Barwon Health provides a paediatric medicine service that provides assessment and management of infants, children and adolescents from birth to 18 years of age that have acute and chronic paediatric medical problems.
The service also provides assessment for children aged 0 to 18 years of age who have been identified as having delays in development, have behaviours that indicate possible Autism Spectrum Disorder, and/or challenging behaviours.
Other paediatric services
Barwon Health also provides community health and primary care services for infants, children and adolescents aged 0 to 18. This includes clinics for:
- Barwon Regional Adolescent and Child Health Shared-Care (BRANCHS)
- Child and Family Health Service
- Immigrant Health
- Indigenous Health
- Neonatal Complex Care
- Out of Home Care
- Victorian Paediatric Rehabilitation Service
Conditions seen
Barwon Health paediatric medicine clinics accept referrals for the following conditions:
- Cardiology (referrals from a paediatrician or via the Royal Children’s Hospital only)
- Development disabilities e.g., Global developmental delay, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Cerebral Palsy
- Dermatology
- Diabetes
- Eating disorders
- Endocrinology (referrals from a paediatrician or via the Royal Children’s Hospital only)
- Gastroenterology (referrals from a paediatrician or via the Royal Children’s Hospital only)
- General paediatric problems e.g., sleep issues, continence problems, behaviour and development problems
- Genetics
- Immunisation review
- Neurology (referrals from a paediatrician or via the Royal Children’s Hospital only)
- Respiratory (referrals from a paediatrician or via the Royal Children’s Hospital only)
- Oncology (referrals from a paediatrician or via the Royal Children’s Hospital only)
Some services are provided by visiting paediatric specialists.
Conditions not seen
Barwon Health paediatric clinics do not accept referrals for the following:
- Mental health conditions (please refer via Mental Health triage. Call on 1300 094 187)
- Allergic conditions such as anaphylaxis where skin prick testing and specialist paediatric allergist involvement is required (refer to RCH)
- Sleep studies (refer to Monash Medical Centre)
How do I access this service?
To be seen in these specialist clinics you need to be referred by your GP, another specialist doctor or your Barwon Health doctor. As noted above, some clinics only accept referrals from a paediatrician or via the Royal Children’s Hospital.
We are unable to see you in our clinics without a referral.
Appointment timeframe
All requests for specialist clinic appointments are scheduled according to the patient’s clinical need. Clinicians assess whether an appointment is urgent or routine, based on information provided in the referral.
Barwon Health aims to offer a first appointment within 30 days to all patients with urgent problems. Patients with routine (non-urgent) problems are offered appointments as they become available.
The estimated waiting time for routine (non-urgent) first appointments is listed below as a general guide. This waiting time is reviewed and updated regularly.
For Health Professionals
State-referral criteria may apply for conditions under this specialty requiring further assessment and management. Referring clinicians are encouraged to utilise Western Victoria Community HealthPathways for referral guidelines and requirements for all conditions.
For urgent referral advice, please contact the on-call paediatrician via Barwon Health switchboard on 03 4215 0000.
Complete the specialist clinics referral template and send via:
- ReferralNet
- Fax: 03 4215 1685
Referral templates for Barwon Health services are available for importing into Best Practice, Medical Director or ZedMed. Please see the Referral templates page for the most up-to-date forms.
If you do not use the above clinical software, please complete a referral letter on your practice/health service letterhead, ensuring all required referral information is included.
If you need to contact us regarding the templates, please contact the GP Liaison Unit on 03 4215 8845 or [email protected].
For patients who require reassessment, a new referral should be sent through. To facilitate earlier access, the new referral must contain the following information:
- State the referral is an update for a current patient
- Date of original referral
- Reason for requesting a review of referral (e.g. deterioration in clinical condition, pathology)
The referrer will be notified of the outcome of the re-triage process.
GPs or referring doctors wishing to discuss the triage of their patient’s referral, or who require additional information, please call Barwon Health Switchboard on 03 4215 0000 and request Non-urgent Paediatric advice. If the call cannot be answered, further instructions are provided via voicemail. If GPs still have concerns, please follow the procedures for requesting Urgent advice if this is required, or for Escalation/Reassessment if this is required.
Page last updated: January 14, 2026