Integrative healthcare business The New Clinic has established a new division designed to support patients who are "slipping through the cracks" and are frequently considered too complex for conventional medical settings.
We Care Beyond is guided by a multidisciplinary team of clinicians that includes nurse practitioners, peer support workers, trauma-informed therapists and addiction specialists.
The division was created in response to rising demand for trauma-informed, non-judgemental, whole-person care — particularly among patients who frequently find no place for themselves within existing healthcare structures.
It will assist people managing co-occurring conditions spanning mental health, substance use, chronic illness and past trauma, with a focus on reaching those who have faced stigma or been shut out of standard medicinal care pathways. Medicinal cannabis may form part of individual treatment plans where clinically appropriate.
We Care Beyond head Nomusa Napier, who has a background in prison health and regional drug services, said the division was designed to improve access for patients missing out on alternative treatment options.
"We champion a model that blends clinical excellence with emotional support, providing access to specialist clinicians in a safe, respectful and compassionate environment," she said.
"We've had patients refused care because they disclosed a mental health diagnosis, or were already prescribed medications exceeding a recommended maximum. Others have been cut off with no support because they didn't fit a clinic or the GP's criteria.
"Some are on methadone and get blocked from accessing alternative therapies altogether – so they're forced to seek alternative means to access their medicine, or go online or bounce between prescribers. That's not care – that's rejection."
Napier said the depth of the problem became apparent during her years in prison and community health settings, after she moved from New Zealand to regional Victoria in 2010.
"I saw people with mental health issues and substance use stuck in cycles of reoffending because the system didn't support dual diagnosis," she said.
"I'd have patients on opioid replacement therapy who wanted to try other options, but I couldn't prescribe them. Suddenly they're seeing a doctor via telehealth and trying to coordinate everything themselves. It creates more hardship."
We Care Beyond takes a holistic, dual-diagnosis approach and operates in partnership with patients' existing providers, including GPs, psychiatrists and allied health professionals.
"It's not a 10-minute consult and a script," Napier said.
"We coordinate with the patient's other clinicians, we build a care plan, and we focus on reducing harm – especially where care has been abruptly withdrawn."
The New Clinic chief medical officer Dr Dev Banerjee shared that view.
"We're not here to replace existing care – we're here to strengthen it," he said.
"Our team works seamlessly with GPs, psychologists, allied health professionals, psychiatrists, and community providers."
We Care Beyond is supported by Ask Sam, Oz Medicann Group's deep-tech generative AI clinical and patient virtual assistant. While The New Clinic is owned by Oz Medicann Group, it operates as an independently-run business unit.
"As part of their care, We Care Beyond patients have access to Ask Sam's patient medical assistant, providing instant access to their medications, prescriptions, medical history, appointments, and clinical team," Dr Banerjee said.
"Ask Sam's clinical virtual assistant allows me to spend more time with my patients, enabling me to deliver truly personalised, informed and responsive care," Napier added.
We Care Beyond is currently operating in Bendigo and Sydney, with further locations set to open in the near future.
Both in-person and telehealth consultations are available.
Contact no*****@**************om.au or Dr Banerjee (dr****@**************om.au) for more information.
