Referral Guidelines

Specialist Clinics Referral Guidelines

The Department of Health and Human Services has developed statewide referral criteria to assist GPs and clinicians referring patients to specialist clinics.

These referral criteria have been developed to improve access to specialist clinics in public hospitals by improving the quality and appropriateness of referrals.

Statewide referral criteria are now available for select conditions in the following 15 specialties:

• Cardiology
• Chronic pain (Health Independence Program services)
• Endocrinology
• ENT
• Gastroenterology (including endoscopic procedures)
• General Surgery (including breast surgery)
• Gynaecology
• Joint Pain
• Long COVID
• Neurology
• Obstetrics
• Ophthalmology
• Plastic Surgery
• Rheumatology
• Urology
• Vascular

Western Victoria HealthPathways

HealthPathways offers clinicians locally agreed information to make the right decisions together with patients, at the point of care, and provides guidance in patient assessment, management and referral.

Clinicians are encouraged to utilise HealthPathways when considering patient referral to Barwon Health Specialist Clinics.