3. The Referral Management Centre aligns with the Sunshine
Coast Hospital & Health Service’s strategic objectives
Build relationships and work collaboratively across the health
care spectrum to improve patient outcomes
Promote quality initiatives and align with evidence based practice
Aim to consistently deliver a high standard within a rapidly
changing environment with patient centric approach and
4. 1. Receipt of Documents
• Secure Web Transfer
• Medical Objects
• Health Link
• Facsimile
• 5202 0555 (converted to email)
• Internal emails – unable to accept external emails, must be Queensland Health
email to Queensland Health email to meet Privacy Standards
All documents are trackable from point of receipt
GP Priority number – 5202 6633 *not for dissemination to patients
General enquiries – 5202 2222 *Ambulatory Care enquiries
Clinical Nurse leads for each ACC specialty
Adem Crosby Centre, Renal Unit, Diabetes Centre, Ophthalmology, Child and Adolescents
and Maternity – have alternate numbers
Activity
5. 2. Data Entry
• Administration Officers enter patient and referral details
• Demographic and Contact details
• Name of the Referring MO
• Document type – New, upgrade request, ongoing care,
correspondence
• Funding – Named referral, DVA, MVA etc
• Specialty to which it is referred
• These details are entered into 3 applications
• Smart Referrals – Workflow Solutions
• HBCIS – QH client registration
• ESM – New ieMR scheduling module
Activity
7. Identifying Features
• Certain Conditions – eg Early Pregnancy Assessment, Fractures
• Text includes – Urgent, Priority or Rapid Access
• Upload to the Priority queue
• Administration actions as per previous slide occurs within 6 hours
(occasionally may extend to within 24 hours if staff constraints)
• Priority referral then supersedes all non-priority documents for
Clinical Nurse Review and Medical Officer triage.
• Certain referrals will prompt a phone call or additional email to the
clinician responsible for progressing.
Priority Referrals
Referral Centre Actions
8. Triage
As per the state-wide standard for Outpatient Services
Referrals are categorised 1, 2 or 3 and waitlisted or offered an
appointment
Cat 1 – 30 days
Cat 2 – 90 days
Cat 3 – 365 days
Every endeavour is made to offer the patient a 1st appointment within
these timeframes, however demand and capacity may challenge this
in some specialties.
Auditing occurs if timeframes are exceeded.
Waitlisting of Referrals
9. An alternative specialty or discipline offer of appointment may occur.
The alternative may be offered due to
• scope of service,
• +/- opportunity for faster access to treatment, and
• in some instances non-operative treatment options.
Alternative Service
Procedural Appointments
1st &/or subsequent appointments may be procedural.
The Ambulatory Care Centre supports access and minimises need for
admission to hospital.
Theatre Bookings
Acceptance of the referral by the specialty and a consultation must occur
prior to booking a patient for an operation.
10. Our mutual goals are
• Our patient’s referral is accepted 1st time
everytime
• Our patients are seen within the category time frame
• Communications to the Patient and the pivotal carer, that
is the GP, is timely and comprehensive.