Referrals

If any of the following are present or suspected, phone 000 to arrange immediate transfer to the Emergency Department or seek emergent advice if in a remote area.

  • Current symptoms of anaphylaxis
  • Airway compromising angioedema

To arrange an urgent review or advice, please phone the RPH switchboard on 9224 2244 and ask to speak with the on-call registrar for Clinical Immunology.

After verbal clinical handover and agreement with the registrar that the patient requires an appointment with RPH within 7 days please email the patient’s referral to:

RPH, Central Referral Receipting RPH.OutpatientReferrals@health.wa.gov.au

Ensure the referral is:

  • marked IMMEDIATE
  • the name of the registrar or consultant spoken with is written on the referral.
  • all essential referral information, investigations, clinical photos are included.

IMMEDIATE (Appointment within 7 days):

Presenting Issue

Details

Autoimmune disorders
  • Active autoimmune disease with rapidly progressive end-organ damage
  • Vasculitis with evidence of rapidly progressive end-organ damage

HIV
  • New HIV infection diagnosis

 

 

Clinical Immunology manages the following conditions. Referrals are triaged based on clinical priority following these guidelines Immunology Referral Access Criteria

In-scope Clinical Immunology conditions:

 

If a specific test result is unable to be obtained due to access, financial, religious, cultural or consent reasons a Clinical Override may be requested. This reason must be clearly articulated in the referral.

 

Minimum Standard Referral is included in the standard referral template Referral-form-templates and is available Minimum-standards-for-outpatient-referrals-Central-Referral-Service

Please ensure patient email and mobile phone numbers are included to facilitate patient contact.

Patients can be flagged for Video or Telephone consultations at referral, triage, or follow-up.

Named referrals for Clinical Immunology will be allocated a suitably qualified specialist to see the patient, noting these referrals are booked based on first on, first off principles from the outpatient waitlist.

Please note that where appropriate and where available, Clinical Immunology referrals may be streamed to an associated public allied health and/or nursing service.  Access to some specific services may include initial assessment and management by associated public allied health and/or nursing, which may either facilitate or negate the need to see the public medical specialist.

The following are not routinely provided in a public Immunology service.

Rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory arthritis syndromes

  • Refer to rheumatology.
  • See HealthPathways: Arthritis (external site)
  • Joint hypermobility syndromes
    •  Refer to relevant specialty whose symptoms predominate (i.e., pain specialist/orthopaedics/gastroenterology/vascular surgery, depending on symptoms)
  • Organ-specific autoimmune conditions
    • Refer to relevant organ-based specialities e.g., type 1 diabetes mellitus, consider referral to endocrinology.
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Suspected food intolerance
  • Eosinophilic oesophagitis
  • Post COVID Syndrome
    • With persistent pulmonary symptoms. Refer to respiratory.
    • With non-pulmonary symptoms. Refer to the most relevant specialty based on assessment.
  • Complex peri-anaesthetic adverse reaction

 

 

EMHS is responsible for providing public health services to the people who reside within its boundaries. 

The emhs-catchment-map.pdf (health.wa.gov.au) outlines the suburb catchment areas for East Metropolitan Health Service (EMHS). The country areas that flow to EMHS are Kimberley, Pilbara and Wheatbelt.

Referral to a hospital for assessment and/or treatment is based around multiple criteria. These include:

  • Place of residence – most hospitals have catchments to help service people closer to home. For country patients, the residence of family with whom they will reside whilst attending appointments can be taken into consideration.
  • Age – RPH is an Adult Hospital, children are only treated by some hospitals.
  • Hospital location of specialty services – some conditions need designated specialist services that are not available at all hospitals.

Please use this information to guide referrals to the hospital servicing your patient's residence and inform your patients of these criteria when you are referring them for public hospital services via the Central Referral Service (CRS).

Last Updated: 19/08/2024