Launceston winters are hard on lungs. Asthma and COPD are managed here with spirometry on site to confirm what you actually have, a written action plan you actually have a copy of, regular reviews rather than reviews only when something goes wrong, and a practice open until 8pm on weekdays and every weekend for the days when things do go wrong.
What we look after
- Asthma in adults and children – diagnosis, written action plans, review of control, and what to do when it flares
- COPD – assessment, action plans, flare-up management, and slowing decline
- Overlap of the two, and working out which is which when the picture is not clear
- Allergy and hay fever where it is driving asthma, which in this part of Tasmania it very often is
- Smoking, and practical help to stop – the only intervention that changes the course of COPD
- Chest infections, and the difference between one that needs treatment and one that does not
- Spirometry here at the practice to confirm the diagnosis and track it over time, and referral to respiratory specialists when that is needed
What a proper review covers
- How well controlled you actually are – night waking, days with symptoms, reliever use, and what you have stopped doing because of your breathing. Most people underestimate this; the questions are specific for a reason.
- Your technique – checked and corrected, in front of you, with your own device. A large proportion of people who feel their treatment is not working are simply not getting it into their lungs.
- A written action plan – what to do when you are well, when you are getting worse, and when to seek help urgently. On paper, in your hand.
- Flare-up history – how many in the last year, and how many needed extra treatment or a hospital visit.
- Triggers – allergy, smoke, cold air, reflux, exercise, wood heaters.
- Spirometry – done here at the practice. It is what separates asthma from COPD and confirms either one, and it is the step most often skipped: plenty of people carry a COPD label that was never confirmed, and plenty of people treated for asthma turn out to have something else.
- Vaccinations – influenza and pneumococcal cover; see immunisations.
Your care plan
The way Medicare funds this changed on 1 July 2025. The old GP Management Plan and Team Care Arrangement were replaced by a single GP Chronic Condition Management Plan. If you already had a plan under the old system it still counts; it simply moves across at your next review.
What that means in practice:
- You are eligible if you have at least one condition that has lasted, or is likely to last, six months or more. There is no official list of qualifying conditions – it is your doctor’s clinical judgement.
- One plan now covers both the management plan and the referrals to other health professionals.
- The plan needs to be written or reviewed within the last 18 months for you to keep access to the rebated allied health visits.
- With a current plan you can claim up to five individual allied health visits per calendar year (ten for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients) – for example a dietitian, podiatrist, diabetes educator, physiotherapist or exercise physiologist.
- You can also have up to five services from a practice nurse on your doctor’s behalf.
- If you are registered with us through MyMedicare, your plan is written here, at the practice you are registered with. If you are not registered, your usual GP can still write it.
Care plans and their reviews are bulk billed at Health Nexus. There is no out-of-pocket cost for writing the plan or for reviewing it.
For COPD the allied health visits are usually best spent on pulmonary rehabilitation or an exercise physiologist. Pulmonary rehab improves breathlessness and exercise capacity more than most people expect, and it is consistently under-used.
Much of the monitoring and recall work is done by the practice nursing team alongside your doctor. The nurses run the checks that are due, keep the recalls on schedule and prepare the review so that your appointment with the doctor is spent on decisions rather than data entry. It is also why the reviews actually happen – the most common reason chronic disease care fails is that the review is never booked.
When things flare
Ring 000 if you are struggling to speak in full sentences, your lips or fingers look blue, or your reliever is not working.
Otherwise, follow your written action plan and be seen the same day. The practice is open 8am–8pm on weekdays, 8am–5pm Saturday and 9am–5pm Sunday, every day of the year – ring (03) 6351 5610, use the urgent appointment request, or come to the walk-in clinic.
What to expect
Bring your devices with you – all of them, including the ones you have stopped using – so technique can be checked properly and anything out of date can be sorted out. Book a long appointment for a first assessment or an annual review, and mention if you have had a flare-up since you were last seen.
The doctors
All of the doctors who work from Health Nexus manage long-term conditions. Several have substantial hospital experience behind them:
- Dr John Esho – medical registrar in multiple specialties across northern and north-west Tasmanian hospitals, including cardiology and nephrology; internal and general medicine
- Dr Arsalan (Sam) Mahmud – medical registrar in multiple specialties across northern and north-west Tasmanian hospitals; general and emergency medicine, and continues to work in acute care
- Dr Asim Razak – chronic disease, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions
- Dr Sai Tip – chronic disease, respiratory medicine
- Dr Miyulasi Attanayake – chronic disease, diabetes, hypertension, asthma and COPD
- Dr Nadia Khan – chronic disease, diabetes and hypertension
- Dr Nalika Hendawitharana – chronic disease, preventive health
Fees and Medicare
Health Nexus Launceston is a mixed-billing practice. Children aged 12 and under are bulk billed whenever the practice is open, including evenings and weekends. Pension card holders over 65 and DVA Gold Card holders are bulk billed on weekdays between 8am and 5pm. Everyone else pays the consultation fee with the Medicare rebate claimed on the spot. The current fees are on the fees and bulk billing page.
The practice is open 8am–8pm Monday to Friday, 8am–5pm Saturday and 9am–5pm Sunday, every day of the year, and on every public holiday at the standard hours for that day.
Common questions
How often should asthma be reviewed?
At least yearly when it is well controlled, and within a week or two after any flare-up that needed extra treatment or a hospital visit. If you are using your reliever more than twice a week, it is time for a review regardless of when the last one was.
Do you do written asthma action plans?
Yes, and you leave with a copy. A plan that lives only in the computer is not much use at 2am.
Can you check my inhaler technique?
Yes, and it is worth doing even if you have used the same device for years. Bring your devices to the appointment. Technique is checked in front of you and corrected on the spot.
Is a care plan worth it for COPD?
Yes, and it is bulk billed here. It also gives you Medicare-rebated access to pulmonary rehabilitation or an exercise physiologist, which is one of the most effective things available for COPD.
Do you do spirometry here?
Yes, spirometry is done at the practice. It measures how much air you can move and how fast, and it is what confirms asthma or COPD rather than assuming from symptoms. It is also how change is tracked over time. Mention it when you book so a longer appointment is set aside.
What if I get worse after hours?
The practice is open until 8pm on weekdays and all day at weekends, every day of the year, so most flares can be seen here rather than at an emergency department. If you cannot speak in full sentences, ring 000.
