Paediatric Outpatient Clinic
We run a General Paediatric Outpatient clinic for patients with chronic illness or ongoing medical concerns. The clinic is led by a Paediatrician and patients are often also seen by one of the Paediatric Registrars. Please note that all our doctors are General Paediatricians, and we do not offer a specialised developmental service. We are unable to provide a multidisciplinary diagnostic assessment but can offer ongoing care to children with neurodevelopmental concerns.
| Head of Department | Dr Alys Swindlehurst | General Paediatrician |
| Staff Specialist | Dr Henry Gilbert | General Paediatrician |
| Staff Specialist | Dr James Tong | General Paediatrician |
| Staff Specialist | Dr Elizabeth Berger | General Paediatrician |
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday: 9.30 to 16.00
Wednesday: 9.30 to 12.30
Thursday: 9.30 to 16.00
Friday: 9.30 to 13.30
We see all children from 0 – 15 years old with non-acute medical conditions.
Exclusion Criteria:
We can only accept Priority Populations or vulnerable families to our clinic for a behavioural or developmental concern. Patients must also be under the age of 12 years and live within our catchment area within the Sutherland Shire.
The following patients are considered Priority Populations:
- Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
- Out of Home Care
- Refugee
- Health Care Card
- Suspected Abuse / Neglect
If you are a GP and feel a family is vulnerable, please contact us to discuss further. Please call 9540 7384 and ask to speak to the Staff Specialist Paediatrician on site.
The process for referring a patient is:
- GP/referrer to send through referral via fax to 9540 7545 or email.
- When the referral is approved, the referral must include:
- Must be addressed to a specific doctor (Dr Swindlehurst/ Gilbert/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.
- 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 doctor.
- Appointment made as per doctor’s recommendation.
- Patient notified by confirmation letter/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/ Gilbert/Tong/ Berger).
- The referral must include the below:
- Must be addressed to a specific doctor (Dr Swindlehurst/ Gilbert/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.
- Signed and dated by referring practitioner and include their Provider Number and place of practice.
- Include length of referral.
- Patient to have signed financial consent form.
Is there a waiting list?
Yes.
Waiting List Details
All referrals are prioritised and allocated according to criteria but for behavioural and developmental concerns where the referral is accepted, the wait is approximately 18 months to 2 years.
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 7378.