The Surgery At Jerra

30/07/2026

Wondering where our practice nurses have disappeared to this week? 👀

They're having a fantastic (and very full-on!) time at the APNA Festival of Nursing in Melbourne, learning the latest in primary health care, connecting with nurses from across Australia. 🎁

We can't wait to have them back and hear all about it. Safe travels, team! 💜

29/07/2026

📬 Our monthly newsletter is back!

After taking a break during the COVID years, we're excited to relaunch The Surgery at Jerra's monthly newsletter, albeit a little later in the month than expected.

Each month, we'll share practice updates, health information, introduce new team members and keep you up to date with what's happening around the practice.

📖 Read the latest edition using the link below.
https://tsaj.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/TSAJ-News-Letter-july.pdf

You can also find all of our newsletters anytime in the News section of our website at tsaj.com.au.

We hope you enjoy having it back!

29/07/2026

28/07/2026

Meet Dr Caitriona Duffy, GP at The Surgery at Jerra
Dr Caitriona chose general practice because of the relationships you get to build with patients and the chance to care for them over the long term. She joined The Surgery at Jerra almost three years ago and hasn't looked back.

She has a special interest in women's and child health, as well as skin and procedural work. Whatever you come in for, she's seen it before, and she's here to help.

Book your appointment with Dr Caitriona today 👇
🔗 https://tsaj.com.au/team/dr-caitriona-duffy/
📞 02 6255 8112

28/07/2026

❌ MYTH: Palliative care means there's nothing more doctors can do.

✅ FACT: Palliative care is about helping people live as well as possible.

Many people are surprised to learn that palliative care isn't just for the final days of life. It can begin much earlier and focuses on improving quality of life by managing symptoms, providing emotional support, and helping people live as comfortably and meaningfully as possible. It can also be provided alongside active treatment.

Your GP plays an important role in palliative care. We get to know you, understand what's important to you, coordinate your care with other health professionals, help manage symptoms, and support both you and your loved ones throughout your journey.

You don't have to navigate a serious illness alone.

If you or someone you care about has questions about palliative care or the support available, have a chat with your GP.

💙 We're here to help.

27/07/2026

💛 Sometimes the simplest question can make the biggest difference.

Many of us worry about saying the wrong thing or wonder if it's really our place to ask. But research shows that when someone is asked, "Are you OK?", most people feel grateful, cared for and supported.

You don't need to have all the answers. You just need to be willing to listen.

As we approach R U OK? Day on Thursday 10 September, it's a timely reminder that checking in shouldn't be limited to one day a year.

If someone has been on your mind lately, trust your instinct. Send a message. Make a call. Stop for a chat.

A simple conversation could mean more than you realise.

💛 If you're thinking it... ask, "R U OK?"

24/07/2026

👋 𝑷𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒋𝒐𝒊𝒏 𝒖𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑫𝒓 𝑽𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒂 𝒕𝒐 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒖𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒕 𝑱𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒂!

We're delighted to welcome 𝑫𝒓 𝑽𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒂, who joins our team as a 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍-𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝑮𝑷 𝑹𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒓 from 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒚 3 𝑨𝒖𝒈𝒖𝒔𝒕.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙂𝙋 𝙍𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙧?

A GP Registrar is a fully qualified doctor who has already gained valuable experience working in hospitals and is now undertaking specialist training to become a General Practitioner. GP Registrars see patients independently while receiving ongoing mentoring and supervision from experienced GPs.

At The Surgery at Jerra, 𝑫𝒓 𝑫𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒅 𝒀𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 is Victor's GP supervisor, working closely with him throughout his training while Victor also has the support of our entire GP team.

Victor completed his Doctor of Medicine at the Australian National University and has worked across a broad range of hospital specialties, including Emergency Medicine, General Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Mental Health and ENT. Outside medicine, he enjoys live music, playing futsal, travelling and speaking Spanish.

Victor is looking forward to meeting the Jerrabomberra community and caring for patients of all ages.

📅 𝑨𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒚 3 𝑨𝒖𝒈𝒖𝒔𝒕.

✅ Book online: https://www.hotdoc.com.au/medical-centres/jerrabomberra-NSW-2619/the-surgery-at-jerra/doctors/dr-victor-forcadela

📞 Or call our friendly reception team on (02) 6255 8112.

Please join us in giving Victor a very warm TSAJ welcome! 💙

24/07/2026

📸 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 - 𝑸𝒖𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒃𝒆𝒚𝒂𝒏'𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒐𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓

Long before modern medical centres, telehealth and electronic records, healthcare looked very different.

This week's flashback takes us to𝑫𝒓 𝑾𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒎 𝑭𝒐𝒙𝒕𝒐𝒏 𝑯𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒆𝒚, who arrived in Queanbeyan in 1836 at just 22 years of age after qualifying as a doctor in London. Many people don't realise that one of the region's earliest doctors also had a connection to Jerrabomberra. In his early years in the district, Dr Hayley lived at Jerrabomberra Estate before later establishing the district's first de facto hospital at The Oaks.

For more than three decades, he cared for people across the district, often travelling on horseback over rough bush tracks to reach patients. In 1848, he leased The Oaks property and converted it into what became the district's first de facto hospital.

Whether treating wealthy landowners or families with very little, Dr Hayley earned a reputation for dedication, compassion and service to the local community.

It's fascinating to reflect on how far medicine has come while recognising the commitment of those who laid the foundations for healthcare in our region.

Have you heard of Dr Hayley before?

23/07/2026

𝙂𝙍𝙊𝙎𝙎 𝘽𝙐𝙏 𝙏𝙍𝙐𝙀 🤢🚽
Before blood tests existed, doctors sometimes diagnosed diabetes by 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩'𝙨 𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙚. If it tasted sweet, it could be a sign of diabetes mellitus. Some physicians even watched to see whether ants were attracted to it. 🐜

The word mellitus literally means "honey-sweet." 🍯🩺

That's one medical test we're all happy has been replaced. 😅

22/07/2026

Meet Dave McGinness, Physiotherapist at The Surgery at Jerra 💪
From weekend warriors to professional athletes, Dave's passion is simple: helping you move better and feel better.

With nearly 20 years of experience, Dave takes a thorough approach to assessment, then builds a treatment plan tailored to you. Manual therapy, dry needling, massage, taping, exercise therapy , he's got plenty of tools in the toolbox.
And when you leave, he'll send you home with just one or two simple things to help you heal, no fancy equipment, no long routines.

Book your appointment with Dave today 👇

🔗https://tsaj.com.au/team/dave-mcginness/
📞 02 6255 8112