Highlands Specialist Hub

29/07/2026

This week we had the great pleasure of our gastroenterologists, Dr Elizabeth O'Brien, Dr Harry Crane & A/Prof Ahmad Alrubaie, presenting together to discuss:

🟢 Diet, IBD & the Microbiome
🟢 Early onset Colore**al Cancer
🟢 Role of Capsule Endoscopy & Double Balloon Enteroscopy in management of Crohn's disease, anaemia & GI bleeding.

A very special thank you to our GPs & dieticians for your attendance to support our event. As always, it was wondertul to share your company!

23/06/2026

Bowel Cancer Awareness Month 🍎

*Courtesy Bowel Cancer Australia

09/06/2026

What is Bowel Cancer?
🍏Bowel Cancer, also known as colore**al cancer, can affect any part of the colon or re**um; it may also be referred to as colon cancer or re**al cancer, depending where the cancer is located.
🍏The colon is the longest part of the large intestine (the first 1.8 metres). It receives almost completely digested food from the caecum, absorbs water & nutrients
🍏The re**um is the lower part of the large intestine (the last 15 centimetres) & connects to the sigmoid colon. It receives waste (stool/faeces/poo) from the colon & stores it until it passes out of the body through the a**s.
🍏Most bowel cancers start as benign, non-threatening growths - called polyps - on the wall or lining of the bowel.
🍏Polyps typically grow in two shapes: flat or with a stalk. They can vary in size, ranging from a couple millimetres to several centimetres.
🍏Polyps are fairly common. Around 15-40% of adults have polyps. Adenomatous polyps can become cancerous (malignant) & if left undetected, can develop over time into a cancerous tumour.

🍎Bowel Cancer does not discriminate.
It affects men & women, young & old.

🍏Many people experience bowel issues at some point in their lives.
🍏It is important to discuss any changes or symptoms with your GP.

Courtesy https://www.bowelcanceraustralia.org

16/05/2026

At Highlands Specialist Hub we have the privilege of providing a palliative care service for our community.
We are passionate about getting to the heart of what matters most to our patients and supporting them to achieve their goals of care as their needs change.

Timely access to these important
conversations are a priority to coordinate the care delivered to our patients the way they wish to receive it.
Dr Jackie Kerfoot works in close partnership with our patients, families, carers & health professionals, in all sectors, to achieve optimal quality of daily living throughout every stage.

16/05/2026

Welcoming conversations to create awareness, understanding & support for all patients with a life limiting diagnosis to have early access to palliative care. 🩵

Big question: Who’s most at risk of missing out?
Real answer: Dementia is now the leading cause of death in Australia (9.4% of all deaths in 2024) – yet only 16% of people who die of dementia see a specialist palliative care service, and on average they first see the service six days before death.

Starting a conversation about palliative care gives you time to ask questions, understand your options and plan for what matters most.

Advice, tools and support at palliativecare.org.au

13/05/2026

12/05/2026

🩵Advance Care Planning & Advance Care
Directives
🩵Big Questions. Real Answers.

✅ Advance care planning involves planning for your future health care. It allows you to decide what health care you would or wouldn't want if you become unable to make or communicate your treatment preferences in the future.
Advance care planning gives you the opportunity to think about, discuss and record preferences for the type of care you would want and the outcomes you would consider acceptable. It helps to ensure your loved ones and health providers know what matters most to you and respect your treatment preferences.
Advance care planning is about your wishes and preferences. It’s about giving you a voice in decisions about your health care when you can’t speak for yourself.

✅ An advance care directive is a formal document you can use to record your preferences for future health care. It can include your values, life goals and preferred outcomes, and specific directions or instructions about care and treatments. You can also formally appoint a substitute decision-maker in an advance care directive in some states.
Advance care directives can include legally binding instructions which must be followed.

(Courtesy www.advancecareplanning.org.au)

https://www.advancecareplanning.org.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0030/403995/ACPA-getting-started-guide.pdf

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/patients/acp/Publications/acd-form-info-book.pdf

11/05/2026

Meet Dr Jackie Kerfoot, our Palliative Consultant physician at Highlands Specialist Hub.
Dr Kerfoot is also a Senior Staff Specialist in Palliative Medicine working for South West Sydney Local Health District in Campbelltown and Bowral & District Public Hospitals, including Community Health sectors in Macarthur, Wollondilly & Southern Highlands.

Dr Kerfoot’s practice is central to the three supporting themes in National Palliative Care Week 2026:
*Living Well, Your Way
*Conversation Changes Everything
*The Heart of Care

Providing timely access to clear communication around goals of care, advance care planning, & support during complex decision-making.

“My clinic focuses on a collaborative partnership with our patients & carers taken alongside their primary care GP, allowing care to remain coordinated, practical & responsive to changing needs”

10/05/2026

Today is the start of National Palliative Care Week 2026.
“Getting to the heart of it: Big Questions. Real Answers”.

Every day in Australia, over 450 people across the age spectrum die of a life limiting illness. Every one of them could benefit from palliative care - care that is their human right, care that can enrich their final days, and care that too many people still miss out on.

The 2026 campaign urges earlier engagement to improve quality of life, comfort, and, ultimately, ensure more individuals can receive care in their preferred setting.
(Courtesy Palliative Care Australia)

25/04/2026

Congratulations to Dr Joel Maamary, Dr Benjamin Jonker, Prof Stephen Tisch & the team at St Vincent’s Health Australia!
An amazing achievement in scientific research & innovation.
We are incredibly fortunate to have such brilliant physicians practicing in the Southern Highlands.

“Australia has just taken an important step forward in neuromodulation. aDBS represents a shift from continuous stimulation to a more responsive approach, using real-time brain signals to tailor therapy to the patient's state.
This milestone reflects a significant team effort across the departments of neurosurgery, neurology and the team at Medtronic Australia and New Zealand.
We are looking forward to innovating & refining personalised, precision based treatments to better tailor therapy to each individual patient”
Dr Joel Maamary

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