Dr Brian Conway | Consultant Paediatrician
MBBS (Hons), B.Med Sc (Hons), DCH, FRACP
ABN 51 044 375 709
Consulting days:
Except when taking leave, or on public holidays, I generally consult in my private practice on Mondays (North Adelaide or Toorak Gardens), Thursdays (Toorak Gardens) and Fridays (Toorak Gardens).
I see neonates under my care at Burnside, Ashford and Calvary Hospitals during rounds each day. The hospital midwifery teams will contact me at any time if needed about any issues with my neonates. I share cover for unplanned but necessary neonatal attendances at these hospitals and can attend at most times. When I am working at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I arrange for locum cover. Your obstetrician can generally book me for C-Section deliveries at any time other than business hours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Let your obstetrician or midwives know if you would like to have me look after your baby.
My practice interests
I see newborns through to young people in late adolescence in all areas of general medical and developmental paediatrics, including the management of diagnosed Autism. I welcome difficult diagnostic medical and developmental challenges. I enjoy helping families to find practical strategies when young people and their families hit road bumps and obstacles in managing care needs such as at home, school or when in the hospital. I have admitting rights to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
I feel privileged to use my skills and training to care for newborns in their first hours and days in the world.
Booking with Dr Conway
Unfortunately, due to very long waits and extremely tight bookings, I have closed my books to all new patient referrals except via private neonate referral.
I may also consider acceptance of a referral, very occasionally, if sent via Healthlink (or Argus, Medical Objects or Referral Net) if it details significant or serious clinical concerns and
a pressing or urgent need for specialist paediatrician assessment, diagnosis and management regarding
medical concerns in infants, children and adolescents.
infant, toddler & preschooler developmental concerns.
need or request for a second opinion where the case is
a complex case;
your child has already recently seen and worked with another paediatrician and has appropriate health care in place;
there has been sufficient diagnostic progress made, as there will be a long wait until you can see me;
and details previous, current or planned clinical or allied health assessment, management or therapeutic pathways, referrals and interventions for the concern.
My neonatal fee gap schedule:
The gap is the portion of my fees not covered by standard Medicare rebates or, if for admitted care, your health fund’s remittance.
Most families are eligible for additional Medicare Safety Net rebates, further reducing these standard gaps. Please contact my Accounts or Practice Manager for further information.
The maximum out-of-pocket cost for your account will be $600. ($850 max for twins)
This gap may apply where, during your baby’s stay in the hospital, an attendance to your baby is required for
an out-of-hours planned C-section (before 8 am or after 5 pm).
an unplanned C-section or other urgent need for assessment and care.
Families should budget for this in case this kind of attendance is needed.
Otherwise, if no unplanned or out-of-hours attendance is needed during your baby’s stay, your maximum gap will be
$500 where initial attendance to baby is at a planned elective procedure (e.g. elective C-section) within work day hours or
$350, where all attendances to your baby after delivery are routine or within normal rounds.
More information about neonatal billing is provided here.
More about my Neonatal Care practice:
I am one of a small group of paediatricians accredited to attend and care for newborns delivered at Burnside, Calvary North Adelaide & Ashford Hospitals. I will be responsible and on call for your baby’s care during their stay in the hospital from birth. I normally see newborns during my next round, usually within 24 hours of birth unless needed sooner or at their delivery. This first check-up is more detailed, aiming to identify any issues that may need monitoring or treatment.
This check-up also provides an opportunity for me to meet with you and discuss any questions or needed treatment. I then check your baby most days on my rounds. I will attend at any hour if needed and the midwives keep me advised of your baby’s progress, observations and any concerns. On my rounds, I review the nursing notes and check your baby, sometimes very briefly (such as to quickly assess their colour for jaundice). Other checks will be more involved and allow some opportunities to discuss concerns, and recommended follow-up care.
If I am unable to provide care for a part of that time, another paediatrician will step in as my locum until I can resume care. Our Prosper Paediatrics group is committed to sharing cover for urgent attendance so that there is always a paediatrician available to attend when needed.
Your newborn’s care in hospital-more information is here.
Baby’s healthcare after you are home:
Your obstetrician’s referral of your baby lasts for the first three months. Following that, and if needed, your GP can provide a referral for 12 months. I aim to see the babies referred to me whenever parents have concerns. Your GP, local CaFHS and midwifery services also help to ensure your baby has the best start. They can advise about and resolve many normal and common concerns. They are also able to identify concerns needing my care.
The 6 to 8 week check is an important health and developmental check. I usually book this with you in hospital. You can phone the rooms to check or reschedule if needed. Some families see their GP for this essential check.
New baby follow-up care-more information is provided here.
My private practice and public work
I combine my private practice with a staff specialist position, with private admitting rights, at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
I care for newborns mainly at Burnside Hospital but also sometimes at Calvary North Adelaide and Ashford Hospitals, having Visiting Medical Specialist accreditation at each. I am a member of Burnside Hospital’s Perinatal Committee.
My initial training was in Melbourne before undertaking paediatrics training in Adelaide. After obtaining a fellowship with the Royal Australian College of Physicians, I commenced private practice in Melbourne in conjunction with heading up the Paediatric Unit at the new Casey Hospital in a rapidly growing population corridor. After five years, I returned to Adelaide in 2009 to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital Department of General Medicine. In March 2010, I established my private practice in rooms at the Burnside Hospital. In the next several years, as other colleagues also asked me to set up their private practices in the rooms, I established Paediatrics at Burnside, now Prosper Paediatrics, with my wife, Angela. Our vision was to provide expert quality administrative services and facilities to private practitioners wanting to provide excellent clinical services to their patients.
I strive to keep up to date with modern paediatric medicine, regularly attending paediatric updates in Sydney and Melbourne, and with the various funding options available under Medicare, NDIA, Centrelink and other Government policies for children with special needs.
I love providing newborn care and helping new babies and parents with any concerns, but also building parents’ confidence in their natural capacities for parenting, love, nurture and attunement.
Booking with Dr Conway-Other Options:
Seeing me publicly at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital may be an option, especially if you have concerns about managing my private practice fees.
Each year, I supervise a number of paediatric trainee doctors. Our team consults in a free Public Outpatient clinic. I also have patients in my private bulk-billed clinic at the WCH. Unfortunately, the waiting lists are quite long there as well. However, families can call the hospital to discuss wait times and ask their GP for a referral to me at the WCH.
Seeing a colleague as a locum or ongoing:
Like me, various paediatric specialist colleagues practice in association with Prosper Paediatrics. Most have or continue to work with me or other colleagues in the group at the WCH, Flinders Medical Centre or Lyell McEwin Hospital. A number have trained under my supervision or the supervision of other colleagues. All these colleagues are generous in providing and happy to seek mentoring and advice from each other. Prosper Paediatrics strongly prefers to work with specialists who enjoy, engage in and support a culture of mentoring and collegiality amongst the associated providers to help support high-quality care for patients.
If I cannot offer an appointment, Prosper staff will be happy to work with you to find another suitable paediatric specialist who can see your child as my locum or ongoing.
Contacting or booking appointments with me :
My reception team, Prosper Paediatrics, manages any requests or issues on my behalf during business hours each week.
Ph 8332 3778
Fax 8332 3978
email or use the website contact form
Post correspondence to: Dr Brian Conway, Prosper Paediatrics, 120 Kensington Rd, Toorak Gardens SA 5065
For GPs and other health providers, I strongly prefer electronic messaging. (details via this link)
My Administrative Team, Prosper Paediatrics
I have engaged Service Provider, Prosper Paediatrics to provide and manage the administrative services and consulting facilities I need to help me provide the best clinical care I can.
Prosper Paediatrics provides reception and administration services to my practice. Please contact them about bookings and any other matters. Through its staff, systems, and procedures, it will reliably and promptly ensure I am kept informed and see any requests, questions, letters, and reports. They take care of the administrative side of things, so I am able to concentrate on clinical care.
Prosper Paediatrics and their reception staff prioritise the responsive, sensitive care I want from them for my patients. The company and its staff are experts in private paediatric practice administration, including all relevant aspects of Medicare, NDIS, private health, billing, rebates and all the other aspects of paediatric specialist care for young people.
More about me:
I am known to be a bit of a geek. I enjoy mentoring and helping colleagues better use software and other IT to assist their clinical care and communicate more effectively with GPs, other providers, and interested parties, as appropriate, to achieve the best clinical outcomes for patients and better work-life balance.
When not responding to urgent maternity ward requests and late-night emergency caesarean deliveries, or catching up on letters, I like walking the family dogs, monitoring and maintaining our home garden irrigation system, tinkering with computers and sometimes squeezing in a beach holiday with my family.