All Medicare-eligible consultations are bulk billed for patients with a valid Medicare card. Some items, including privately purchased vaccines and consumables, attract a fee.
Asthma and COPD care.Breathing well is not coping.
People adapt to breathlessness without noticing — walking slower, taking the lift, doing less. Good asthma and COPD care is about what you can do, not just what the tests say.
Asthma and COPD are different conditions that share a lot of management. Both need the right inhalers, used correctly; a written action plan telling you what to do when things worsen; vaccination; and regular review.
Inhaler technique is where most control is lost. Studies consistently find the majority of people use their device incorrectly, which means much of the dose never reaches the lungs. Having technique checked — not described, but watched — is one of the highest-value ten minutes in medicine.
Bring every inhaler to every reviewIncluding the ones you have stopped using. Watching you use them is how technique problems are found, and technique is the most common reason treatment underperforms.
A written plan, personal to you, setting out what to do when symptoms are stable, worsening, or severe. Having one reduces hospital admissions.
Do I need a spacer?
With a puffer, almost always. A spacer gets substantially more of the dose into the lungs and reduces side effects.
Should I have the flu vaccine?
Yes. Chest infections are the main cause of flare-ups, and vaccination is one of the most effective things you can do.
Main treatment
A written action plan
Read more →
Main treatmentA written action plan
Green, amber and red — what to do at each stage, in your own words.
Main treatment
Inhaler technique checked
Read more →
Main treatmentInhaler technique checked
Watched, not described. This is where most control is lost.
Main treatment
The right device
Read more →
Main treatmentThe right device
Puffers, spacers and dry powder devices suit different people. Getting it wrong wastes the medicine.
Main treatment
Vaccination
Read more →
Main treatmentVaccination
Influenza annually, plus pneumococcal and COVID as recommended.
For COPD
Pulmonary rehabilitation
Read more →
For COPDPulmonary rehabilitation
Structured exercise and education. Among the most effective treatments there is.
For COPD
Stopping smoking
Read more →
For COPDStopping smoking
The only intervention that slows the decline in lung function. Support is available and it works.
Worsening,and adapting.
Do not waitCall 000 for severe breathlessness, difficulty speaking in full sentences, blue lips, drowsiness or confusion, or a reliever that is not working. In an asthma emergency while waiting: sit the person upright, give four puffs of blue or blue-grey reliever through a spacer, one puff at a time with four breaths after each, then wait four minutes. If there is no improvement, give four more puffs the same way, and keep giving four puffs every four minutes until the ambulance arrives.
The most useful signs are often behavioural. What have you stopped doing?
How do I know if my asthma is not controlled?
Needing your reliever more than twice a week, waking at night with symptoms, or symptoms limiting activity all suggest control could be better.
Is it normal to get breathless with age?
Some reduction is normal. Being unable to keep up with people your own age is not, and it is worth investigating.
What counts as a flare-up?
Symptoms clearly worse than your usual over days, needing more reliever, or a change in sputum colour or volume with COPD.
Reliever
Using the blue puffer more than twice a week
Read more →
RelieverUsing the blue puffer more than twice a week
The clearest single marker that control could be better.
Night
Waking with cough, wheeze or tightness
Read more →
NightWaking with cough, wheeze or tightness
Night symptoms are a strong signal, not a minor annoyance.
Activity
Symptoms limiting what you do
Read more →
ActivitySymptoms limiting what you do
Including things you have quietly given up.
Refills
Getting through relievers quickly
Read more →
RefillsGetting through relievers quickly
More than about two or three canisters a year is worth reviewing.
Symptoms
Clearly worse over several days
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SymptomsClearly worse over several days
Rather than the usual day-to-day variation.
Sputum
More, thicker, or changed colour
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SputumMore, thicker, or changed colour
Particularly relevant in COPD.
Reliever
Not lasting as long as usual
Read more →
RelieverNot lasting as long as usual
A useful early warning that things are escalating.
Sleep
Two or more bad nights in a row
Read more →
SleepTwo or more bad nights in a row
Often the point at which the action plan should be started.
Pace
Walking slower than people your age
Read more →
PaceWalking slower than people your age
One of the most sensitive early signs of COPD.
Stairs
Stopping partway, or avoiding them
Read more →
StairsStopping partway, or avoiding them
Adaptations happen without conscious decision.
Chores
Breathless doing housework or shopping
Read more →
ChoresBreathless doing housework or shopping
Worth mentioning even if you have adjusted around it.
Dressing
Breathless putting on shoes or socks
Read more →
DressingBreathless putting on shoes or socks
Bending plus exertion — a common late marker.
Dust
Coal, grain, silica, welding fumes
Read more →
DustCoal, grain, silica, welding fumes
Tell us about the work you have done, however long ago.
Smoke
Bushfire smoke and hazard reduction burns
Read more →
SmokeBushfire smoke and hazard reduction burns
Plan ahead in smoke season and know your action plan.
Weather
Cold air, thunderstorms, high pollen
Read more →
WeatherCold air, thunderstorms, high pollen
Thunderstorm asthma is a real risk during grass pollen season.
If you have quietly stopped doing something because of your breathing, that is the thing to mention.
Technique is where most asthma control is lost.With a puffer, a spacer gets far more of the dose into the lungs — and for children it should be used every time. Bring the inhaler and we will watch you use it.
Reviewed properly,not just re-prescribed.
Lung conditions are reviewed with the practice nurse and your GP, with spirometry available on site.
At least yearly when stable, and more often after a flare-up or a medication change.
Do I need spirometry every time?
No, but periodically. It tracks whether things are changing.
Can I get a care plan?
Yes. Both asthma and COPD qualify, which brings in subsidised allied health.
1AssessmentHistory including work and dust exposure, examination and usually spirometry.First
2The right treatmentCorrect inhalers, correct device, and technique watched rather than assumed.Same visit
3A written action planGreen, amber and red. Kept somewhere you will actually find it.Same visit
4ReviewAt least yearly, sooner after a flare-up. Bring every inhaler each time.Ongoing
Asthma & COPD care
Written action plans
Inhaler technique checks
Spirometry on site
Flu & pneumococcal vaccination
Dust exposure history
Care plans
Bulk billed
Asthma & COPD care
Written action plans
Inhaler technique checks
Spirometry on site
Flu & pneumococcal vaccination
Dust exposure history
Care plans
Bulk billed
Asthma & COPD care
Written action plans
Inhaler technique checks
Spirometry on site
Flu & pneumococcal vaccination
Dust exposure history
Care plans
Bulk billed
Asthma & COPDquestions, answered.
What is an asthma action plan?
A written plan setting out what to do when symptoms are stable, worsening or severe. It reduces hospital admissions.
How do I know my asthma is controlled?
Reliever use twice a week or less, no night symptoms, and no limits on activity.
Do I need a spacer?
With a puffer, almost always. It gets far more of the dose into the lungs.
Is spirometry available here?
Yes, on site. See the spirometry page for how to prepare.
What is pulmonary rehabilitation?
A structured exercise and education program for COPD. It is one of the most effective treatments available.
Should I have the flu vaccine?
Yes, every year. Chest infections are the main cause of flare-ups.
Does dust exposure matter?
Considerably. Tell us about mining, farming, welding and construction work, however long ago.
Can I get a care plan?
Yes. It brings in subsidised allied health, including exercise physiology.
General information onlyThis page is general health information for anyone who finds it useful. It is not advice about your own situation and it does not replace a consultation with a doctor who knows you. If you are worried about a symptom, book an appointment or call (02) 6530 7404. In an emergency, call 000.
Standard GP consultations are bulk billed for everyone with a valid Medicare card.