In the heart of the semi-rural community of Galston, Dr Graham Campbell has been the local General Practitioner for 4 decades now. Over the past 40 years he has worked tirelessly caring for the local community and is now the trusted Doctor of generations of patients.
From its humble beginnings, in a tiny cottage on Arcadia Road, Galston Medical Centre has adapted through the years to become the high-quality Medical Centre that it is today. Under the dedicated leadership of Dr Graham Campbell, Galston Medical Centre provides co-ordinated, holistic care to the community of Galston and to many areas beyond.
From the outset, Dr Campbell has fostered patient relationships and practices healthcare with the understanding that its not always just about treating illnesses and symptoms.
He considers the patient in the context of their lives and cares for them by not only treating the illness but also the more far-reaching impacts on the patient. This approach has made him the trusted Doctor that he is today not only with his patients but with families and the wider community including the residents of many Aged-Care Facilities.
Dr Campbell has also seen many changes over the years. He has adapted and responded to his patients’ needs by using evolving technologies and digitising the practice. An example of this is the transition from paper records to fully electronic records 25 years ago. He also performs skin checks using computerised technology and he has diagnosed countless skin cancers before they have become a major issue.
Galston Medical Centre was also one of the first practices in NSW to not only achieve accreditation but also to become involved in quality improvement in line with the Medicare Incentive Scheme.
Dr Campbell has mentored many healthcare professionals. The year 2000 saw the first Practice Nurse employed at Galston Medical Centre. At this time this was a relatively new area in Nursing. Graham has encouraged us all to further our knowledge and scope of practice so that we can all provide the best quality care.
Most of the staff have been at Galston Medical Centre for more than 10 years, some are approaching 20 which is testament to how the place operates. As Graham says, “people just stay.” Dr Campbell has mentored many medical students generously sharing his knowledge and experiences with the next generation of doctors who may one day enter General Practice.
As a local of Galston, Dr Campbell is in the unique position of really knowing the challenges that the community face. He advocates for his patients. He collaborates with services so that he can provide comprehensive and team-based care. Dr Campbell is the embodiment of a caring and experienced General Practitioner. He is compassionate, dedicated, dependable and loved by patients, staff and his peers.
FUN FACTS ABOUT DR GRAHAM CAMPBELL
- He has a Degree in Agricultural Science.
- He loves chocolate preferably “Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Family Block”.
- He learnt to play tennis from a very young age and has competed in many events, and is still going strong.
- He has an unlimited supply of jokes – some are better than others. Some say that his Dad jokes are amongst the best!
- He sings in the Hills Harmony Barbershop Choir and is very good at entertaining patients when they need it. He often breaks into song and invites others to join in.
- He loves tinkering with things that are broken and sometimes even fixes them!
- He has a very unusual collection of preserved creatures in specimen jars that have caused patients’ harm over the years.
Nicole Brown – Practice Manager and Registered Nurse Galston Medical Centre
