For interstate and international patients there are a few details that will help you plan your consultations and surgery with us in the safest and simplest way. And as always, if you have any questions, please give us a call.
Whilst not an absolute requirement in all cases, we strongly recommend that interstate patients have a referral from their GP. This allows Dr Campbell-Lloyd to remain in contact with a medical professional who will be accessible to you after you return home. We are always happy to be contacted by our colleagues if they have questions about your surgery.
We recommend that all interstate patients plan ahead, and ensure that they book an appointment to be seen by their GP within 1 week of returning home. In the event of any delays in healing or challenges during your recovery, your GP can then offer advice and liaise closely with Dr Campbell-Lloyd as required.
For any international patients considering surgery with Dr Campbell-Lloyd, please contact the practice directly as there are additional considerations you will need to keep in mind for safe outcomes.
Dr Campbell-Lloyd provides comprehensive Telehealth/virtual consultation services for interstate and travelling patients. We recommend a telehealth consultation for first appointments as this allows our interstate patients to ensure that the services we offer will meet their requirements. Of course, some patients prefer that their first consultation is in-person, in which case all subsequent appointments can be made virtually. During telehealth appointments, Dr Campbell-Lloyd can perform a consultation that is almost identical to a face-to-face appointment.
When making your appointment, we will create your file in our patient portal. Along with your personal details and medical history, we ask our travelling patients who will be having virtual consultations to also upload photographs to be added to their secure medical record. This will allow Dr Campbell-Lloyd to easily determine what surgery is required, even when a physical examination is not possible.
After the first consultation, we will provide you with detailed, personalised quotations. Once you have received and reviewed your quotes through the patient portal, we will be able to look at availability for surgery and we will allow surgery dates to be booked.
Our telehealth platform COVIU allows us to screen-share so that Dr Campbell-Lloyd can use our extensive archive of before-and-after images during your telehealth consultation. COVIU is an Australian web-based platform which meets all necessary privacy legislation and does not require any app download.
Dr Campbell-Lloyd does require a minimum of 2 consultations, including at least one mandatory face-to-face consultation prior to surgery at which time your standardised pre-operative photos will be taken during your examination. We are happy to arrange multiple telehealth consultations prior your in-person consultation to ensure you have had a chance to ask any questions you may have.
In many cases, we can simplify the overall process for interstate patients by arranging any necessary face-to-face consultation 1-2 days before surgery, to minimise travel requirements.
Travelling for surgery is not to be undertaken lightly.
There are a few key issues to manage to ensure a safe and successful process.
We advise ALL interstate patients considering aesthetic breast surgery (including breast implant removal or fat transfer) that they should remain in Adelaide for a minimum of 5-7 days. Depending on the planned procedure, we may require that you stay for longer - this will typically be determined by the complexity of the surgery and the associated risks. This will allow us to ensure a safe period of follow-up is completed before travelling home.
We require that ALL interstate patients attend with a support person to assist during recovery. It is unsafe for patients to travel alone due to the necessary limitations on physical activity and need for assistance with self-care in the first few weeks after surgery. Please understand that if you cannot arrange for a support person to travel with you, surgery may have to be cancelled for safety reasons.
For patients travelling from within the state (within a 3 hour radius by car), who are not flying, then returning home the day after surgery is entirely safe provided you are able to return for the necessary post-operative appointments.
Accommodation options located within the Adelaide CBD, close to hospitals and Dr Campbell-Lloyd’s rooms are available.
Nearby hotels include:
If you are staying for a week or longer, a range of Airbnb accommodation is available in Adelaide (we recommend searching in areas such as Norwood, or North Adelaide), offering self-contained spaces for patients staying with a friend or partner. Whilst you must be cautious, and there are strict activity limitations post-operatively, you certainly aren’t house-bound after surgery, so having the flexibility to pop out for a coffee or enjoy a home-cooked meal with ingredients from Adelaide’s wonderful markets is a great option.
*Please note: We do not recommend that patients travel interstate for breast reconstruction procedures. We understand however that there may be reasons for some patients to travel interstate for their breast reconstruction surgery. Where patients do choose to travel for breast reconstruction surgery, we may require that patients remain in Adelaide for 6 weeks or longer. Therefore, unless you have family in Adelaide with whom you can reside whilst recovering, we may decline to offer breast reconstruction surgery to you if you are travelling from interstate due to the additional financial burdens this may pose.
Dr Campbell-Lloyd sees patients within 1-2 days of surgery for their first post-operative appointments. For all travelling patients who are staying in Adelaide, you will be seen at least twice prior to heading home.
All patients have detailed instructions, as well as direct contact details for Dr Campbell-Lloyd. Dr Campbell-Lloyd is contactable 24 hours a day in the case of emergency.
Once home, we will remain in regular contact with you by virtual consultation and you can upload photos for us to review as needed. We do very strongly recommend that travelling patients return for an in-person follow-up consultation on at least 1 more occasion around 4 months after surgery. The timing for this appointment can be flexible, but it is important to allow a final assessment of your outcome, as well as post-operative photographs so that we can provide you with your before-and-after images.
Approximately 5% of patients will experience minor wound healing delays that may require additional treatment. This typically involves the use of certain ointments or simple dressings. This is easily managed remotely and Dr Campbell-Lloyd will remain in close contact with you in such cases. Where a patient experiences a wound healing delay, it can mostly be self-managed. In some cases we recommend that you are seen by your GP, and Dr Campbell-Lloyd will work with your GP and the practice nurse to ensure that your healing is managed appropriately.
There is a small risk in every case of a patient requiring emergency care, including emergency surgery. This is an unavoidable aspect of having any surgery, irrespective of whether you have travelled interstate or not. In the rare event of a complication such as infection or fluid collections developing after you return home, Dr Campbell-Lloyd will always ensure that there is comprehensive communication with and handover to a local treating doctor if required, whether that be through a public or private hospital.
Because the final scar settling process after any breast surgery can take up to 12 months, Dr Campbell-Lloyd provides ongoing no-cost virtual or in-person follow-up during that time.
For more information (or for international patients) you can get in touch with us directly here.