Our Team

Dr Nicola Kettleton-Butler is a highly-regarded local GP who has been practicing on the Sunshine Coast for a number of years. As our Practice Principal and co-founder of Saltwater Medical, Nicola is an Australian-trained GP who graduated from the University of Queensland in 2008 with a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery. She went on to complete her specialist GP training and was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) in 2014. Nicola has a special interest in children’s, women’s and senior’s health and is well known for her caring nature and her thorough approach to patient care. Nicola also enjoys a range of general practice procedural work, including iron infusions and Implanon and Mirena insertions. Nicola is a keen sports fan (especially tennis, golf and rugby) and enjoys camping, fishing and the coastal lifestyle.

Dr Nicola consults Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. She is not taking new patients at this time.

Jen is the Practice Director and co-owner of Saltwater Medical. She brings a wealth of business and leadership experience to Saltwater Medical and plays a significant role behind the scenes in developing our unique practice model and bringing the vision to life. Prior to starting Saltwater Medical, Jen enjoyed a fast-paced career in senior marketing and communication roles in Brisbane where she honed her business and leadership skills. Jen is a people-person who believes in the power of teamwork, respect, and collaboration to achieve amazing results. As a fourth generation descendant of the local Clarke fishing family, she also has strong ties to the Caloundra community which go back more than 100 years. She loves Caloundra and is also a passionate ocean woman and surfer who can be found out in the local lineups whenever she gets the chance.

Dr Rick Allen is a relatively new arrival to the Sunshine Coast, migrating here at the beginning of 2020 following 17 years of service with the RAAF. Rick is an Australian-trained consultant GP who graduated from the University of Queensland in 2013 with a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery. He went on to complete his specialist GP training and was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) in 2018. Rick has a special interest in aviation medicine, women’s and men’s health, sports medicine as well as sexual health and family planning. Rick also enjoys a range of general practice procedural work, including iron infusions and Aviation Medicals. He takes great pride in spending quality time with his patients to achieve exceptional collaborative care. Rick enjoys time with his wife and three kids in the pool or down the beach. He is a cricket and AFL fan and loves movies and music.

Rick consults Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and is currently taking new patients.

Dr Katie Machin is an experienced consultant GP who has recently moved to the Sunshine Coast with her young family. After growing up in South-East Queensland and studying Speech Pathology she moved to Alice Springs and spent the next decade working and living in Central Desert Aboriginal communities. This led her to study Medicine, graduating in 2015 with a Doctor of Medicine from Flinders University, where she went on to obtain her specialist GP fellowship (RACGP) in 2021. Since then, she has travelled and worked around Australia before settling on the Sunshine Coast to be near family. Dr Katie is a thorough and caring GP with a passion for Indigenous Health, Women’s Health, and Sexual Health, though enjoys all aspects of General Practice. She offers Implanon insertion/removal, IUD removal, simple skin excisions, iron infusions, antenatal care, PrEP prescribing, and medical terminations. Katie’s weekends are spent hiking, cycling, cooking, or camping.

Dr Katie is looking forward to taking new patients and will be consulting Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Dr Kerry Whannel is a highly experienced doctor who has recently moved to the Sunshine Coast. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 2000 with a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery. Kerry practiced in the UK for 11 years across various surgical disciplines with a special interest in breast cancer and familial breast disease before immigrating to Australia. Since then, she has worked in Australian Emergency Departments, and went on to complete her specialist GP training, while also maintaining her breast disease practice in the Australian hospital system. Kerry was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) in 2019. Kerry is a broadly skilled and experienced doctor, with a particular interest in breast disease, adolescent health, and antenatal care. She also has an interest in palliative care, men’s health and wellbeing, and has advanced procedural and surgical skills (lumps, lipomata, cysts, wedge resection/toenail avulsion). Dr Kerry has a warm and thorough approach to patient care and enjoys the variety of general practice and her role as a patient advocate. Outside of medicine Kerry enjoys spending time with her three teens, exploring our glorious region, and adventuring with her beautiful dog.

Dr Kerry consults Tuesdays and Wednesdays and is currently taking new patients.

Dr Nova is a warm, kind, and widely experienced Australian-trained consultant General Practitioner. She graduated from UQ in 2004 with a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery and went on to work as a Rural Generalist, where she developed skills in anaesthetics and pain medicine. She spent several years in the South Burnett region where she attained her followships in 2013 with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine. Dr Nova has a thorough approach and is committed to delivering high-quality, patient-centred care. She prides herself on being an excellent listener and communicator and takes time to understand your concerns. Dr Nova’s interests include mental health, child and adolescent health, men’s health, antenatal care, and palliative care. Nova loves spending time with her 4 children playing cards and board games, as well as reading a book at the beach.

Dr Nova consults Monday, Thursday and Friday and is currently welcoming new patients.

Dr Lucy has recently joined Saltwater Medical after practicing in the local area since 2018 when she moved to Australia with her husband and family. She is a UK-trained specialist GP who graduated from the University of Leeds with her MBChB (Hons) in 2006. She was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) in 2018. Before she came to medicine, Dr Lucy also completed a degree in Pharmacology.

Dr Lucy is a kind and thorough GP with a broad skillset and interests which include womens’ health, sexual health and seniors medicine. She also performs a range of procedures including Mirena and Implanon insertions/removals, minor skin excisions and iron infusions. Outside of medicine Dr Lucy enjoys spending time with her family camping and bushwalking.

Dr Lucy consults Monday, Thursday, and Friday and is enjoying welcoming new patients.

Dr Deborah is a highly experienced doctor who has been practicing on the Sunshine Coast for a number of years. She is an Australian-trained, specialist GP who graduated from Sydney University in 2004 and who completed her consultant Fellowship in General Practice in 2010. As a passionate GP, she is dedicated to constantly updating her skills and knowledge. During her many years practicing on the Coast, Dr Deborah has gained an excellent reputation for providing dedicated, down-to-earth and compassionate care to her patients. She joined Saltwater Medical because of our laser-like focus on providing kind, generous care and service to our patients, as well as our genuine commitment to teamwork – an ethos which she shares. Dr Deborah enjoys women’s health and complex paediatrics and is also able to provide a range of procedures including iron infusions, Implanon and Mirena insertions/removals, skin checks and excisions. When she’s not practicing medicine, Dr Deborah enjoys spending time with her family, reading and beach adventures.

Dr Deborah consults Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. She is not taking new patients at this time, except for family members of her existing patients.