There is one facio-maxillary surgeon in Bendigo, Mr Ian Poker.

Ian Poker runs a private rooms near the hospital. He does not run a public outpatients service.

Public Patients

Patients requiring emergency admission (for example significant facial cellulitis or abscess) will generally be admitted by the surgical intern after the case has been discussed between the ED MO and Mr Poker.

Patients not requiring immediate admission but likely to require operative management at some stage (most fractured mandibles for example) should be discussed with Ian Poker. They will generally be reviewed at his rooms on the next business day (with an associated out of pocket expense after medicare rebate) and then a semi-elective admission to the public hospital on an appropriate day.

Private Patients

The situation is somewhat simpler for private and compensible patients but follows the lines above.

Facial Trauma

Facial trauma can be managed by either plastic Surgeon Mr Broughton Snell who has a special interest in facial trauma or Mr Ian Poker. There is no official system for dividing referrals. If Mr Snell is not away there should be no need to refer facial trauma elsewhere unless there are associated injuries not able to be managed in Bendigo.