Patients

Greenslopes:
Dr Kathryn Heyworth, Dr David Heyworth-Smith, Dr Susan Perel, Dr Carl Kennedy, Dr Martin Newman, Dr Kim Robertson, Dr Babu Philip, Dr Zi Tan, Dr Marius Botha, Dr Mariana Melo and Jillian Dimock. 

Grange:
Dr Kathryn Heyworth, Dr David Heyworth-Smith, Dr Carl Kennedy, Dr Mariana Melo, Dr Susan Perel, Dr Marion Thomas, Jessica Hajdu, Jillian Dimock and  Simone Jempson.

Dr Kim Robertson and Dr Mariana Melo are our Paediatric Immunologist and Allergists. Dr Kathryn Heyworth is a Paediatric GP Allergist. Dr Marion Thomas is our General Paediatrician. All these doctors see children from newborn to completion of schooling. 

Our other doctors also see children and adults. Dr David Heyworth-Smith is our principal physician and he sees all age groups including infants. Dr Carl Kennedy, Dr Babu Philips and Dr Paul Campbell see children over the age of 2 years. Dr Andrew Merry and Dr Marius Botha see children over 4 years of age.

Dr Zi Tan, Dr Martin Newman and Dr Susan Perel see children over 5 years of age.

As our Compass Kids clinic is very child friendly, it is not just for children, as some of the doctors see adults there also.

Compass Immunology was established in 2002 and has grown to become Australia’s largest private collaboration of Immunologists and Allergists within a multidisciplinary team. Our doctors have internationally recognized allergy qualifications, unlike some other clinics where practitioners have no qualifications in allergy. We also provide the full scope of care which includes the ability to deal with high-risk challenges to drugs and food, venom desensitization and other procedures that require optimal specialist care. Our team is also truly multidisciplinary, including specialist allergy nurses, a paediatrician, dietitian, speech pathologist and psychologist, to provide you with the best outcome and support

For our Specialists, we do require you to have a referral before booking an initial consultation. The referral is required so the patient can access a Medicare rebate. However, we do have General Practitioners who specialise in allergy and it is not necessary to have a referral to see them. To improve communication between our team and your GP, referrals help us understand what issues are of concern and who best to include in communication. Referrals also help us identify who needs to be seen quickly.

All Specialists require a referral so that you can claim a Medicare rebate. A referral from a GP to a Specialist will be current for 12 months from the initial appointment. A referral from a Specialist will be current for 3 months from the date of your first appointment. Compass Clinics have two advanced practice GP Allergists who have specialist training in the field of allergy, Dr Kathryn Heyworth and Dr Marius Botha. A referral is not required to see them. 

We are delighted to assist with children who are even only a few weeks old who may be experiencing eczema, feeding difficulties or other concerns. If necessary, skin prick testing is usually only performed once solids have commenced

Yes, we can assess young infants and skin prick testing can be performed when clinically appropriate.

Please stop taking antihistamines, if possible, at least 5 days prior to your appointment.

If you have urticaria (hives) please do not stop taking antihistamine.

Apart from antihistamines, other medications may interfere with skin prick testing but there are other ways your Immunologist can assess your condition so do not cease regular therapy.

Nasal sprays, antibiotics and asthma medications should not be stopped and will not interfere with your test results.

Do not place sunscreen or moisturizers on the forearms or back in the day leading up to testing.

If you, or your child, are acutely unwell, please notify our reception staff so that your appointment can be changed.

For children, it is helpful to bring some distraction such as a book, iPad or toy. Please do not create fear by talking about needles and pain prior to the appointment. Our doctors and nurses can gently explain the procedure to your child during the visit.

Please be mindful that we have many patients who are at risk of anaphylaxis to even small amounts of certain food exposures. Please do not bring in any food containing nuts, egg, milk, sesame, wheat, seafood. If you really must bring food, think about items that are not able to be spilled and are easily contained such as sliced apple, rice crackers. Always ask staff before opening any food.

In the Initial consultation the doctor will assess the patient and from there determine a plan. A general skin prick allergy test can be performed in the initial consultation. If you are coming to see us for a drug allergy, we will not be able to test you at the time of the initial consultation as this testing takes approximately 3 hours and is performed by our allergy nursing staff. 

Patients will leave the initial consultation with a plan of action/management and/or further tests to be performed.

As we are a private specialist clinic we do not bulk bill for our services as the Medicare rebate is incompatible with the level of care we provide. Our out-of-pocket fees are frequently less than those experienced visiting other less credentialed allergy clinics.

Our fees can vary between practitioners. Please see each practitioner’s details with the link to their fee schedule.

The necessity for a review is determined by the complexity of your condition and the Consultant Doctor’s need to review and manage your condition. 

Review appointments are billed at a different fee to an initial appointment. If there is need for a formalized test such as a drug or oral food challenge you will need to return to complete this under the supervision of your Consultant. The fee for these is again determined by the complexity and the time required to complete such testing.

Skin Prick Testing is a procedure to detect immediate (IgE-mediated) allergies. This helps the Doctor to accurately develop an Allergy Management Plan for you. 

Small amounts of purified protein test solutions are placed onto the skin and a small lancet is pressed through these to introduce minute amounts through the skin surface.

If you are sensitized to an allergen there is an inflammation as a response caused by histamine. This looks similar to a mosquito bite and is called a wheal which can be seen within 15 minutes.

This wheal can be measured to help guide an Immunologist with the diagnosis. This testing is simple, quick and highly reliable.

To perform it you need to avoid taking anti-histamines for five (5) days prior. If you are unable to cease antihistamines, blood investigations can be requested.  

Simple testing, such as Skin Prick Testing, may occur on the day if is is appropriate to your diagnosis. More involved testing , if required, may need prolonged bookings with clinical Nurse to observe and can be booked for a later date. Examples of such tests might be an Oral Food or Drug Challenge. Your Doctor will advise you and our Administration Staff will look to book to a convenient time if this is the case.

A food challenge is the most accurate method to assess if a food allergy is present. Our food challenge procedures are performed with great care to ensure safety and comfort. Initially, an assessment of your health on the day is undertaken by our nurse. If all is well, the challenge proceeds with incremental progressive steps that increase the amount of the food eaten. Your nurse will be monitoring your health closely throughout. If there are signs that an allergic reaction is developing, the challenge is ceased and medication is given to settle your symptoms. A challenge usually takes an entire morning so make sure you allow plenty of time. It is also a good idea to bring a book, iPad or some other form of distraction. If you are bringing food, please be aware that there are patients that are at high risk of anaphylaxis so you must not bring any food containing nuts, dairy, egg, wheat, sesame, seafood. Always ask your nurse before opening any food.

Greenslopes 
The Greenslopes Clinic has an on-site car park facility. There is an associated charge for this car park which is managed by Ramsay Health. There is on street parking but it can be difficult to find close to the facility. If you intend to park on the street then allow extra time. There are several bus stops around the Greenslopes Facility. Ramsay Health operates a shuttle bus from the Greenslopes Bus Transit Center.

Grange
Our Grange facility has a small car park at the rear of the building and on street car parking is generally easy to find. Bus Routes 325 and 353 have a stop close to #1 Daisy St.

St Andrew’s Toowoomba Hospital
St Andrew’s Toowoomba Hospital offers 680 free car parking spaces for patients, visitors, doctors and staff, with easy wheel-chair access to all areas of the hospital. Some street parking may be available nearby.

Location: Suite 24, Ground Floor, Building 3, St Andrew’s Hospital, 280 North Street, Rockville, Toowoomba QLD 4350.

Pulse Oceanside Medical
Pulse Oceanside Medical, Suite 608, Level 5, 11 Eccles Boulevard, Birtinya QLD 4575. (Across the road from the Sunshine Coast University Hospital). The building takes up the corner of Eccles Blvd, Florey Blvd and Shine Court
There is a paid Secure carpark on Eccles Boulevard. Keep going up Eccles Boulevard heading towards Caloundra and the car park is on the left. You will need to drive around to the back of the carpark to enter. There is also metered car parking along some of the surrounding streets (Shine Court and Eccles Boulevard). Please note, there is no metered parking directly outside of the building.

If questions are complex, the best solution would be to rebook with your attending doctor or have a nurse consult on the same day as your doctor is present. In some situations, a telephone consultation could be arranged. Your GP may also be a valuable source of assistance and can contact our clinic if an urgent appointment is required.