Childrens Acute Review Service (CARS Clinic)

• Monday: 11.00 to 15.00
• Tuesday: 11.00 to 15.00
• Wednesday: 11.00 to 15.00
• Thursday: 11.00 to 15.00
• Friday: 12.30 to 15.00

Children requiring medical reviews for acute conditions. We see all children from 0 – 15 years.

Exclusion Criteria: 

• Medical speciality conditions. For example, Orthopaedic. 
• Any patients requiring emergency treatment. 
• Children 16 years and over.

The process for referring a patient is: 

• Acute referrals only.
• GP/referrer must call the CARS Clinical Nurse Consultant first on 9540 8484 within office hours or the Paediatric Registrar on call through the switch board on 9540 7111 to discuss the referral. Do not fax a referral until after discussion with CARS staff.
• When the referral is approved, the referral must include:
  • Must be addressed to a specific doctor (Dr Swindlehurst/ Tong/ Berger).
  • has the patient’s date of birth.
  • has current mobile phone and address.
  • has your provider number, date and signature.
  • full details of the patient’s condition, investigations, results, etc.
  • has patient’s Medicare card no.
• GP/referrer to send through referral via fax or email. Details above. 
• The referral will be checked to ensure it is valid, if not extra information will be sourced from the referrer. 
• If valid, the referral will be triaged by clinic Clinical Nurse Consultant or Paediatrician.
• Appointment made as per doctor’s recommendation.
• Patient notified by confirmation phone call.

A valid referral requires:

• Written by a medical practitioner in a private practice or an SMO (Senior Medical Officer).
• Must be addressed to a specific doctor (Dr Swindlehurst/ Tong/ Berger).
• The referral must include the below:
  • Must be addressed to a specific doctor (Dr Swindlehurst/ Tong/ Berger).
  • has the patient’s date of birth.
  • has current mobile phone and address.
  • has patient’s Medicare card no.
  • has your provider number, date and signature.
  • full details of the patient’s condition, investigations, results, etc.
• Signed and dated by referring practitioner and include their Provider Number and place of practice.
• Include length of referral.

Is there a waiting list?

N/A.

Waiting List Details

All referrals are prioritised and allocated according to criteria.

If you hold a valid Medicare card, the visit is Bulk Billed with no gap payment.

If you do not hold a Medicare card, please contact the clinic for further information on fees and payment.

Please let us know if you need an interpreter. You can contact us by telephoning the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) on 131 450. Tell the operator what language you speak, and then ask the interpreter to set up a telephone conversation between you, an interpreter, and us on 9540 8484.