Maven Centre is located at Suite 5.3, on level 5 of Sunshine Private Hospital, which is itself at 145 Furlong Road (St Albans).
There is a commercial carpark on the ground floor of Sunshine Private Hospital, which can be entered via Furlong Road.
Sunshine Private Hospital is located at 145 Furlong Road, St Albans. It can be accessed using the following public transport routes:
- Bus: catch the 408 bus, and alight at the ‘Sunshine Hospital’ stop
- Brain: take a train along the Sunbury line. Alight at Ginifer station, and walk (or catch the 408 bus) approximately 700m along Furlong Road to Sunshine Private Hospital
Yes. We pride ourselves on providing a safe and welcoming space for patients who use a wheelchair.
There are many factors to consider when choosing your Maven Centre clinician. For example:
- Your main clinical problem, and the urgency with which you need to be seen
- Your availability to visit Maven Centre for your appointment
- The clinician’s clinical expertise and availability
We triage all GP referral letters, and will suggest the clinician(s) with the appropriate knowledge and skill-set, and best availability.
To enable this triage to occur, please email your referral letter to reception@mavencentre.com.au . We will respond within two business days, and will suggest the appropriate clinician(s) for you to see.
Your GP is welcome to address your referral letter to “Dear Maven Centre gynaecologist”: this enables us to suggest the most appropriate clinician(s) for you to see.
If you do not have private health insurance, you may want to consider where each clinician operates publicly, and choose a clinician who works at a public hospital close to your place of residence. Should an operation be needed, they may be able to refer you directly onto the surgical waiting list of that hospital.
We have the utmost respect for our GP colleagues in the community and are privileged to have some working in our practice with us.
Our GPs are women’s health specialist GPs who have undertaken further training to pursue their area of interest, and you will be well looked after in their hands.
Our specialists are on site and available to confer with our GPs if specialist expertise is required. While you do not need a referral to see one of our women’s health GPs, we strongly encourage you to have a GP in the community who manages your overall health. Their contact details will be requested when you book your appointment so that our women’s health GPs and specialists can liaise with them to provide you with holistic care.
It saves everyone valuable time if you are able to bring to your first appointment:
- Your GP referral letter
- Any medications that you take regularly
- Any investigation results (eg. ultrasound reports, blood test results)
- Any details from previous operations (eg. operation notes, histopathology reports, laparoscopic photos, hospital discharge summary)
Doing so is extremely helpful for our team: it means that our clinicians can focus their time on optimising your ongoing care.
This will vary depending on what you have been referred to Maven Centre for. Our specialists will take a comprehensive history of your concerns. They may examine you, recommend further tests or perform procedures on the day. Please discuss this with the reception staff when making your appointment so you can allow for adequate time.
Feel free to read this blog for more information about what your first appointment with a gynaecologist may entail.
Fees for your appointment will vary depending on: which specialist / sub-specialist you see; if it your first or subsequent appointment; and whether you need a procedure performed during your appointment. The reception staff will be able to provide you with a list of fees.
All appointments and procedures are medicare rebatable, but gap payments will apply.
If you need any operation, and don’t have private health insurance, our clinicians can refer you to an appropriate public hospital, for you to have your operation performed there. All of our clinicians work at at least one public hospital. Please view their profiles on our website to clarify which gynaecologist works at your nearest public hospital.
Your gynaecologist may be able to refer you directly onto the surgical waiting list at the public hospital where they work, thereby avoiding the waiting list for a clinic appointment. Depending on the hospital, they may or may not be able to guarantee that they will be your surgeon on the day. Please discuss this with your Maven Centre clinician.
To compensate our staff for the significant paperwork involved in such public hospital referrals, an administration fee will be charged.
Maven Centre clinicians operate across a range of private hospitals throughout Melbourne, such as: Western Private Hospital; John Fawkner Hospital; and Epworth Freemasons.
Should you need an operation, you are encouraged to discuss with your doctor which hospital best serves your particular needs.
Your Maven Centre clinician can advise you as to how to prepare for your operation. Advice may include the following:
- Reading about what your operation involves
- Fasting for six hours prior to your general anaesthetic, which means nothing to eat or drink
- Coming to the ‘pre-admission’ area of the relevant hospital on the day of your operation
The outcome of your operation will be optimised if you also:
- Cease smoking for four weeks prior to your operation
- Cease drinking alcohol for four weeks prior to your operation
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Discuss your regular medications with your Maven Centre doctor, in case any of them need to be stopped or changed prior to your operation
On the day of the operation, you can expect to:
- Arrive at the ‘pre-admission’ area of the relevant hospital at the suggested time
- Fast (not have anything to eat or drink) for at least six hours prior to your general anaesthetic
- Meet the nurses in the pre-admission area, who will: ask some questions about health, measure your ‘vital signs’ such as your heart rate and blood pressure; and ask you to change into a hospital gown
- You may be asked to complete a urine pregnancy test
- Meet the anaesthetist who will be anaesthetising you during your operation
- Have an opportunity to ask any remaining questions you may have of your surgeon
There can be a lot of waiting around prior to your operation. It’s a good idea to bring in some forms of entertainment (eg. a laptop, iPad, some magazines or a good book).
If you are having a so-called ‘day procedure’, you will be able to go home on the same day as your operation. It is not safe to drive immediately after a general anaesthetic, so you will need to arrange for a friend or family member to drive you home from the hospital.
If you are not having a day procedure, you will be admitted to the surgical ward overnight for observation, pain relief and nursing support. Depending on your operation, and how your recovery goes, you may or may not be able to go home the day after your operation.
Your surgeon will give you advice about:
- How to manage your wounds
- If you need to alter your diet while recovering from your operation
- Pain relief medications to take at home
Our secretarial staff will contact you to arrange a follow-up visit in our consulting rooms. At this appointment, your surgeon will:
- Review your progress since the operation
- Provide copies of the relevant documentation (eg. operation notes, test reports, photos from laparoscopic surgery etc)
- Make a plan for your management going forwards
If you do not have any concerns, your follow-up appointment can be undertaken by telehealth or videohealth. If you have any physical concerns (eg. about vaginal bleeding, excessive pain, or your scars), your surgeon may need to examine you. If this is the case, please contact our reception staff on 9958 5636 or reception@mavencentre.com.au , and request that your post-operative follow-up appointment occurs in-person.
Prior to your initial appointment, the Maven Centre team will provide you with consent forms that relate to your care.
To access our Medical Advice Policy and Telehealth Consent online, please click the highlighted links.
