My name is Dr Joshua Lau and I will be your specialist anaesthesia doctor for your upcoming procedure. I work as a consultant at the Fiona Stanley Hospital in addition to my busy private practice.
Most of my anaesthesia training was conducted in Perth before its completion with fellowships in Toronto, Canada and at the Alfred in Melbourne in 2010. I remained in Melbourne for a decade providing care for patients at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear (RVEEH) and Box Hill Hospitals, and throughout private surgical centres. During this period I regularly engaged in providing assistance for neurosurgery, bariatric surgery, orthopaedics (including major joint replacements, shoulder surgery and trauma), obstetric anaesthesia, gynaecology, paediatrics, opthalmology (including eye blocks), and ENT. At RVEEH I was an ANZCA supervisor of training for 4 years and the COVID theatre educator officer and lead simulation trainer.
Since my return to Perth in 2020, half of my working life has been at Fiona Stanley Hospital regularly caring for the WA’s most unwell, frail and complex patients for orthopaedic and general emergencies. Working in the department helps to keep me abreast of new evidence, approaches and techniques along with discuss challenging situations with learned colleagues. The other half is at private hospitals such at St John of God, Hollywood and South Perth where I regularly work in urology, endocrine surgery, paediatric and adult ENT, maxillofacial surgery and orthopaedics including joint replacements.
I provide anaesthesia for all types of procedures except for cardiac surgery. Additionally, I also utilise regional anaesthesia (local anaesthetic blocks) when appropriate to be either the sole anaesthetic technique or to optimise postoperative pain control. I actively participate in, and fulfil the requirements of the Continuing Professional Development program, in order to update my practice, skills and knowledge base.
If I am scheduled to be your anaesthetist, a letter of introduction and information about your perioperative care will be sent along with an estimate on the costs for the anaesthesia care.
Prior to your surgery, I will contact you (or a parent for a child patient) by phone so that we can discuss the anaesthesia plans and expectations in a leisurely manner. Any questions concerning the anaesthetic will be welcomed. Unfortunately, time issues make this difficult for any emergency or unplanned procedures.
If you have any concerns regarding your anaesthetic care that you would like addressed earlier, please contact Metropolitan Anaesthesia on (08) 6267 6200. Should the staff be unable to answer your queries, I will be notified so that I contact you directly.