MAKE AN ENQUIRY

Dr Simon Chan

Search
Close this search box.

Dr Simon Chan

MAKE AN ENQUIRY

Orthopaedic Hand & Wrist Surgeon

Patient Information

dr-simon-chan-orthopaedic-specialist-patient

What you need to know

Dr Chan is a subspecialist orthopaedic surgeon. He has been practising hand and wrist surgery in north-west Sydney for over 10 years and is well-respected within hand surgery circles.

Dr Chan treats all adult hand surgery conditions and some adolescent conditions. His office can provide guidance if you require a paediatric hand surgeon.

Dr Chan operates at Lakeview Private Hospital and Macquarie University Hospital. If you do not have private health insurance, your surgery can be performed at Westmead Hospital or Auburn Hospital.

Worker’s Compensation patients require Insurer approval prior to their initial appointment.

Motor Accident compensable patients can have their fees reimbursed by their Insurer.

Preparing for your visit

If you have never seen Dr Chan in his office, please arrive 15 minutes prior to your appointment time. You will need to fill out the Patient Registration Form and have your details entered into our system.

A referral is necessary for you to claim your Medicare rebate. A referral from your GP is preferable as it will be valid for 12 months from the date of your initial consultation. A referral from another specialist will be valid for 3 months.

If your injury is related to a Worker’s Compensation claim, you will require approval from your insurer prior to the initial consultation.

If your injury is related to a Motor Accident (MAIA) claim, you will need to pay for your consultation and claim back from your insurer.

What to bring

  • Referral letter
  • Imaging studies
  • Other relevant test results (nerve studies, blood tests, etc)
  • Reports from other treating parties (doctors, hand therapist etc)
  • Insurance approval (Worker’s Compensation and Motor Accident)

What to expect

Dr Chan will take the necessary time to discuss your condition and come to a diagnosis. He will tailor a treatment for your condition, that takes into account your particular circumstances and needs.

Not all conditions require surgery. Some conditions have a good success rate with non-operative treatments such as hand therapy or steroid injections.

Should you require surgery, Dr Chan will discuss the aims of surgery, as well as the steps along the road to recovery.

Dr Chan has been the secretary for the NSW Hand Surgery Association and remains an active member. He has an excellent working relationship with the hand therapists in Sydney and regional NSW. He understands the importance of accurate communication with your hand therapist to achieve the optimal outcome for your treatment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Return to work will depend on the type of work you do, and your particular condition.

For minor conditions and sedentary work, it may be only a day or two. For more significant conditions and manual work, it may be several months.

Worker’s Compensation patients will usually have a rehabilitation consultant, appointed by their insurer, who will design a graduated return to work program.

Dr Chan will discuss these issues with you during your consultation.

Hand Therapy is usually an important part of treatment, whether you have had surgery or not. The frequency and duration of hand therapy are usually determined by the hand therapist, but will be guided by Dr Chan.
As a general rule, Dr Chan does not perform surgery on both sides at the same time (also known as “simultaneous bilateral surgery”). There are, of course, exceptions – such as acute trauma.

Dr Chan is a shareholder at Lakeview Private Hospital. Lakeview Private Hospital is a doctor-owned and doctor-run hospital. The staff are friendly and patient-focussed, and patients have generally found this to be their experience. Dr Chan is proud to be associated with such an excellent facility.

General Information

New Patient Registration Form (Online)

New Patient Registration (PDF)

Pre-Op Information

Post-Op Information

Hand Therapy

Hospital Information

Work Cover

Third Party Motor Accident Insurance

Newsletter Sign Up

Feel free to sign up to our newsletter so that we can keep you updated on the latest company information. 

Contact Us

MAKE AN ENQUIRY
NEW PATIENT REGISTRATION

Our Locations

© 2025 Dr Simon Chan. All Rights Reserved. Managed by Wolf IQ.

Make an Enquiry

Please complete the below information and we will get in touch with you shortly.

Pre-Op Information

Dr Chan will ensure you have a good understanding of your diagnosis prior to any surgery. He will discuss the aims and associated risks of your surgery as well as the post-operative rehabilitation process. Please feel free to ask questions if any of this remains unclear.

If you have other health issues, you may need to be seen at a pre-anaesthetic clinic, just to make sure that everything is optimised prior to your anaesthetic. Some medications that affect blood clotting may need to be ceased or changed prior to your operation. Make sure that Dr Chan and the Anaesthetist are aware if you are taking any of these. Please note that Fish Oil is such a medication.

You will need to be fasted prior to your operation: 4 hours for clear fluids, 6 hours for solid food and other fluids.

Lakeview Private Hospital and Macquarie University Hospital will give you a phone call the afternoon prior to surgery to confirm your operation.

If you are having surgery at Westmead Hospital or Auburn Hospital, you will need to call the hospital yourself to confirm you are coming.

The hospital will advise you of what time to arrive. It is normal to be nervous prior to an operation. This will be compounded if you are running late, so please allow plenty of time for travel.

Finally, don’t forget to arrange for somebody to escort you home after the operation.

Post-Op Information

The following information is general. Dr Chan will give you further specific instructions.

Dressings

Please keep your dressing intact until your first post-operative appointment with Dr Chan or your hand therapist.

Swelling

Swelling is a natural response to injury and surgery. It generally increases over the first 2-3 days and gradually subsides. Swelling is simply fluid in the soft tissues. Fluid runs “downhill”. If the hand and wrist is kept above the heart level, this will help to minimise swelling. The best way of keeping the hand and wrist elevated is to rest it on the opposite shoulder and support the elbow with your opposite hand. Some patients will be given a foam elevation pillow to help keep the hand and wrist upright whilst sleeping.

Splints or Plasters

If you leave hospital with a splints or plaster, it has been applied to immobilise and protect the operative site. Keep the splint on until your first post-operative appointment with Dr Chan or your hand therapist. Don’t forget to move joints that have not been splinted.

Driving

The time it takes for you to resume driving will depend upon the type of injury and operation you have had. First and foremost, you must not drive until you have recovered from the effects of the anaesthetic, usually between 12 and 24 hours. Beyond that, driving is really something between you and your insurance company. In essence, you need to have sufficient dexterity to control the vehicle and not be distracted by pain.

Return to work

The time it takes to return to work will depend on the type of work you do, and your particular condition. For minor conditions and sedentary work, it may be only a day or two. For more significant conditions and manual work, it may be several months. Worker’s Compensation patients will usually have a rehabilitation consultant, appointed by their insurer, who will design a graduated return to work program. Dr Chan will discuss these issues with you during your pre-operative consultation.

Post-operative appointment

This will also depend upon the type of injury and operation you have had. Some operations require review after only a few days. Most patients will be seen 1 to 2 weeks after surgery.

Hand Therapy

Hand therapy plays an important role in the treatment of most conditions affecting the hand and wrist.

A hand therapist will have a background in either physiotherapy or occupational therapy. The therapist will have undertaken further subspecialist training in treating hand and wrist conditions.

The treatment you receive will depend on your diagnosis. It will usually comprise a combination of:

  • Education
  • Oedema (swelling) management
  • Scar management
  • Splinting
  • Joint mobilisation
  • Tendon gliding exercises
  • Nerve gliding exercises
  • Proprioception (position sense) exercises
  • Strengthening exercises

Dr Chan has an excellent working relationship with Hand Therapists throughout Sydney and even regional NSW. He will link you into a therapist close to your home or work and maintain close communication.

The frequency and duration will depend on your particular circumstances. Your therapist will be the best judge of what you require.

Hospital Information

Dr Chan has admitting rights at the following hospitals:

Lakeview Private Hospital, as its name suggests, is a private hospital, as is Macquarie University Hospital. Both hospitals are well-equipped for all the operations that Dr Chan performs. Lakeview Private Hospital is a doctor-owned and doctor-run facility and Dr Chan is one of the shareholders.

Westmead Hospital is a teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Sydney. It is a major trauma centre and Dr Chan takes part in hand trauma on-call roster. He is also 1 of 2 surgeons who manage carpal injuries in the Westmead catchment area.

Auburn Hospital is a teaching hospital affiliated with Notre Dame University. Dr Chan is the head of orthopaedics at Auburn Hospital. Auburn is an excellent and efficient centre for day surgical hand operations.

Dr Chan’s public waiting list is based at Westmead Hospital. As patients approach the end of their waiting time, their surgery will be allocated to either Westmead Hospital or Auburn Hospital.

Work Cover

The NSW worker’s compensation system was designed to support the injured worker and to expedite treatment, so that the worker can return to work as soon as possible.

If your injury occurred whilst you were performing your usual workplace duties, it should be covered by the NSW worker’s compensation system. You should notify your employer as soon as possible.

You will require pre-approval from your insurer to see Dr Chan.

Your GP will be your “Nominated Treating Doctor” (NTD). Your NTD will co-ordinate your treatment and complete your Certificates of Capacity.

Dr Chan will be your “Treating Specialist” and will make recommendations regarding treatment and suitable duties.

Your insurer will often allocate you a Rehabilitation Consultant. The Rehabilitation Consultant will perform a workplace assessment, to see what suitable duties are available and develop a graduated return to work plan.

Useful resources from the State Insurance Regulation Authority (SIRA) and icare websites:

Third Party Motor Accident Insurance

The insurance claim will depend upon whether the accident occurred before or after 1 December 2017. Prior to 1 December 2017, injuries were covered by the Motor Accidents Compensation Act (MACA). This essentially covered injuries to people not at fault.

Injuries on or after 1 December 2017 are covered by the Motor Accident Insurance Act 2017 (MAIA). The MAIA was introduced to support injured parties resulting from motor accidents, regardless of fault. Those deemed to be at fault will still have treatment covered for the first 26 weeks.

The State Insurance Regulation Authority (SIRA) provides information detailing what you should do following an accident.

Once you have lodged a claim, you will need to get approval from your insurer to see Dr Chan. You will need to pay for your consultations and claim these back from your insurer. If you require an operation, Dr Chan will seek approval from your insurer. The cost of the operation will be invoiced directly to your insurer.

Useful resources:

• Accidents before 1 December 2017
• Accidents after 1 December 2017
• What to do following an accident (SIRA)
• A guide for people injured in motor accidents in NSW (SIRA)
• Police Assistance Line: 131 444
• CTP Assist: 1300 656 919
• Certificate of Capacity / Certificate of Fitness