Referral to emergency

If any of the following are present or suspected, please refer the patient to the emergency department (via ambulance if necessary) or seek emergent medical advice if in a remote region.

  • nil

For clinical advice, please telephone the relevant specialty service.

Palliative care support line

If you require urgent advice or are unsure of the specialist palliative care service required, please ring the statewide 24/7 palliative care support line on 1300 673 122.

An operator will direct you to the relevant Palliative Care Consultant for advice based on your patient’s location.

Central Adelaide Local Health Network

  • Central Adelaide Palliative Care (08) 8222 6825, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm 7 days a week
    • after hours call The Queen Elizabeth Hospital switchboard (08) 8222 6000

Northern Adelaide Local Health Network 

Southern Adelaide Local Health Network

Regional Health Networks

Not all country areas have a dedicated palliative care team.  If you require urgent advice or are unsure of the specialist palliative care service required, please ring the statewide 24/7 palliative care support line on 1300 673 122.

Inclusions

palliative care wherein

  • patient has a progressive, life-limiting illness – this includes cancer as well as advanced chronic disease (e.g. advanced lung disease)
  • patient or decision makers are aware of, understand and have agreed to palliative care referral
  • primary goals of patient care are to control symptoms, maximise function, maintain quality of life and improve comfort

Exclusions

  • chronic pain not associated with a progressive, life-limiting illness – refer to pain management CPC
  • chronic disease (unless end-stage)
  • referrals exclusively related to voluntary assisted dying (VAD), to discuss voluntary assisted dying or be connected with a doctor who can support you through the process

Triage categories

Category 1 (appointment clinically indicated within 30 days)

  • terminal care (patient is in the last few weeks of life), these referrals will be reviewed as a matter of high priority
  • symptoms and/or concerns that would benefit from specialist palliative care service input
    • difficulty sleeping
    • breathing problems
    • appetite problems
    • fatigue
    • nausea
    • pain
    • bowel problems
    • any other
  • psychosocial concerns, patient or carer
    • counselling
    • advanced care directive planning
    • referral to other appropriate services

All patients/their families will be contacted within two weeks of referral receipt, or within 24 hours of referral receipt if urgent. Please phone regarding urgent cases.

Category 2 (appointment clinically indicated within 90 days)

  • nil

Category 3 (appointment clinically indicated within 365 days)

  • nil

Essential referral information

Completion required before first appointment to ensure patients are ready for care. Please indicate in the referral if the patient is unable to access mandatory tests or investigations as they incur a cost or are unavailable locally.

  • medical information
    • palliative diagnosis, including date of diagnosis
    • reason for referral
    • past medical history, comorbidities and allergies
    • current medications
    • medical correspondence
    • relevant radiology and pathology results
  • social information
    • safety concerns, including cytotoxic precautions, any known risks that could impact safety in the context of community visits, infectious conditions
    • best way to communicate with referrer, and if email include email/fax etc.

Additional information to assist triage categorisation

  • advanced care directive, 7-step pathway
  • relevant specialist involved in care, pathology provider, radiology provider
  • guardianship orders

Clinical management advice

Palliative Care outpatient services provide care for both ambulatory patients, as well as patients in the home (i.e. home visits). The most appropriate option will be determined collaboratively by the patient and palliative care team.

Optimal management of patients should be co-shared between the patient's primary care provider and the relevant palliative care service.

If the symptom issues appear to be related to primary oncology treatment (for example, febrile neutropenia), urgent advice should be sought from the treating team.

Clinical resources

Consumer resources

Reason for request

  • to establish a diagnosis
  • for treatment or intervention
  • for advice and management
  • for specialist to take over management
  • for a specified test/investigation the General Practitioner cannot order
  • for other reason (e.g. rapidly accelerating disease progression)
  • transfer of care from another tertiary service
  • clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary.

Patient demographic details

  • full name, including aliases
  • date of birth
  • residential and postal address
  • telephone contact number/s – home, mobile and alternative
  • Medicare number, where eligible
  • name of the parent or caregiver, if appropriate
  • preferred language and interpreter requirements
  • identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

Clinical modifiers

  • impact on employment
  • impact on education
  • impact on home
  • impact on activities of daily living
  • impact on ability to care for others
  • impact on personal frailty or safety
  • identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

Other relevant information

  • Willingness to have surgery, where surgery is a likely intervention.
  • Choice to be treated as a public or private patient.
  • Compensable status, e.g. DVA, Work Cover, Motor Vehicle Insurance, etc.
  • Relevant social history, including identifying if you feel your patient is from a vulnerable population, under guardianship/out-of-home care arrangements and/or requires a third party to receive correspondence on their behalf.
  • Triage of a specialist outpatient referral is based on clinical decision making to allocate an appropriate urgency categorisation.
  • Where appropriate and where available, the referral may be streamed to an associated public allied health and/or nursing service. Access to some specific services may include initial assessment and management by associated public allied health and/or nursing, which may either facilitate or negate the need to see the public medical specialist.
  • A change in patient circumstance (such as condition deteriorating or pregnancy) may affect the urgency categorisation and should be communicated as soon as possible.
  • All new referrals will be triaged by a consultant and appointment times scheduled according to clinical urgency.