Outpatients
Outpatient services are provided by a range of healthcare professionals including medical, nursing and midwifery, and allied health staff.
Depending on your needs, you may see these healthcare professionals together or separately.
Learn about our outpatient clinics and services and how to manage your appointment.
Referrals and appointments
An outpatient appointment is made after your general practitioner (GP) or specialist refers you for treatment, or if you need further treatment after being discharged from hospital.
Information about your outpatient clinic appointment will be sent to you by letter. Most clinics also send an SMS reminder to your mobile phone in the week before your appointment.
Sometimes the hospital will contact you by phone. This is usually when your appointment is in less than 7 days.
Please do not attend your outpatient appointment if you have any of the following symptoms:
- flu or COVID-19 like symptoms e.g. fever, cough, or a sore throat
- sudden onset of vomiting and diarrhoea
- generalised unexplained rash.
You should visit your GP and reschedule your clinic appointment.
If your condition gets worse before your appointment
Please see your GP if your condition gets worse before your specialist appointment or in between appointments.
Your GP will be able to contact medical staff at the hospital for advice or can help you decide if you should go to the emergency department.
For paediatric patients, the primary caregiver (parent or legal guardian only) must attend the appointment.
Patients are also advised that wait times for outpatient appointments can vary.
Additional information is available for health professionals seeking more information about outpatient referrals at Peel Health Campus.
An outpatient appointment is made after your general practitioner (GP) or specialist refers you for treatment, or if you need further treatment after being discharged from hospital.
Information about your outpatient clinic appointment will be sent to you by letter. Most clinics also send an SMS reminder to your mobile phone in the week before your appointment.
Sometimes the hospital will contact you by phone. This is usually when your appointment is in less than 7 days.
If any of your contact details have changed (address, telephone number), please advise clinic staff or contact Peel Health Campus on 9531 8000 as soon as possible
It is important to keep your contact details up to date as the majority of appointment notifications are mailed to patients, SMS reminders may also be sent to your mobile telephone.
When an outpatient appointment has been arranged, it is recommended that patients bring:
- your outpatient letter – please hand this to the receptionist
- any relevant x-rays or laboratory results
- any aids you may require (spectacles, hearing aids etc)
- Medicare card/li>
- Healthcare card
- Repatriation benefits card
- immunisation records
- a list of any questions you want to ask the specialist.
For paediatric patients, the primary caregiver (parent or legal guardian only) must attend the appointment.
We ask you understand that wait times for outpatient appointments can vary.
Where practical, some outpatient appointments are now being delivered by telephone or video call rather than onsite within the hospital.
There are a range of benefits with virtual appointments including not having to travel to hospital and associated travel costs, however not all appointments are suitable to be done virtually. Your clinician will determine if it is appropriate, and you may have a combination of face-to-face and virtual appointments depending on your clinical condition.
Virtual appointments are those conducted by:
- telephone
- video call at home or with your GP
- Avaya
- telehealth at another WA Health site.
For telephone appointments
Your clinician will call you:
- between 8am and 12noon for a morning appointment, or
- between 1pm and 5pm for an afternoon appointment.
If you have a scheduled telephone appointment, you will receive a call from an unknown number. If you miss our call/s, contact the number on your appointment letter/SMS to reschedule.
For video appointments
You will receive a link via SMS (text message) or email before your appointment.
Click on that link 10 minutes before your appointment to join the clinic’s virtual waiting area.
If you would like to have your appointment virtually
Please:
- discuss with your GP or referring specialist
- discuss with your clinician during your appointment
- talk to your clinic clerk.