Stomal therapy is a specialised area of nursing that focuses on the care and support of individuals who have a stoma, which is a surgically created opening on the body’s surface. Stomal therapy nurses provide guidance and assistance to patients and their families before and after surgery, helping them adjust to life with a stoma.

Conditions seen

Barwon Health offers a Stomal Therapy service for the following conditions:

  • Stoma formation after bowel surgery for:
    • Cancer of the bowel or bladder
    • Inflammatory bowel conditions
    • The protection of a join in the bowel (anastomosis)
    • Chronic bowel conditions that do not respond to medical treatment.
  • PEG (Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy) management.
  • Fistula management (for conditions originating from the digestive system).

Conditions not seen

Barwon Health Stomal Therapy does not accept referrals for the following conditions:

  • Wound/fistula management that does not stem from the digestive system.
  • Continence issues.

How do I access this service

To be seen in the Stomal Therapy specialist clinic you need to be referred by your GP, another specialist doctor or your Barwon Health doctor.

We are unable to see you in our clinics without a referral.

Wait time

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 see all ‘urgent’ referrals within 30 days. Our wait times for patients who are categorised as ‘routine’ are more variable, depending on the demand for our services.

Speciality
Projected wait time

No Wait times to show

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 Stomal Therapy Clinical Nurse Consultant via Barwon Health switchboard on 03 4215 0000.

Complete the Surgical Outpatients referral template and send via:

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 ring the GP hotline on 03 4215 1398.

Page last updated: August 26, 2025