General News
4 April, 2025
New chapter for Lister House
Dr David and Amanda Wilson will officially hand over the reins of Lister House Medical Clinic to new owners on Friday, April 4, because "the time was right", they say.
Dr Wilson has owned Lister House for 35 years and, since a chance meeting with a pharmaceutical representative 30 years ago, has jointly owned the clinic with his wife and partner Amanda.
The clinic currently employs 40 staff, 18 doctors and 12 nurses.
"We still have some of the old filo files that are a reminder of how far we've come," Amanda added.
Across more than three decades, the clinic has employed 50 doctors, hundreds of staff and has built a database of more than 80,000 patient files.
"We are at a stage where the staff is solid and can manage the change, and as the new owners have trained and been a part of the clinic for almost 10 years each, the transition will be seamless for patients and staff," Dr Wilson said.
On reflection, they both said there have been many changes at the clinic in their time, but the basics of medical care remain, even though technology and techniques may have changed.
"Introducing computers to the clinic received some pushback from the staff at the time, but they gradually came on board," Dr Wilson said.
Dr Wilson arrived in Horsham in 1990 after training in his birthplace of Scotland.
He worked as an intern and in the emergency department, developing an interest in bone marrow, asthma, and dermatology.
He then moved into general practice, specialising in obstetrics and pediatrics.
"I have delivered about 3000 babies in the 35 years and I even started delivering babies of babies I had delivered," he said.
His natural interest in biology during his youth was perhaps the precursor to entering medical training at Universities in Scotland and London.
Both agreed that attracting doctors to the regional area had been challenging, but they have a steady flow of inquiries from medical staff interested in a move to Horsham now.
"While we are always proud of our staff, the pandemic showed us what our staff was capable of and the dedication they had for our patients," Mrs Wilson said.
"We administered 50,000 COVID vaccinations and swabbed 30,000 patients.
"We saw 400 people a day at the clinic, seven days a week.
"But we learned what we could do, and sometimes it meant turning on a dime because it was a constantly changing scene.
Two stand-out things happened as a result of the pandemic.
"The walk-in clinic we have now is a result of the clinic we had during COVID, and we met a lot of people we didn't know," Mrs Wilson said.
"So we realised there was a large number of 'well' people in the community.
"Being a training clinic means we have the model to train and build the clinic with doctors invested in our patients and the community, and that has helped us build the clinic to the professional standard we have now."
This standard, new owners Dr Jagath Ranasinghe, Dr Arvind Garg, Dr Waruna Dissanayake, and Dr Kannan Ramanathan say, attracted them to investing in Lister House.
"It is rare to find a clinic of this standard," said the new partnership Chair Dr Ranasinghe.
"We have all worked here for many years, we know the staff and the patients, and we just have to keep doing what Dr Wilson and Amanda have been doing, because they have built a very professional clinic."
Along with Lister House, the group has also bought the Maddern Street Horsham Medical Group Clinic so patients can come and receive the same care.
Two doctors will attend the Natimuk Clinic, which will remain at two days a week, with the potential for additional days.
"The new owners are a skilled group, each with special interests," Mrs Wilson said.
"The staff are already calling them the 'awesome foursome'."
The new group said they were not keen to let either Dr or Mrs Wilson go, and both will remain on staff.
Dr Wilson will continue the training clinic, and Mrs Wilson will remain in the CEO position she has held for six years.
He is a Victorian Rural Generalist teacher recently received the Rural GP Award for outstanding GP.
Dr Wilson is confident that patients will notice little change when the new owners take over on Monday.
Dr and Mrs Wilson said they wish them well and are grateful for the support they have received from the community for almost four decades as they begin this new chapter.
