The Acute General Surgical Unit (AGSU) is the newest General Surgery unit at Frankston Hospital, coming online in 2021.
It heralds a new era of management of emergency surgery presentations on the Mornington Peninsula.
We treat all acute abdominal and emergency general surgical conditions under one unit, led by a consultant surgeon on site with access to the dedicated emergency operating theatre 24 hours, 7 days a week.
The consultant surgeons of the AGSU are all also members of one of the other three general surgical units (Upper gastrointestinal, Colorectal, or, Breast/Endorcine) ensuring subspeciality coverage of complex conditions and facilitating inter-unit referral when necessary.
The guiding principles of patient care within the AGSU are that patient care is:
- Consultant led 7 days a week
- Delivered to the highest standard and aligned with Peninsula Care principles
- Facilitated by early consultant review of all new admitted patients
- Facilitated by timely access to scheduled emergency operating lists
- Enhanced by the ability for sub-specialists to provide expertise when required
- Informed by the development and use of best-practice guidelines
- Monitored through a robust audit system
Our Specialists
Mr Benjamin Privett
Mr Benjamin Privett is a general surgeon with sub-speciality training in gallbladder, hepatic (liver) and pancreatic surgery. After completing his undergraduate studies Mr Privett went on to complete his general surgery training across Victoria and New South Wales, he was awarded fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2018.
Mr Privett then continued his surgical training post-fellowship and further specialised in Hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgery, completing training and membership with the Australian & Aotearoa New Zealand, Hepatic, Pancreatic & Biliary Association (AANZHPBA). He most recently completed a year of fellowship training in Liver Transplant in 2021 at the Austin Hospital.
Mr Privett has a interest in surgical education, currently completing a Masters in Surgical Education at the University of Melbourne. He is committed to improving the quality of training for the next generation of surgeons and is currently the supervisor for the junior medical staff in the Department of Surgery at Frankston Hospital. Mr Privett has also been appointed as co-convener of the Victorian Trainees’ weekend in General Surgery.
Mr Benjamin Privett has been a keen contributor to the medical field, publishing numerous papers in medical journals. Mr Privett is also an Associate Lecturer at Monash University and reviewer for the ANZ Journal of Surgery.
A/Prof Charles Pilgrim
A/Prof Pilgrim completed fellowships in Upper GI surgery at The Alfred and Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin (USA) and has a PhD from Peter MacCallum.
He has appointments at Cabrini Hospital, The Alfred (HPB and Trauma) as well as Frankston and Peninsula Private hospitals and is a serving military surgeon and lieutenant colonel in the Australian Army.
He is an Associate Professor at Monash University and a Senior trauma instructor/examiner for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. He is a member of the Academy of Surgical Educators and the Section of Academic surgery with the College of Surgeons.
Mr Guy Sheahan
Mr Guy Sheahan is a general surgeon who undertook his surgical training in QLD before moving to Melbourne to complete further training in the care of the critically ill surgical, trauma and burn injured patient.
Mr Sheahan has a strong interest in improving patient outcomes through education and multidisciplinary team simulation based training, having completed a Masters of Education in Canada during his surgical training. He is married to an intensivist working at The Alfred, and is dad to a little boy and girl.
Ms Inoka De Silva
Ms Inoka De Silva completed a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) at Monash University in 2009 and trained as a doctor and General Surgery Registrar at Monash Health, gaining her Fellowship of The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) in 2018.
Inoka worked as a staff general surgeon/fellow at Frankston Hospital in 2019 and was selected for the highly competitive Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Gastric and Oesophageal Surgery Association (AANZGOSA) Fellowship Training Program, which she completed at John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle NSW and Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide SA. Inoka returned to the Mornington Peninsula in 2022.
Inoka is passionate about teaching and education throughout all levels of medical training. She is an examiner at Monash University School of Medicine and is the current Fellow Representative on the AANZGOSA Board. Inoka lives on the Mornington Peninsula with her husband and family.
Mr Josh Hammerschlag
Mr Josh Hammerschlag studied medicine at Monash University, during which he undertook his first clinical placement at Frankston Hospital back in 2008.
After medical school Mr Hammerschlag worked predominantly in the Monash Health network, completing internship and residency years. Josh enrolled in General Surgery SET training at Monash and Peninsula Health, sitting his fellowship exam in 2020.
In 2021 Josh returned to Frankston Hospital as the Upper GI fellow and over the last two years has gone on to complete subspecialty training with AANZGOSA (Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand gastric and oesophageal surgery association).
