Specialist Clinics

Referral information

  • Name of specialist clinic and/or name of clinician to whom the patient is being referred
  • Reason for requesting specialist assessment (for example, assessment only, assessment and management, assessment and share management with GP, diagnostic procedure, suitable for day surgery, second consultant opinion
  • Clinical information: presenting problem, past history, current medication, associated medical conditions that may affect the presenting condition or its treatment, findings of tests and examinations, GP diagnosis
  • Results of supporting diagnostic services undertaken
  • Other relevant information (such as family support)
  • Date of referral
  • Period for which the referral is valid

It is vitally important that relevant clinical information, including diagnostic test results are included with the referral to ensure appropriate clinical triage.

VSRF - a handy checklist

From 2010, Western Health will actively encourage GPs to use Victorian State-wide Referral Form (VSRF) to refer to Outpatients. The VRSF and the VSRF + is available to download from the GPV website click here. For information on the use of the VSRF please contact your local division of general practice or the Western Health GP Liaison Unit on 8345 1735.

Appointment notifications

Up to 30% of patients fail to attend their appointments. This contributes to a much longer wait for those patients who really need to be seen.

When a Specialist Clinic appointment is made a letter is sent to the patient. The auto fax system also sends notification of the appointment to GPs. Where possible,  it is important to remind patients of the importance of them attending their appointments as scheduled.

If a patient misses a scheduled appointment they may be referred back to you without being offered another appointment opportunity.

 Patients who are unable to attend their upcoming appointments should contact Outpatients as soon as possible to provide adequate notification and rescheduling if relevant. It is also important for patients who are waiting for an appointment to update Western Health if their address and/or contact telephone numbers change.

In considering our patient journey, referral management and treatment management guidelines, Western Health has referred to a 2009 Department of Health publication 'Victorian public hospital specialist clinics - Access guidelines'. The document is available here.

Have your say

We encourage feedback about your experiences and expectations. A GP satisfaction survey is available to download here. 

Jane Pickworth,
Director Outpatient Improvement

Whats new in 2011

Telephone Upgrade

In September 2010, Specialist Clinic access by GPs has been enhanced through the provision of a priority line. By pressing "1" on the menu your call goes to the top of the queue.

 MBS (Bulk Bill) Clinics

Western Heath Specialist Clinics offers MBS (Bulk Bill) Clinics. Referrals for these clinics must include specialist name/clinic name, GP provider number and patient Medicare number.

For a complete list of MBS (Bulk Bill) Clinics available at Western Health click here .

General Practitioner Update

Specialist Clinics Update

In recent months, Specialist (Adult) Clinics at Western Health have undergone many changes to promote efficiency, effectiveness, and consumer satisfaction. We understand that we must be proactive in the planning and implementation of improved and responsive systems in order to manage our growing demand.

Did you know?

  • In 2009/10, Western Health Specialist Clinics delivered over 150,000 occasions of service. It is anticipated this figure will continue to rise as the population and disease burden and of our catchment area grows.
  • General practitioners (GPs) represent around 50% of all referrals to our Specialist Clinics; with the remainder of patients referred post inpatient stay/surgery.
  • Over 200 referrals for Specialist Clinic consultation are received per day at Western Health.


Processing referrals

Incoming referrals to Western Health are reviewed at two stages. The first review is a quality check to ensure that adequate information about the patient has been included in the referral. If a referral does not meet the minimum quality checks to allow a referral to be triaged it will be returned to the referring GP for further information.

The referral then goes through a clinical triage assessment process. This triaging is done by a team of clinicians including senior nursing, medical and allied health staff.

The following information should be included in referrals to Western Health Outpatients :

Patient demographics

  • Patient demographic information and contact details including up-to-date address and daytime contact number. A mobile number is required to be provided where available.
  • Medicare number, DVA number if applicable
  • Whether the patient has been seen previously by the hospital, or referral for the same condition
  • Need for an interpreter
  • Other special needs

Information about the GP/referrer

  • Referring practitioner's name, address and contact information\
  • Name of regular GP (if different from referring GP)
  • Referrers signature
  • Referrers provider number