Dr Hugh Allen

"We are so grateful to Dr Allen for his care and treatment of our little boy. We first met Dr Allen when my son was admitted to RNsH on several occasions with severe asmtha at the age of 18 months. We were terrified of what lay ahead but Dr Allen prescribed a preventative plan and also helped find solutions for the range of sleep related issues we experienced including a speech delay and hyperactivity as a result of sleep apnoea and enlarged tonsils, adenoids and otitis media which had been misdiagnosed. Dr Allen refereed us to an excellent Ent and worked closely with us. Dr Allen would call and check on my son’s health and wellbeing. The progress we have seen has been phenomenal- and since being under Dr Allen’s care we are happy to say our son has not had a single episode of asmtha which has required hospitalisation. We are so grateful to Dr Allen a kind, incredibly clever and wonderful doctor!"

"I've never even been inside the establishment but just dealing with the receptionist on the phone was the most horrible customer service experience I've ever had. When I informed her a family member would be a few minutes late to his appointment, she was silent for 15 seconds and then just sighed as if this was an inconvenience to her. For a specialist medical centre that deals with people with mental health issues, I've never been made to feel so anxious and uncomfortable by staff."

"Highly recommend. I had an appointment for my son today and was very happy with the whole experience. Dr.Allen had a wonderful manner with kids and was very knowledgeable. Nat the receptionist went above and beyond for me which I have never experienced before at any practice. I'm so grateful."

"We'd had a satisfactory experience at this practice, although the last 10 months of interactions (or lack thereof) have left a lot to be desired. I tried booking for a six-monthly appointment for my son and daughter, with my first call being in November 2019. It went to voicemail. I called numerous times, and still - straight to voicemail. I sent emails to the account on their website - no answer. It got to the point where my kids ran out of Ritalin and we were desperate. I called several times each week in January and it went through to voicemail - and then I got "The mailbox is full. You cannot leave a message." WHAAAAAT?! In February, after getting a referral to see another paediatrician, I tried once more and got through. I couldn't believe it when someone answered. Apparently there was a phone issue. Very poor to have a phone issue for THAT long. But what about my emails that went unanswered??? When I spoke to the receptionist, I was told we had to wait until MAY "...because we're a very busy practice." HELL NO! I explained all the trouble we had getting in touch with them. We were called later that week with a cancellation so I took the kids in at very short notice (about 2 hours). We booked another appointment 6 months down the track... This recent appointment: I had it in my calendar incorrectly, half an hour later than it should have been (I think I forgot to save the first entry in my haste). I'd replied to the SMS messages to confirm our attendance, but didn't read them in detail as I was flat-out busy. On the morning of the appointment, I was called by the receptionist who told me that Dr Thomas was called to an emergency and he was running 20 minutes late. No worries! The receptionist called when we weren't far away, and said "Where are you?" I realised then that I'd stuffed up with my calendar entry...and boy, did I cop it from the receptionist. Despite me being profusely apologetic, she gave me the evils when we arrived and was abrupt and rude - and having had poor sleep for weeks (stress - had lost my job during COVID) - I was a bit ditzy. I was treated like a small child with "You're not listening!" when I was trying to make sense of instructions in my state of fatigue. I cried in the rooms as we waited for Dr Thomas. The receptionist was even rude to my husband when we came out to pay for the visit: he didn't realise she was on the phone (headset on) and talking to someone else, but when he started answering questions he thought were directed at him, she barked "I'M ON THE PHONE!" There are professional ways of getting that message across without being rude. Needless to say, we're not keen on returning. Despite the above - Dr Thomas is great. He's kind, patient, caring, thorough and super busy!"

"Very happy with the service here. Sam the practice manager is helpful, professional and courteous always. Waiting time for a booking is quite fast compared to other specialists. Dr Hugh Allen is very knowledgeable and experienced, and has never failed to impress me with his ability to quickly arrive at the correct diagnosis and offer practical solutions. Two of my three kids see Dr Allen as their pediatrician, and altogether we have been going there since 6 years ago. Recently Dr Allen within 5 minutes or so diagnosed my son for his mystery pains that our family gp and home visiting physiotherapist could not explain the cause of pains. What I really appreciate about Dr Allen is that he explains how he arrived at his diagnosis and he asks "any questions" and explains well whatever I wanted to know. He also gives very detailed comprehensive feedback to the referring doctor, which I am sure would be appreciated by the doctor too. I also like how he does not easily prescribe medicine to children unless necessary. Highly recommend Dr Allen and Sam."