Spinal Injuries Outpatient Clinics - Information for Health Professionals

Our clinics are located at the Department of Spinal and Rehabilitation Medicine, Level 2, High St building, Prince of Wales Hospital (Building 2 on our campus map). 

Information about how to get to our Randwick campus

Clinic	What we do	Clinic days	Clinic times
Spinal outpatient clinic	Medical review	Mondays	9.30am-12.30pm
Spasticity clinic	Spinal Medical Specialist, Physiotherapist and Occupational Therapist	Thursdays	1.30-3.30pm
Liaison psychiatry spinal clinic	Mental health review	First and third Monday of the month	10.00am-1.00pm
Seating Clinic	Seating Clinic is a joint service between Occupational Therapy & Rehabilitation Engineering. We work with people who are reliant on a wheelchair to determine the most appropriate wheelchair, cushion and backrest for their needs. We provide advice regarding pressure injury management (in relation to wheelchairs and shower commodes) as well as managing postural changes that arise. To access the Seating Clinic, you must be under the care of a POWH clinician. Contact details: SESLHD-RehabEng@health.nsw.gov.au	Mon - Fri	By appointment

Full Name	Position Title and/or Subspecialty
Dr Sachin Shetty	Head of Department – Spinal Physician
Dr Stella Engel	Spinal Physician – Spinal Multidisciplinary Clinic
Dr Monica Ling	Spinal Physician – Spasticity Clinic
Dr Pooja Arora	Spinal Physician
Dr Bonne Lee	Spinal Physician - Spinal Pressure Care Clinic
Dr Alison Bautovich	Psychiatrist - Liaison Psychiatry Spinal Clinic

Our team also includes: 

• Medical staff
• Nursing staff
• Physiotherapists
• Occupational therapists
• Dietitian
• Speech Therapists
• Social workers
• Psychologist
• Orthotists

We accept all patients with spinal cord injuries following an inpatient admission, or with a referral for treatment and management from a GP or specialist. 

Prince of Wales Hospital Outpatient Department is using electronic referrals. eReferrals are electronic SmartForms that can be sent directly to the hospital facility from your practice system or the MyHealthLink Portal. An eReferral is an electronic document that can be sent securely, replacing other methods such as faxing or posting paper referrals. The above solutions enable referrals to be sent, received, and managed electronically. Referrers and patients will also receive notification of referral outcomes.

If your patient is eligible for treatment, please read this information on how to submit your referral.

Private referrals (bulk-billed through Medicare)

All patients have the right to choose to be treated as a public or private patient for outpatient attendances. If your patient chooses to be treated privately and bulk-billed through Medicare, your referral must meet the following criteria:

• You must address the referral to one Consultant from our Specialist team, not the hospital, clinic, outpatient department or JMO
• You must sign and date the referral, and include your provider number and practice address
• You must state the period of referral in months, or refer “indefinitely”
• You must provide this referral on or prior to the appointment date.

Please note that it is inappropriate for our administration team to recommend a Consultant for your patient. We have listed the names and specialties of our Consultants above to help you decide on the most appropriate practitioner. 

Urgent referrals 

If your patient needs to be seen urgently, please phone our Department on (02) 9382 8496.

Who will contact your patient to schedule an appointment?

Once the eReferral has been received and accepted a notification will be sent to the referrer and patient. Appointment details will be provided via letter to the patient and GP. Patients will receive an SMS reminder 3 days before their appointment. If an appointment cannot be made, we will send patients a letter confirming that they are on the outpatient waiting list for the next available appointment.

Who can you contact to follow up on a referral? 

You may contact the Department of Spinal and Rehabilitation Medicine on (02) 9382 8496 to follow up on a referral.

What is the process if a patient misses or cancels their appointment?

If your patient needs to change or cancel their appointment they should phone (02) 9382 8496. If your patient cancels their appointment, we will contact your patient to reschedule their appointment.

We are a Medicare service. You must provide a referral that is addressed to one of our Specialist team if your patient wishes to be bulk-billed.