Referrals to Gastroenterology and Ophthalmology services in SLHD Hospitals

NSW Health has introduced specific condition referral acceptance and exclusion criteria to some Public Outpatient services. Referrals to Gastroenterology and Ophthalmology services at Concord and Royal Prince Alfred Hospitals are now being triaged against the introduced criteria.

The State-wide Referral Criteria (SRC) provide referring clinicians with clearer expectations of clinical and referral requirements for specific conditions and improve the quality and appropriateness of referrals through set criteria and investigations. SRCs will minimise clinical variation with referral acceptance and triage practices across NSW Public services and reduce the number of patients waiting unnecessarily on outpatient waitlists.

Referrals for specified conditions

Referrals for specified conditions will be triaged against the relevant SRC and if accepted will be prioritised against three Categories:

• Category 1 (clinically recommended to be seen within 30 calendar days)
• Category 2 (clinically recommended to be seen within 90 calendar days)
• Category 3 (clinically recommended to be seen within 365 calendar days)

The implementation of state-wide referral criteria does not affect access to emergency care in NSW Public services. SRCs do provide guidance on conditions not routinely seen or are out of scope for NSW public services.

Referrals that do not meet the requirements of the specific state-wide referral criteria or are out of scope for the service will be acknowledged and returned to the referring doctor for further management.

To view the specific clinical requirements for referral, click on the relevant link below or see the HealthPathway Sydney website for more information. Conditions now being assessed using state-wide referral criteria are:

Gastroenterology (Adult patients 17 years or over)

• Cirrhosis (suspected or known)
• Concern for colorectal cancer (rectal bleeding or positive Faecal Occult Blood Test)
• Hepatocellular cancer (suspected or known) or liver lesion
• Inflammatory bowel disease or irritable bowel syndrome (suspected or known)
• Iron deficiency
• Liver dysfunction
• Upper gastrointestinal dysfunction

Ophthalmology (Adult patients 17 years or over)

• Age-related macular degeneration
• Cataracts
• Diabetic retinopathy
• Glaucoma

Paediatric patients (aged 0 to 16 years)

• Anisocoria (unequal pupil size)
• Cataracts
• Optic nerve head swelling
• Ptosis
• Reduced visual acuity
• Strabismus or ocular motility disorder

For further information on State-wide Referral Criteria please visit the NSW Health Outpatient services website