The Victorian and Tasmanian Primary Health Network Alliance (VTPHNA) is working with the Victorian Government’s Department of Health to raise awareness of a new policy that outlines the department’s expectations regarding access to non-admitted specialist services.
Statewide Specialist Clinic Referral Criteria – Managing referrals to non-admitted specialist services policy: Communications pack 2023
- A news article
- A summary of the policy for GPs
- Key messages
- Short and long newsletter copy
- Social media tiles and copy
Background
Non-admitted hospital services are provided to public patients who do not undergo a formal admission process and do not occupy a hospital bed.
The Victorian public hospital and health service system provides millions of these appointments each year.
Improving equitable and timely access to non-admitted specialist services is essential to enable early advice on treatment options. The target audience for this policy is Victorian public health services, particularly their executive and management teams.
In January 2023, the Managing referrals to non-admitted specialist services in Victorian public health services policy was released by the Department of Health. It outlines the department’s expectations regarding access to non-admitted specialist services. It replaces the 2013 publication, Specialist clinics in Victorian public hospitals: access policy.
For more detail see:
Key messages
- The new policy provides GPs with clear expectations of management for non-admitted specialist services in Victorian hospitals.
- The new policy outlines how referrals to specialist clinics are managed by hospitals, and the expected timeframes and principles of when hospitals communicate to a referring GP.
- The new policy states that health services can request but can no longer insist on having a name on a referral. It is not a prerequisite, or a reason for rejecting a referral. A doctor can include the name of a specialist on the referral if it is known or published.
Social graphics
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