Latest Updates

Important Notice to Patients


Update on GP Availability


Departure of Dr Gayathri Kalasabail and Dr Sara Valliappan

We wish to advise that Dr Gayathri Kalasabail and Dr Saraswathy Valliappan have left St Clair Medical Practice in November 2025. We thank both doctors for their service and dedication to our patients and wish them the very best in their future endeavours.


As GPs have have left the practice at short notice, we were not in a position to plan for their departure in advance or put in place the usual transition arrangements that support ongoing patient care.


This understandably created pressure on both patients and the practice. We recognise that this has been an unsettling time, and we want to reassure you that we are doing everything possible to manage the impact safely and responsibly.


December Opening Hours


During the month of December, our opening hours will be adjusted due to both the holiday period and limited clinician availability. Please note the following hours:


  • Monday: 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM
  • Wednesday: 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM
  • Saturday: 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM


4Cyte Pathology Collection is available, all referrals are accepted and no appointment is required. Collection times are as follows:


  • Monday: 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM
  • Wednesday: 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM
  • Saturday: 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM


We appreciate your understanding as these limited hours are in place to help us manage the transition following the departure of GPs and the holiday season. Our immediate priority is to focus on addressing all the follow-up needs for patients whose test results and ongoing care were managed by the departed GPs. We are working through a large volume of incoming results each day and making sure that patients receive the necessary follow-up and communication. This ensures that no patient falls through the cracks and that everyone experiences a safe and seamless continuity of care during this transition.

We encourage patients to seek alternative GP care if they need general consultations outside our limited hours. This is not a lack of willingness to care for our community, rather a practical measure to ensure patient safety and continuity of care.


Clinical Care Available During Holiday Period


During this period, our Nurse Practitioner will be available to support your ongoing care.

  • Our Nurse Practitioner is available to:
  • review clinical results addressed to departed doctors and recall patients to communicate results and follow up actions
  • prescribe eligible medications
  • manage urgent follow-up issues
  • order blood tests and some X-Ray and ultrasound 


  • Our Practice Nurse remains available for:
  • immunisations
  • wound care and dressings
  • vaccinations
  • general nursing support


This allows us to continue providing essential clinical services whilst your regular GP becomes available and our new GPs transition into the practice.


Emergency Care

If you require urgent or emergency treatment, please call 000 or attend:

Nepean Hospital - (02) 4734 2000

Mt Druitt Hospital - (02) 9881 8000



Medical Records


We charge a reasonable administrative fee of $35 for your entire medical file to be extracted from our software and to be transferred electronically. This is a lengthy process as files are very large.


Alternatively a Health Summary with your recent medical information can be provided free of charge.


If you would like your medical records:


Health Summary (Free of Charge)

A Health Summary includes current medications, conditions, immunisations and recent investigation reports. This is free of charge and is usually all your new GP requires, particularly if you will be seeing the same GP at another practice.


If you require a particular item from your record, such as a specialist report, discharge summary, imaging or pathology report or other specific correspondence we are very happy to provide this individually, now or at any point in the future, so that you can avoid paying for a full record transfer.


If you would like your Health Summary, you can email us at records@stclairmedicalpractice.com


Full Medical Record Transfer (If Requested)

If you wish to receive your entire medical file:

  • $35 - electronic transfer directly to another practice
  • $55 - provided on a practice-supplied USB


We can no longer accept patient-supplied USBs for cyber-security reasons. 


Full record transfers will take some time, and patients should allow up to 3-4 weeks for processing transfer requests. 


If you would like your full medical record electronically transferred, you can come to the practice to complete a request form and make payment. Please have on hand the Practice details (including email) where you would like your files transferred to. 


Note our updated operating hours for December are as follows:


  • Monday: 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM
  • Wednesday: 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM
  • Saturday: 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM


Our aim is to save you unnecessary costs

We encourage all patients to obtain a Health Summary which includes recent investigation reports (if you require a specific historical report, we are happy to provide this now or at any time in the future). If additional information is required later, we will gladly provide it individually - often at no cost - so that you do not have to pay the fee for a full medical record transfer unless it is truly necessary.

Please note that while we encourage patients to consider whether a Health Summary or specific documents may be sufficient, we will always provide a full medical record transfer if a patient wishes to proceed.

Medical Record Access & Legal Retention

We understand many patients have questions about their records. Your medical records are:

  • Securely stored,
  • Retained for the full legal retention period, which is:
  • 7 years from the date of last entry for adults
  • until the patient is 25 years old for records of children.


By law, medical practices must make records available to patients upon request, and we continue to meet all legislative obligations regarding access and retention. Our Practice remails open, although we have limited opening hours during the Holiday period and into the new year.


Controlled Medications (Opioids & Benzodiazepines)


St Clair Medical Practice will not initiate or continue long-term prescriptions for Opioid pain medications (e.g. oxycodone, Endone, Targin, morphine, codeine, tramadol, tapentadol) or benzodiazepines (e.g. diazepam/Valium, temazepam, lorazepam, alprazolam/Xanax). This includes both new patients and existing patients.


We will no longer issue new prescriptions for these medicines nor provide repeat prescriptions for existing use, except in limited situations. Having a history of opioid or benzodiazepine prescriptions in your medical record does not constitute authority for our doctors/practitioners to continue prescribing these high-risk medications. Old notes, past scripts, or knowledge that another doctor prescribed it do not permit a new doctor to continue high-risk medicines. New GPs joining will also not initiate or continue opioids or benzodiazepine prescriptions. 


Zero-tolerance policy for inappropriate requests for prescriptions

For safety and legal reasons, our practice will not issue early repeats or replace lost/stolen scripts and may decline care where inappropriate pressure for restricted medication is applied. Any hostile, aggressive, rude or abusive behaviour,  including shouting or swearing at staff, will not be tolerated and may result in refusal of service.


A respectful reminder to our community


We understand that many patients are feeling anxious, frustrated or uncertain during this transition. We genuinely empathise with the anxiety many patients are feeling about their ongoing care.


Our team is working extremely hard under significant pressure. We kindly ask all patients to communicate calmly and respectfully.


We kindly remind patients not to direct frustration, anger or distress towards practice staff. Our team is doing everything possible to support patients safely at a time when the practice itself is also navigating significant operational pressures. We ask for your patience, understanding and respectful communication as we work to accommodate everyone’s needs and prioritise patient safety. 


Aggressive, abusive, rude or hostile behaviour, including derogatory language or swearing at staff, will not be tolerated as it impacts our ability to care for all patients. Such conduct affects the safety and wellbeing of our team and other patients. We ask everyone to communicate respectfully.

We truly appreciate your cooperation as we continue to assist the community through this period of change.


Our commitment to you

Our priority is, and always will be, the safety and wellbeing of our patients.

We sincerely thank you for your understanding, patience and respect as we stabilise operations and transition to a new clinical team. If you have questions or need support, please contact the practice and we will do our best to assist you.


To contact us:

info@stclairmedicalpractice.com

Phone (02) 9670 - 1676

0451 620 704