A year ago, I opened the doors of Honeycomb Health. The floors were completed the day before opening, the computers had not arrived and there were phones but no internet. So, not quite the vision!

In the time since then, so much has happened and the day-to-day of the practice has begun to have a rhythm.

I have been very blessed in the development of Honeycomb with an immense amount of support from colleagues, family and friends. My first serious conversations were with the successful practice manager/owner and all-around superstar, Kylie Payne and her team at Interconnect Healthcare. They are the reason I was able to learn the complex process of setting up a medical centre. Kylie managed the fit out and set up and, when in week one we had no reception staff, she sent us the hilarious Kerrie who stepped in to support the reception team, hold the fort and teach us how to set up a treatment room!

In February we had our first medical students. We were lucky enough to have 2 wonderful, final year students from Deakin University, Daniel and Kate. While we may not have been overflowing with GP work at that stage, they learnt non-traditional things like, how to put together furniture, and the in-depth joy that is how to work with Medicare! If they ever decide to go into General Practice, I’d have them back in a heartbeat.

Nursing support in general practice is something that I feel I have taken for granted in years past. The job of starting a practice from scratch and developing good processes largely falls on the nurses and the admin team, I am so grateful to my nursing team and in particular, Susie, who works tirelessly for the good of the patients at Honeycomb and to ensure that we deliver high quality, comprehensive medical care.

Over this first year, our allied health team (check them out here), both on-site and within the community, continues to expand and nurture us. Jo, from Everyday Nutrition was the first person I ever floated the idea of Honeycomb with, and Liz and I recently did our first collaborative consultation working together but with our patient in the meeting too, driving the direction of what and how we offer our knowledge and experience. We continue to grow, this month we are welcoming Dr. Rachelle Opie from Food For Thought, who has a particular interest in diet and mental health which complements the general and IBS dietetics from Everyday Nutrition.

The team at Tailored health has been a pivotal force behind the development of Honeycomb. With shared values and an abundance of enthusiasm, Ben and his team have been a constant source of support even with them not being on site. The initiation of virtual team meetings with them assisting in refining the process means that we are truly embodying the concept of interdisciplinary care.

Before the doors even opened, Steve and Sophie, from Restore Movement were in discussions about how we could strengthen our long-standing relationship. Steve was one of my first mentors and Sophie has looked after my patients for years, as well as myself and my family. Having her on site has brought me the wonderful experience of the ‘corridor consult’, checking in with each other and making sure that we are all on the same page. While having the rest of the Restore Movement team around the corner and in constant contact, gives us the security of providing excellent quality care. Sophie getting busier each week and a possible increase in the days that we have physiotherapy on site is an exciting part of things to come.

Lyn, my experienced and lovely psychologist, who I have known my entire GP life, has been the most wonderfully supportive colleague and is always a nurturing presence in the building.

The reception team are the backbone of everything that happens at Honeycomb and my team, led by the vivacious Ashleigh are the fun and joy and light as well as the reason everything works. Watching them find their rhythm together, problem solve, and interact with everyone in such a positive way is so lovely. They are constantly thinking of the next thing that will make us better and brighter.

Multi-talented that they are, Laura brings yoga and meditation into our space every week, which has helped me personally on my journey to ‘practice what I preach’, enact myself care and participate in joyful movement and mindful moments. Nic brings her bubbly, empathy into everything she does, constantly worries about the needs of others and is always open to something fun!

Ashleigh has recently accepted the position of Practice Manager and after nearly a year of her doing the job unofficially and being the driving force behind us achieving our Accreditation certificate, having her at the helm is a massive step towards quality improvements in the practice as well as a constant source of surprise and fun.

When Dr Ingrid van Tinteren and Dr Tamara Jones came on board, my world changed. I have been blessed to work with gorgeous people my entire career but for quite some time at Honeycomb, I was essentially a solo GP. While it was ok and necessary, having Ingrid and Tamara come on board has confirmed that a team makes everything better. Dr Tamara who is an extremely thorough and compassionate GP but also a wonderful friend, comes to us regularly and provides a valuable service to our female patients with IUD insertions.

Ingrid is a fabulous, dedicated doctor who has been and continues to be a wonderful asset to the Honeycomb team. We work in a wonderfully collaborative way, constantly working to refine our practice of medicine and the processes at Honeycomb. The women’s health day initiative that we hosted in September was coordinated by Ingrid and has sparked wonderful interest in a regular program that we hope to launch next year.

Sometime after Ingrid arrived, around the middle of the year, we had the delivery of our custom designed desks. It might sound a bit boring, or mildly ridiculous that this was a momentous occasion, but it was one step closer to our space functioning in the collaborative and easy-going manner that we are working toward. It also meant that we have the capacity to have additional practitioners in all 6 of our consulting rooms.

The joy of being a GP and the reason I was drawn to it, is the privilege of supporting people through their lives and getting to know the individual context that all of our health sits within. We are never just a blood pressure or a cholesterol reading. The cold we have that makes us feel wretched can amplify the difficulties that we are having in our relationship or reveal a need for more time out from work. The patients of Honeycomb Health are the core of ‘The Hive’. It’s an honour to have so many people who have trusted me for over a decade (or sometimes more!) and to welcome new people into our community.

The preparation for the birthday party celebration on Saturday November 11th (9am-12pm) is the culmination of several months of excited discussions. What is Honeycomb Health about? What do we want for our second year and beyond? It has led to mortifying video interviews (watch them here) and lots of laughter. We hope that you can join us at the party and into the exciting second year and beyond.

Some fantastic progress photos of our Fairy Gum consulting room and our main waiting area from 2022 to now, 2023: