OUR TEAM
The practice’s mission is “kind, holistic health care with a community spirit”. Our philosophy is to support and empower the patients to make choices to promote self-care. Selection of the right team members, whose personal philosophy aligned with the practice’s, ensures that patients are treated with kindness.
Collaboration with the patients, team members and the local community has been the key for the growth of the service and satisfaction of all involved.
Looking to join our team?
Management
Founder and Director
Kerrie
From small things, big things grow as the saying goes. Kerrie and business partners Carl and Linda Childs van Wijk continued Dr. Annette Hackett’s legacy of providing kind, holistic healthcare in 2014. Together, they have been able to grow the practice from 90 patients, to over 2000 regular patients. Over the past 9 years the practice team has grown from 6 part-time team members to over 20.
A winner of a national business award in October, 2022 for Innovation in Business, Kerrie is passionate about providing new practice systems which improve the quality of health care provided through a team-based, patient-centred approach to residents and visitors to the Huon Valley. In January this year, Kerrie was successful in applying for a government grant for the clinic which enables the provision of urgent and after-hours care on Thursday and Friday evenings, and from 10am – 9.30 pm on Saturday.
Kerrie’s passion is patient care and bringing accessible health care to everyone.
Doctors
Dr Catherine Kennedy
Catherine completed her Bachelor of Medicine with Distinction at the University of Newcastle in 2016, before moving to the Central Coast of NSW to complete her hospital and then GP training. She enjoys the wide spectrum of family medicine and has an interest in public health, completing her Masters in 2018. In 2022 she travelled around Australia working in different communities along her way, before deciding settle back home in Tassie. Outside of medicine she enjoys spending time with friends and family, running, cooking and playing the bagpipes.
Dr. Maureen Ryan
Dr Maureen Ryan studied at Sydney University. She moved to Tasmania to study Medicine and stayed on to complete her General Practice training. Maureen has worked in various places throughout Australia, including remote Aboriginal communities. Maureen has particular interests in Chronic Diseases, Mental Health, Acute Medicine, Preventative Health and Medical Education. Maureen is also now an accredited acupuncture practitioner and delights in adding this ancient and proven treatment to her broad range of skills.
NB. Dr Ryan will not be taking on new patients for the time being (27/8/2021)
Dr. Saranga
Saranga completed his medical degree from the University of Tasmania in 2016, and subsequently spent 4 years working towards starting General Practice between the Royal Hobart Hospital and Launceston General Hospital. Since 2021, he has been working as a GP registrar in a community practice in Hobart.
Saranga enjoys all aspect of General Practice and has a particular interest in Paediatric medicine, having worked in the Paediatric department at the Royal Hobart Hospital for 18 months over the course of his training. Saranga has also recently completed the Sydney Child Health Programme (formerly Diploma of Child Health) through the Westmead Children’s Hospital.
In his spare time, Saranga enjoys watching and playing cricket, bushwalking and camping in the Tasmanian outdoors.
Dr. Angela Lewis
Dr Ang completed her medical degree with honours at the University of New South Wales and went on to complete a Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Launceston General Hospital as well as General Practice training in Newcastle. After many years working as a GP in Lake Macquarie, Ang and Simon decided to move their young family to beautiful Cygnet. Ang enjoys the diversity of general practice and in her spare time loves bushwalking and camping with Simon and the kids.
Dr. Simon McCluskey
Dr Simon graduated from the University of New South Wales, going on to complete further clinical training in Launceston and Newcastle. Simon is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and has a Diploma in Child Health. Simon enjoys the diversity of general practice and is excited to be joining the caring team at Cygnet Family Practice as well as moving to such a beautiful part of the world with Angie and the kids.
Dr. Nikki Randriamahefa
Nikki is excited to join the team at Cygnet Family Practice. She completed her medical degree at the University of Tasmania in 2016 and spent two years at the Royal Hobart Hospital prior to starting out in general practice at a community based health service in Hobart. Approaching healthcare from a physical, emotional, spiritual and community perspective is central to Nikki’s practice. She has three children and enjoys family, friends, running, camping and sunshine on her shoulders.
Dr. Joanna Blair
She/her
Dr Jo completed her university studies in 2016 at the University of Sydney. She moved to Tasmania in 2020 for her General Practice training. She has been working at Cygnet Family Practice since early 2021 and really enjoys the beautiful scenery, fascinating medicine and kind community here. Jo has undergone additional training in children’s, women’s and sexual health; completing the Sydney Child Health Program Certificate in 2019 and the Reproductive and Sexual Health Certificate in 2021. She has expert skills in women’s health: providing contraception (including IUD and implanon insertion and removal), early pregnancy and family planning and menopause advice. (Jo loves helping people through their menopause journey!) She also enjoys working with LGBTQIA+ individuals, and plans to expand her knowledge to be able to provide gender-affirming care in the near future. She is also expanding her knowledge of skin cancer medicine, and will be completing the Certificate of Dermoscopy later this year.
Nurse Practitioners
NURSE PRACTITIONER/MANAGING DIRECTOR
Kerrie
An experienced and highly skilled Nurse Practitioner with over 45 years nursing experience, Kerrie can prescribe medications, order blood tests, X-rays and ultrasounds and can diagnose many medical conditions. She holds post graduate certificates in Intensive Care, Midwifery and General Practice Nursing. In addition to these she is an authorised nurse immuniser, holds a Bachelor of Education Degree, and a Masters in Nursing Science. She is available to provide care for minor illness and injuries and has a special interest in diabetes and heart disease. Her passion is to keep you well and prevent you from getting sick where possible. She provides an Annual Health Check which screens for risk factors which can cause cancer and chronic diseases. Kerrie provides a holistic service which includes physical, mental and Christian spiritual health.
Nurses
REGISTERED NURSE
Melanie
Melanie is our English trained registered nurse who moved to Australia in 2010 after completing her Bachelor of Nursing in the UK and has worked in Emergency Departments both in the UK and Australia for the last 15 years. She relocated to Tasmania in September to be close to family and was excited to start work at the Cygnet Family practice with all the new learning opportunities in General Practice. She loves talking to and meeting with new people whilst learning new skills along the way.
Her animals are her passion outside of work with an entourage of her dog, cat, chooks, geese and 2 ponies moving to Tasmania with her ….. we are expecting the animal family to continue to grow!
REGISTERED NURSE
Vicky
Vicky is our Scottish registered nurse. She worked for 15 years in Scotland working as a Senior Nurse in an Elderly rehabilitation hospital.
Since coming to Tasmania 13 years ago, Vicky has been working in general practice where she has an interest in chronic disease management. Vicky enjoys the holistic health care approach during health assessments and care plans.
Vicky has just moved to Cygnet with her family and is looking forward to getting to know the Cygnet community and exploring the beautiful area.
REGISTERED NURSE
Jane
Jane has been a Registered Nurse for 30 years and has been working in General Practice for over ten years. After initially training in a hospital, she studied at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia and gained a Bachelor of Nursing. Previously she worked in Dialysis and remote Aboriginal communities. Jane is a Nurse Immuniser, which means she can give immunisations and childhood immunisations. She specialises in “Well Womens Health Checks”, which includes pap smears and breast checks. Also has extra training in wound care and health assessments.
REGISTERED NURSE
Anna
Anna is a Registered Nurse who is experienced in working in a variety of settings including aged care, unit management, and transition care programs rehabilitating patients back into their homes. Anna also has an arts degree with a major in psychology and has worked in management roles with a human resources focus and is currently working as a peer support for the Tasmanian Emergency services. Anna is also currently working with Ambulance Tasmania as a registered Paramedic. She enjoys working in all regions of beautiful Tasmania to provide both acute and holistic care to those in need.
Allied Health
Chiropractor
Dr Inica Castle
Dr Inica Castle is a Chiropractor with over 24 years experience working in private practice in Victoria and now here in the Huon Valley. Inica graduated from RMIT in 1999 just before she had her first child and now has two grown daughters who live in Victoria. She and her husband Drew and his daughter moved to Cradoc recently and now call the Huon Valley home. Inica has worked in family practices and spent a number of years in a children’s focused chiropractic group in Victoria where she used an approach that was specifically designed for babies and children called Neuro-Impulse Protocol. This technique, although finger-tip light and low force, is suited to anyone of any age or stage. Her gentle approach without any of the joint cracking is incredibly effective in not only relieving joint stiffness and pain but also improving general body function, co-ordination, flexibility and resilience. Dr Inica takes a wholistic approach to health and wellbeing while still attending to the pain and dysfunction that can develop when stressors become too great. We are all intricately and wonderfully made and Inica enjoys assisting others in their own unique health journeys.
Inica is located at 8495 Channel Highway, Cradoc
Book online: www.stateofbalance.co
Phone: 0493 512 035
CONSULTING CLINICAL PHARMACIST
Angus Thompson
Angus Thompson is a Consulting Clinical Pharmacist who has worked with the Cygnet Family Practice team for almost 8 years, primarily providing Home Medicines Review (HMR) services.
Angus trained in the UK, moved to Tasmania in 2008 and has over 30 years of experience in various pharmacy roles spanning Community, Hospital, General Practice and Teaching.
As well as undertaking HMRs for us and other General Practices across the Greater Hobart area, Angus works as a Clinical Editor for Primary Health Tasmania and teaches Therapeutics to Pharmacy students at the University of Tasmania.
Angus’s work is driven by a commitment to the principle of Quality Use of Medicines, which is a central objective of Australia’s National Medicines Policy.
Angus’s significant contribution to the pharmacy profession was acknowledged when he was named Tasmanian Pharmacist of the Year in 2017.
You can learn more about Home Medicines Review (HMR) at the link below:
Dr Tracy Spencer-Lloyd
Tracy has over thirty year’s experience delivering therapeutic interventions with adults, children, couples and families, and lived and worked throughout Australia in many rural and remote areas, including the Huon Valley. She is a Registered Psychologist, a senior EAP Counsellor and Mindfulness Facilitator. More recently she has trained in the delivery of psychological services using Telehealth and is excited by the accessibility and comfort this way of working can offer to people. She is passionate about helping people to identify their own strengths and supporting them to build on these to respond to the challenges life may bring.
Paramedics
Ben
Ben is an experienced acute care paramedic, spending 15 years with New South Wales Ambulance. He has also worked with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to support army training exercises in Queensland, and has provided primary health care in a remote, Western Australian indigenous community. Ben joins our Urgent and After Hours Service, providing care both within the practice and home visits. He is currently studying a Masters degree to increase his knowledge and skills in primary health care.
Reception Staff
Karyn
Beth
Rebecca
Margie
Practice Management
Practice Manager
Jasmin
AAPM Tasmanian State Committee President.
ADMINISTRATION
Solvejg
If you would like to know about employment opportunities, please contact Kerrie Duggan for a confidential discussion by emailing to: reception@cygnetfamilypractice.com.au.