What is General Paediatrics?

General paediatricians care for newborn babies, infants, children and adolescents with many different conditions and illnesses. Visits to the general paediatrician range from a simple 6 week check up for your newborn, to ongoing care for children with complex and chronic medical conditions.

The general paediatricians at VCC believe they can have a particularly positive impact for children with complex and multiple medical conditions. Having a central medical specialist take a leading role offers many benefits including:

  • improved co-ordination of care and communication between the family, health care and community providers
  • advocacy for the young person and their family
  • continuity for children and adolescents with complex medical needs as they traverse what is often a maze of medical specialists and allied health throughout their childhood
  • a smooth transition and transfer to adult health care providers at the appropriate time

At VCC we see the child, their family, their GP and general paediatrician as key members of a team we set up to maximise the young person’s health and well being. We work closely and proactively with colleagues involved in the child’s care. These may include speech pathologists, psychologists, teachers and educators, other medical specialists, dentists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists.

Our areas of expertise

General paediatricians at VCC are experts at the diagnosis and management of a broad range of conditions such as:

    • acute medical conditions such as infections
    • newborn check, newborn and infant issues
    • infant distress, feeding problems and sleep
    • allergy, eczema, asthma, urticarial (hives) and allergic rhinitis (hayfever)
      • allergy conditions include:
      • food allergy: IgE mediated cow milk, soy, wheat, egg, treenut, peanut and seafood allergy
      • drug allergy and insect sting allergy
      • anaphylaxis
      • food protein induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES)
      • eosinophilic oesophagitis
      • cow milk enteropathy
    • bed wetting, continence (day wetting, soiling and toileting problems) and constipation
    • growth and puberty concerns
    • diabetes, thyroid conditions and vitamin D deficiency
    • breathing problems, chronic cough, exercise limitation or snoring
    • frequent or recurrent infections
    • developmental and behavioural conditions:
      • attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
      • autism spectrum disorders (ASDs)
      • developmental delay
      • anxiety and depression
      • tics and Tourette’s
      • challenging behaviours
      • oppositional behaviours
      • anger issues
      • learning difficulties and language disorders
      • sleep disorders
    • gastrointestinal issues including abdominal pain and constipation
    • weight management
    • headache and neurological issues including seizure

Our General Paediatricians include: