Specialist Outpatient appointments

A referral is required to access Specialist Outpatient Clinic services, and needs to include the presenting problem as well as the service or clinic being requested. Your General Practitioner, another specialist doctor or your Alfred Health doctor may refer you Appointments cannot be made without a referral.

Information for referring providers can be found here on our 'For GPs' page

If you have a mobile number, SMS confirmation that we have received your referral as soon as we enter it into our system. This is usually within 24-48 hours. If you do not have a mobile number you will receive this notification via post.

Your referral will then be reviewed by a doctor or nurse to determine how urgently care needs to be provided.  Depending on the clinical urgency of your medical condition we will then contact you to advise of an appointment time or that you have been placed on a waiting list for an appointment.

Alfred Health Specialist Outpatient Clinics are not an emergency medical service. If you require urgent medical care call 000, attend your closest emergency department or visit your GP. If your referring doctor feels you need an earlier appointment a new referral can be sent to us which will then be reviewed by our team and if it is deemed you require an earlier appointment, one will be provided to you.

You can choose how you would like to receive information regarding your appointment with Alfred Health. The options available are via e-mail, via SMS (text), or via postal mail. To advise of your preference, please email your Medical Record Number and your preference to outpatient@alfred.org.au, or phone 03 9076 2025 during business hours, Monday to Friday.

You should bring the following items with you for your appointment:

1. Your appointment letter. This can be on your phone or a hardcopy.
2. Your Medicare or DVA card and any valid concession cards
3. An up-to-date list of your medications, this can be an electronic list on your phone.
4. Any relevant tests or investigation results that you have had done in preparation for your appointment.

Yes. 3 business days prior to your appointment you will be sent an SMS reminder of your appointment. The message will confirm your appointment date and time, the clinic name and the way this will take place (either face to face, by telehealth (video conference), or by telephone).

If you do not have a mobile number listed, you will be contacted by phone (landline).

Yes. To reschedule your appointment please call the number at the bottom of your appointment letter. If you have lost your appointment letter please call 03 9076 2025 and our Specialist Clinics administration team will direct your query. Or you can submit your request on our Cancel or Change my Appointment online form

If you do not attend two consecutive appointments without notifying us you will be discharged from our service and require a new referral to be seen by our clinics.

Telehealth is being used increasingly across our health service to enable easier access to appointments for our patients. If you would prefer to have your appointments occur virtually please call the number at the bottom of your appointment letter to speak with your clinic about changing your appointment.

Please note that we often wish to see you in person for your first appointment and where your medical condition requires a physical examination by your clinician.

You can find details on how to get to each of our hospitals and maps of each of our hospitals here.

We endeavour to see you at your designated appointment time but delays can occur in clinic. You may also need to see more than one specialist, so please be prepared to stay two to three hours.

If you are able to manage your appointment alone, please do not bring anyone with you (as this helps to keep everyone as physically distanced as possible in our waiting areas). You are welcome to bring a single carer/support person if you require assistance with:

• Communication
• You have difficulty understanding medical information and instructions from your specialist
• You have behavioural or sensory needs
• You have support needs which requires an expert carer

It depends on the clinic and your care. Sometimes you’ll see the same specialist doctor, and other times you may see different doctors or other members of the clinical team.

Being discharged means you have been assessed as no longer needing to see the specialist doctor at the clinic. Your care will be managed by your General Practitioner, who will help with any ongoing health needs.

Your General Practitioner can refer you back to the Alfred Health Specialist Outpatients Clinic if you need specialist care again.

It’s important to have a GP for ongoing care. If you don’t have one, your discharge information will be sent to the doctor who referred you to the clinic.