after 31st December 2022.
Standard opening and consultation hours have resumed.
2nd March 2022 -Disrupted Service due to Lismore flood emergency.
We are back to partial service, although some of our doctors remain isolated. We will be in contact with all patients who had appointments scheduled during the emergency closure earlier this week and all patients with upcoming appointments. Our phone lines are currently closed while we work through the backlog. In case of emergency call 000 or attend your nearest emergency department.
Lismore Flood Emergency 28th February 2022
Our office is currently closed due to the Lismore Flood emergency. We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, however we have no power and therefore no computers and no phones. In addition, a large number of our doctors and staff are unable to access the St Vincent's Hospital campus due to surrounding road closures.
We will make contact with all patients who had appointments during the closure as a matter of priority once we have our computers and phones back.
In the case of an emergency dial 000 or attend your closest Accident and Emergency Department.
Christmas Closure 2021
North Coast Surgical Suite will be closing at 12 noon on Friday 24th December and reopen at 9am on Tuesday 4th January 2022.
We are an essential service and therefore open during Lockdowns
All patients and visitors to the practice must sign in to St Vincent's Hospital initially and then sign in to the Practice when they arrive at our rooms on Level 4. All patients and visitors are expected wear face masks and follow social distancing guidelines. The practice follows strict Covid safety and infection control guidelines following NSW public health advice. When clinically appropriate the doctors may decide to offer telehealth appointments on a case by case basis.
2020 Christmas Closure
North Coast Surgical Suite will be closed from 1pm Thursday 24th December until 9am Monday 4th January 2021.
Dr Strahan update
Dr Strahan has changed his MacLean consulting day and now attends 1 Wharf Street Maclean every fourth Thursday. He currently offers in rooms urodynamic and uroflow studies at North Coast Surgical Suite in Lismore. Dr Strahan's private operating has expanded to Ballina Private Day Surgery.
Telephone and Video Consultations Available
In response to the Corona Virus Pandemic and the requirement to self-isolate when possible the doctors who practice and North Coast Surgical Suite offer video consultations using Zoom and Telephone consultations when possible and when it is in the best interests of their patients.
Novel Corona Virus- COVID 19
North Coast Surgical Suite is open for business but we are following strict guidelines to support the well-being of patients, doctors and staff. If you are experiencing flu-like symptoms (fever, sore throat, dry cough) OR if you have traveled overseas in the last 14 days OR if someone who has had close personal contact with falls into these categories please call us on 66218277 before entering our practice. Further information can be found on the following link https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx and on our Policies and Procedures Page
17th June 2019
Dr Stephen Strahan, is now offering appointments every fourth Tuesday commencing 2nd July 2019 at 1 Wharf St in Maclean, He is also able to offer urodynamic studies commencing in July 2019.
31st July 2018
Dr Stephen Strahan, Urologist, will commence practicing at NCSS on 31st July 2018. For more information about his career and special interests click here link
March 2018
Dr Bliegh Mupunga- ambulatory sleep studies
Dr Bliegh Mupunga is now offering ambulatory sleep studies. This involves coming in to our rooms and being hooked up to a mobile sleep diagnostic device by qualified technicians and then returning home to sleep in the comfort of your own bed, returning the equipment to NCSS the next day. If you would like to know more please download the information sheet here.
February 2018
Dr Mark Rahman
Dr Mark Rahman, plastic surgeon, will commence consulting at NCSS once per fortnight from 22nd February. Follow this link for more details or to find out how to book an appointment http://www.drmarkrahman.com.au/
November 2017
Dr Sally Butchers
From 2nd February 2018 Dr Sally Butchers will be consulting at 85 Tamar St Ballina on alternate Friday mornings. Appointments can be made by phoning the NCSS number 66218277.
November 2017
Dr Bliegh Mupunga
Dr Mupunga's consulting day is now Thursday.
November 2017
Dr Candice Silverman
Dr Candice Silverman is consulting at NCSS every second Thursday from November 2017 for further information see the link on the Our Doctors page.
March 2017
Dr James Ledgard
Dr James Ledgard, hand wrist and reconstructive surgeon, consults at North Coast Surgical Suite on alternate Tuesdays. Follow this link for more information https://www.drjamesledgard.com.au/
September 2016
Dr Hamish Foster has retired from surgical practice.
Dr Hamish Foster retired from surgical practice on 30th September 2016.
March 2015
Dr Bliegh Mupunga
Dr Bliegh Mupunga, Respiratory and Sleep Physician, will be consulting from North Coast Surgical Suite every Friday commencing 27th March 2015.
Dr Mupunga is a Staff Specialist Respiratory and Sleep Physician at the Lismore Base Hospital. His clinic on Fridays at NCSS will be providing a service for private patients only.
For further information about Dr Mupunga click on the Our Doctors link above and then click on the Tab with his name
29th December 2014
Doctor Robert Simon will be on leave from 1st-26th January 2015.
He has also advised that his fees will be increasing from 1st July 2015, see patient information for more details.
24th December 2015- CHRISTMAS CLOSURES
The practice will close from 2pm on the 24th December until 9am Wednesday 31st December 2014.
The practice will be closed from 3pm 31st December until 9am Monday 5th January.
10th December 2014
Doctor Sally Butchers and Dr Daniel Bills have advised us of fee increases to commence in 2015. See patient information for more details.
4th October 2014
From Thursday 16th October Dr Candice Silverman will be consulting at our rooms every fourth Thursday. For all information regarding appointments and services provided please go to http://www.drcandicesilverman.com.au/
28th June 2014
FOR REFERRERS: Drs Butchers, Bills and Simon have changed the procedure for referring privately insured patients for emergency admission to St Vincent's Private Hospital under their care. Please follow the link on the home page to the Information for Doctors page of this website for further information.
30th May 2014
Dr Sally Butchers will be on leave from Friday 30th May until Monday 23rd June.
5th May 2014
Dr Daniel Bills and Dr Hamish Foster are on leave to attend the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Annual Scientific Congress in Singapore. Following this Dr Bills will be on leave from 10th -24th May 2014.
April 2014
Dr Hamish Foster has returned from leave and is consulting 2 days per week seeing privately-insured and Veterans Affairs patients.
March 2014
Dr Daniel Bills returns from conference leave on Monday 10th March 2014.
Dr Hamish Foster will be on leave for four weeks from Monday 10th March 2014.
12TH FEBRUARY 2014
Dr Daniel Bills will be on leave from 13th February as he heads to Hawaii to attend the Mayo Clinic Interactive Surgery Symposium from16th-21st February.
