How to refer

• We accept GP and specialist referrals for all specialist clinics.
• Referrals are triaged based on clinical need.
• To ensure your referral is reviewed and triaged promptly, it needs to meet minimum referral requirements. 

We have developed referral guidelines for many of our specialist clinics. Referrals for the specialty areas that have referral guidelines in place will only be accepted at Western Health if they comply with the new guidelines.

Referrals with insufficient information to facilitate triage will be returned with a request for additional information. This may delay access to the service.

To refer a patient please complete a referral and fax to the relevant specialist clinic:

Women's Clinic (Maternity & Gynaecology)

Fax: (03) 9055 2125
Phone: (03) 8345 1727

Paediatric Specialist Clinics

Fax: (03)9055 2125
Phone: (03)8345 1727

Adult Specialist Clinics

Fax: (03) 8345 6856
Phone: (03) 8345 6490 

If your referral is urgent

1. Call switchboard (03) 8345 6666.
2. Ask for the registrar of the relevant unit.

For referrals to MBS (Medical Benefits Schedule) Clinics at Western Health, please address the referral to the relevant head of unit.

For referral guidelines for all Western Health Specialist Clinics, including head of unit details for MBS Clinics, visit:

• Referrals to Specialist Clinics

Currently Western Health can only accept referrals via mail or fax - fax is preferred. At this stage, Western Health cannot accept referrals via the outpatient email address as this is unsecure.

To assist with including all required information Western Health prefers that you use the following templates.

Referrals using a template from within your own practice system are also accepted providing that it includes all information required to triage.

Our specialist clinics are located across all sites including:

• Sunshine Hospital including Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s at Sunshine Hospital
• Footscray Hospital
• Bacchus Marsh Hospital
• Melton Hospital
• Sunbury Day Hospital.

You will be told of your clinic location after you get an appointment date.

Before a specialist clinics appointment is made for the patient, referrals received by specialist clinics go through several steps:

1. Quality assurance process - clerical
   A check by clerical staff that the referral contains the required clerical information.
2. Quality assurance process – clinical
   A check by nursing staff that the referral contains the required clinical information.

3. Triage – Registrar or Consultant
   The registrar or consultant will use the information you provide to triage the referral for urgency and determine the most appropriate clinic.

   Include as much information as possible so the patient is triaged to the most appropriate clinic in the most appropriate time frame.

   Referrals with insufficient information to facilitate triage will be returned with a request for additional information which may delay access to the service.

4. Waitlist /make appointment
   Depending on the triage category; Urgent or Routine the patient will either be allocated an appointment or placed on a waiting list.
5. Notification of appointment
   Patients will be notified by mail of their appointment, except in the case of Urgent appointments where the patient will be contacted by phone.

If your patient doesn't need their appointment anymore

GPs: contact Western Health if your patient no longer needs their appointment so appointment times can be given to others waiting.

GPs are kept informed of the outcome of their referral throughout the process at several stages:

• when the referral has been received in our specialist clinics
• when the referral has been triaged
• when the appointment has been booked
• once your patient is seen in an outpatient clinic: the consultant or registrar will write a progress letter to the referring GP.

Interpreting services are provided free of charge within the hospital. Please request an interpreter for the language required when the appointment is made.

GP Integration
Phone: (03) 8345 1735
Fax: (03) 8345 1180
Email: [email protected] 
or
Specialist clinics - on the numbers above

If your referral is urgent

Contact switchboard on (03) 8345 6666 and ask for the registrar of the relevant unit.