About Wal Grimmett

An Independent specialist anaesthetist in Toowoomba

I received my medical degree from the University of Sydney in 1985 and my specialist anaesthetic qualifications with ANZCA in 1996. I am a member of the Australian Society of Anaesthetists and the Australian Academy of Surgical Educators. Like many anaesthetists Australia-wide I use an online practice model for anaesthetic billing and booking.  This means I have no physical rooms, which allows me to significantly reduce my operating costs and minimise ‘gaps’ to my patients. I do this using "Fast Tracking Anaesthetic Billing Services" which is based in Bendigo, Victoria.

In the past, I established the first private intensive care in Toowoomba but now concentrate on anaesthesia. Other past interests include military anaesthesia (deploying with USA forces to Afghanistan in 2012) and aeromedical evacuation. I love helicopters and spent 5 years working for Careflight in Toowoomba. In the RAAF I was deployed repeatedly as an MCCAT officer retrieving critically injured service personnel from around the world. Additionally, I deployed on a number of humanitarian missions in the Pacific area and Europe. Sadly, I retired from the ADF in March 2022 but I do have a lot more time for my family as a result!

I enjoy dabbling in medical research, publishing a number of papers in recent years. I have a special interest in healthcare safety. I have been an invited speaker twice at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to talk on using systems theory for analysing medical errors and have been appointed the medical advisor in clinical governance to a large not-for-profit private healthcare provider. Currently, I am undertaking a Masters of Research with the AIHI at Macquarie University.

Most of all, I enjoy talking to people and providing safe anaesthetic care while trying to ease their anxiety about a somewhat unfamiliar process.

I provide anaesthetic care for paediatric and adult patients in a range of specialities including obstetrics, vascular, ENT, general surgery, cardiology, colorectal, plastic, ophthalmology, urological and orthopaedics.

Many people worry about anaesthesia, that's OK.

I recommend watching the "Preparing for Anaesthesia" video found at

https://www.anzca.edu.au/patient-information/anaesthesia-information-for-patients-and-carers/preparing-for-your-operation .

More information about anaesthesia is to be found on the links below,