Outpatients
Managing outpatient appointments during COVID-19
South Metropolitan Health Service (SMHS) continues to review how to manage its readiness and response to the rapidly changing COVID-19 situation.
To maximise patient and staff safety, the way we deliver outpatient care has changed.
Where clinically appropriate, outpatient appointments are being provided virtually via telephone or video call. Read more below in 'Virtual outpatient appointments'.
Depending on your clinical condition, you may have a combination of in-person and virtual appointments. The hospital will contact you to advise of any change to your appointment
The location section of your appointment letter details whether your appointment will be virtual or in person at the hospital. If the appointment location listed is an outpatient clinic, you need to attend the hospital for your appointment.
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.
Use the Manage My Care app
The Manage My Care app gives you and those you care for more access to outpatient appointment and referral information than ever before at a number of metropolitan hospitals including Fiona Stanley Hospital.
Key features of Manage My Care include:
- easily see your outpatient appointments and referrals 24/7
- update your contact details (e.g. address and phone numbers)
- request to reschedule, confirm or cancel upcoming outpatient appointments for select specialties
- access information about your appointment and hospital visit.
Find out how to create a Manage my Care account (Healthy WA).
If you can't use the Manage My Care app
Change an appointment
If you are unable to attend your outpatient appointment, follow the directions outlined in your appointment letter or contact Outpatient Direct (Healthy WA) on 1300 855 275 as soon as possible
If you can’t make your appointment
If you can’t make it to your scheduled appointment for whatever reason, it’s important to let us know as soon as possible.
The hospital misses out on funding for every missed appointment. It also means other people have to wait longer for an appointment
To let us know you can’t make it to your appointment, you can call either:
- Outpatient Direct on 1300 855 275, or
- number in your appointment letter or SMS.
Update your contact details
If any of your contact details have changed (address, telephone number), please advise clinic staff or Outpatient Direct (Healthy WA) on 1300 855 275 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.
Update your contact details
Let us know if any of your contact details have changed (address, telephone number) to make sure you receive our communications by:
- advising clinic staff when you are here
- phoning Outpatient Direct (Healthy WA) on 1300 855 275.
Outpatient services available at Rockingham General Hospital include:
- anaesthetics: pain management and pre-operative
- colposcopy
- continence clinic
- diabetes: clinical psychology, dietitian and nurse educator
- dietetics
- endocrinology and diabetes
- gastroenterology
- general medicine
- general surgery
- gynaecology
- haematology
- infectious diseases
- maternity: obstetrics and antenatal
- mental health: clinical psychiatry, psychiatric liaison, Rockingham Kwinana Adult Mental Health Service, Peel and Rockingham Kwinana Older Adult Mental Health Service, Peel Adult Mental Health Service
- neurology (general)
- occupational therapy
- oncology
- orthopaedics and fracture
- paediatrics
- paediatric psychiatry (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services)
- palliative care
- physiotherapy
- podiatry
- renal medicine
- respiratory medicine
- social work
- speech pathology
- stroke, falls, memory and Parkinsons clinics
- urology.
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 eg. 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 RGH.
Reminders are sent in the form of a text message to patients who have provided a mobile telephone number for all clinics with the exception of:
- Pre-admission
- Anaesthetic/Pain management
- Geriatric clinics including Stroke, Parkinsons, Falls and Memory
- Hospital in the Home (HITH)
- Social work
- Palliative care.
When an outpatient appointment has been arranged, it is recommended that patients bring:
- Medicare card or health care card
- a list of current medications (including creams, eye drops and over the counter medications)
- any relevant x-rays.
Patients are also advised that wait times for outpatient appointments can vary.