The Surgery At Jerra

29/10/2025

28/10/2025

🌟 More doctors, more care, more choice! 🌟

We’re thrilled to welcome (and welcome back!) some wonderful GPs to The Surgery at Jerra.

👨‍⚕️ Dr Asanga Bandara – joining us full time from January, offering care across general practice and skin cancer medicine.
👩‍⚕️ Dr Elise Warren – joining the TSAJ family in late January, with a passion for child and women’s health.
👩‍⚕️ Dr Samantha Jackson – already part of the team, with interests in mental health, lifestyle medicine and chronic disease management.
👩‍🍼 Dr Nicole Schmocker – returning from maternity leave in February 2026, continuing her work in family medicine and women’s health. (books not open yet)

Standby for more announcements shortly (fingers crossed)!

📅 Bookings are open through HotDoc or by speaking with our friendly reception team.

💚

28/10/2025

🦶 Gross but true:
Toe Jam – You don’t want to spread this on your toast. 😅

Toe jam is that gunky build-up that forms between your toes when sweat, dead skin cells, oil and dirt mix together. It’s a perfect hangout for bacteria and fungus.

It’s totally normal but can get smelly or irritating if your feet stay damp or squished in tight shoes.
Keep them clean, dry and let those toes breathe! 👣

28/10/2025

🌟 New Doctor Alert – Skin & General Practice 🌟

We’re thrilled to welcome Dr Asanga Bandara to The Surgery at Jerra!

Dr Bandara is an experienced General Practitioner with a special interest and additional qualifications in skin cancer medicine — providing comprehensive care from diagnosis to treatment. He’ll be working full time from mid-January 2026, and bookings are open now!

If you’ve been waiting for a skin check or looking for a new regular GP, now’s the perfect time to book an appointment.

📅 Book online via HotDoc or speak to our friendly reception team.

27/10/2025

A LITTLE MEDICAL HUMOUR

27/10/2025

𝑾𝒆’𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆

At The Surgery at Jerra, we believe in delivering 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉-𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚, 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝑮𝑷 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆, giving you time, support and continuity when you need it.

From 1 𝑵𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 2025, the Australian Government is making changes to the way bulk billing incentives work. While these changes may encourage some practices to shift towards bulk billing, we’ve looked closely at our practice model, patient care standards, team capacity and infrastructure, and we’ve chosen to continue operating as a 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑴𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎𝒔. This is not new to our practice. It is a continuation of the fee-paying arrangements we already have in place.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀
• To 𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 you deserve, especially for complex consultations.
• Because 𝑴𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒅𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒔 of delivering safe, well-resourced GP services.
• So we can continue to𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎, 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 in a way that aligns with our care vision.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂
• You may pay a 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒆𝒆 at the time of your visit with the doctor or nurse, and we’ll still process your 𝑴𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎 on your behalf when it’s applicable.
• 𝑪𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 — we’ll continue to let you know upfront about expected fees and rebate amounts.
• We remain fully committed to providing 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆, building 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔 with our patients and operating with integrity.

Thank you for your understanding and trust in our team.

26/10/2025

🌸 Hayfever season is here! 🤧

Sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose and that “can’t-stop-rubbing-my-face” feeling?
It’s not you — it’s pollen.

Hayfever (allergic rhinitis) happens when your immune system reacts to things like grass or tree pollen. While it’s not dangerous, it can make life pretty miserable if it’s not managed well.

💡 Tips to help:
• Keep windows closed on high-pollen days
• Shower and change clothes after being outdoors
• Try a non-drowsy antihistamine
• Speak with your GP or pharmacist if symptoms persist — stronger or preventative treatments are available

Don’t let hayfever stop you enjoying spring in Jerra. 🌼

26/10/2025

💜 Thank you, Frockstars! 💜

Our TSAJ family had an absolute blast frocking up for Frocktober — and together, we raised around $360 to support vital ovarian cancer research.

Frocktober helps shine a light on the deadliest women’s cancer in Australia — a cancer with no reliable early detection test and a five-year survival rate of just 49%.

We’re proud to help raise awareness (and a few eyebrows!) for such an important cause. 👗✨

24/10/2025

Welcome our new male GP to The Surgery at Jerra!

We’re delighted to welcome Dr Asanga Bandara to our TSAJ family from January 2026.

Bookings are now open.

Dr Bandara has more than 22 years in the medical profession. He worked across Victoria and the Northern Territory before settling in Canberra in 2021.

Dr Bandara will be working full time, dividing his week between
🩺 General Practice and ☀️ Skin Cancer Medicine, providing comprehensive care from diagnosis through to treatment.

His areas of clinical interest include:

Men’s health

Women’s health

Pre-pregnancy counselling

Menopause management

Chronic disease care

Skin cancer checks and surgery

Dr Bandara believes in a proactive, patient-centred approach, aiming to build long-term, trusted partnerships with his patients to support their ongoing wellbeing.

📅 Appointments:
Speak to our friendly reception team or book online through HotDoc.

23/10/2025

🌸 The final day of Frocktober week at TSAJ! 🌸

In Australia, the five year survival rate for ovarian cancer is only around 49%. Around two thirds (67%) of cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage, when treatment options are limited and survival drops to just 29%.

Together we're trying to change those odds by raising funds for ovarian cancer research. 💙

A huge thank you to everyone who frocked up, donated, or cheered us on this week. The TSAJ family truly knows how to combine fun, fashion and fundraising, all for an important cause.

You can still donate to our TSAJ Frocktober team at reception, by QR code in the practice, or online at frocktober.org.au/fundraise/tsaj

💃👗 Let’s tell ovarian cancer to get Frocked!

23/10/2025

💬 Faces of TSAJ – Marianne Shaw

Meet Marianne Shaw, our Nurse Manager, known for her calm, caring nature and her incredible raspberry creations.

When she’s not leading our nursing team, Marianne and her husband run Imcah Farm, a raspberry farm near Captains Flat. For four months each year, you’ll find them at markets across Canberra and Queanbeyan — jam packed with raspberry goodness.

Back at TSAJ, Mazz is often spotted sneaking into the staff room with raspberry slices, sauces and surprise creations, turning the team into her unofficial taste-testing tribe. No one ever seems to mind.

TSAJ owners Dr David Yates and his wife Kylie dropped by to visit her at the Southside Markets recently. David polished off the raspberry jam in record time and is now on to the raspberry lemon butter.

You'll see the raspberry stall at the Queanbeyan Markets this weekend.

And here’s a fun fact... Marianne was an Ansett hostess back in the day. Who knew? ✈️

We’re so lucky to have Marianne’s warmth, experience and sense of humour as part of the TSAJ family. ❤️