Your Appointment
To make an appointment to see Dr Wykes you will need a referral from your GP. Our main practice is located at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse. We also have three other clinics at Wollongong, Bankstown and Liverpool.
Making an appointment
Appointments can be made by contacting your preferred clinic location by phone or email. We will do everything possible to prioritise urgent referrals and to make your appointment at a time and location convenient to you.
Please bring these items with you to your appointment:
Referral letter from GP or Specialist
Results from any blood tests and imaging
Records of previous surgery
List of any medications
Medicare card and private health insurance details
Please arrive 15 minutes early to your first appointment to complete your patient registration.
What to expect at your first appointment
Seeing a specialist for the first time can be stressful for patients and families. You are welcome to bring someone with you to your appointment.
During your first appointment, Dr Wykes will ask questions to help understand your problem and medical history. He may also do a physical exam and discuss the results of any tests. If further tests are needed, our team will help you organise these. If you need surgery, he will discuss the options for where this will take place.
Cancellations & delays
Please contact us by phone as soon as possible if you are unable to keep your appointment. Late cancellations or failure to attend may incur fees and may delay other patients receiving care.
Please arrive on time for your appointment. If you need parking or accessibility information, please contact us in advance. Some patients have more complex problems and sometimes delays in scheduled appointments are unavoidable. Thank you for your understanding.
Fees & payments
You will be required to pay for your consultation with Dr Wykes at your appointment. Consultation fees are partly covered by Medicare and rebates can be automatically credited to your bank account if you have this set up.
If you need to have a surgical procedure, our team will prepare a quote for your surgery.
Please note that due to the complex nature of head and neck surgery, there is often a need to have additional surgeons and surgical support teams present during procedures. This will be discussed with you as part of your consent to surgery.
Surgery locations
While many head and neck procedures can be done at smaller hospitals, such as Bankstown, surgery for head and neck cancer often requires complex multidisciplinary treatment only available at major treatment hospitals including Chris O’Brien Lifehouse and Wollongong Public and Private Hospital.
This includes essential access to multidisciplinary care as needed, which may include surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, dieticians, speech pathologists and physiotherapists depending on your individual needs.
Dr Wykes will discuss all these considerations with you at your first appointment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Dr Wykes treat private and public patients? +
Yes. Dr Wykes see both public and private patients in his consulting rooms. Dr Wykes has public operating lists at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, Bankstown Hospital and Wollongong Hospital. He has private operating lists at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse and Wollongong Private hospital. The location of your surgery will depend on your preference as well as whether you have private health insurance.
What else can I expect at my appointment?
Dr Wykes may use bedside ultrasound and/or fiberoptic nasendsocopy to help make an accurate assessment of your condition. He will explain these simple procedures during your consultation. If you need a biopsy, it will often be able to be done at the time of the consultation.
English is not my first language. Are interpreter services available? +
Yes. Please indicate at the time of making your appointment if an interpreter is required. It Is Dr Wykes’ preference for an in-person interpreter to assist with your consultation, which can be organised free of charge.
If I need additional treatment after cancer surgery, such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy, how will that be arranged? +
Decisions about additional treatment adre usually made after recommendations from the MDT. Dr Wykes works closely with many radiation and medical oncologists who provide these treatments at the hospitals where Dr Wykes works or at hospitals closer to where you live.