About our general paediatrics services
The general paediatric and adolescent medicine team provides inpatient and outpatient care to babies, children & young people with acute or chronic medical issues. The General Paediatric Team aims to provide the children who require our services with the "best care" based on scientific evidence and evaluation of our practices.
The service is committed to Closing the Gap and providing great care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, as well as those from culturally and linguistically diverse populations and disadvantaged families.
Our team
The team includes consultant paediatricians, a Clinical Nurse Consultant, advanced trainees and rotating junior medical staff.
Care
Families living in Greater Newcastle, Port Stephens and Lake Macquarie local government areas can access outpatient care. We see babies, children & young people from birth to 17 years of age.
The General Paediatric Service provides inpatient medical care for sick children with support from nursing staff, allied health staff and the specialist medical and surgical teams, which include Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Neonatal Intensive Care, Paediatric Intensive Care and our Emergency Department.
Assessment and management of acute and chronic medical conditions. Clinics are held at John Hunter Children’s Hospital Paediatric outpatients as well as outreach clinics at Belmont, Raymond Terrace, Wallsend, Awabakal Hamilton and Awabakal Cardiff.
GPAM also contributes to specialised programs with multi-disciplinary input for children with:
- Eating Disorders
- Cleft Palate
- Weight Management
- Youth Health
Children and Adolescents with Eating Disorders receive multi-disciplinary care in the inpatient unit and outpatient follow up with paediatricians with expertise in adolescent medicine. The team has a strong collaboration with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health service.
From late 2025, GPAM enters a collaboration with our YDAC service to provide inpatient support for youth undergoing medically supervised detoxification. This highlights the commitment of the health service to comprehensive adolescent health care.
Referrals
Referrals to our service need to be from a medical specialist or general practitioner (GP). General referrals can be addressed to Dr Kate Thomson Bowe, general paediatrician and are shared by the team. Speciality referrals should be made to Dr Taya Dowling for Eating Disorders, Dr Virginia Turner for Cleft Palate and Dr Elizabeth Percival for Weight Management.
GPs are encouraged to use HealthPathways for reference to include required information. In 2026, we will adopt the NSW Statewide Referral Criteria for nominated conditions. GPAM provides a single point triage system, which aims to improve appointment waiting times. GPs must contact the oncall paediatrician through switchboard, to discuss any child needing urgent (<7days) review.
Contact us
Phone:(02) 4923 2245
Fax: (02) 4922 3904
Street Address: Lookout Road, New Lambton Heights, NSW, 2305
Postal Address: Locked Bag 1 Hunter Region Mail Centre 2310
Service hours: 7:30am-4:00pm, Monday to Friday