Getting a referral

Getting a referral

Your GP or a specialist outside of Queensland health needs to send us a referral for you to be able to see one of our specialist services. Your referral needs to include relevant test results and information about your health. The information in your referral is very important. It helps us decide how soon you need an appointment.

You don’t need a referral to access:

• any emergency treatment
• urgent mental health care
• sexual health clinics
• dental care, provided you meet eligibility criteria

Waiting for an appointment

Most of our services have a waiting list. We’ll give your referral a ‘category’ depending on how soon you need an appointment. The recommended waiting time for appointments in each category are:

• category 1 – up to 30 days
• category 2 – up to 90 days
• category 3 – up to 365 days.

Sometimes our waiting times are longer than recommended because of the large number of people waiting for an appointment. You can check our latest wait times for specialist appointments.

While you wait

Please keep seeing your GP while you’re waiting for us to progress your referral. This is especially important if there are changes in your health.

Please call us on 1300 270 773 if:

• your contact details change
• you no longer need an appointment
• you have any questions.

If you’re unavailable for an appointment

We understand that there might be times when you can’t accept the appointment that we offer you. This might be because you’re unwell, on a planned holiday, or have work or other commitments. However, if you're unavailable for too long, we’ll need to review your case. This review will help us decide if you should stay on the waiting list.

The number of days you can be unavailable, before we review your case, depends on your urgency category:

• category 1 – up to 15 calendar days
• category 2 – up to 45 calendar days
• category 3 – up to 90 calendar days.

Please call us on 1300 270 773 if you can no longer attend an appointment that you have previously confirmed.

If you are not added to the waiting list

Sometimes we may not add you to the waiting list for an appointment. This can happen for one of these reasons:

• Your doctor didn’t give the right information for us to decide how soon you need an appointment. In this case, your doctor can send us a new referral with the information we need. This might mean your doctor asks you to have some extra tests.
• Your condition can be treated by your GP. In this case, we would send your GP some advice on how to care for you without the need for hospital appointments.
• We don’t offer the service at Sunshine Coast Health. In this case, we may forward your referral to another service who will contact you with the next steps.
• You were referred by one of our staff, but you need a referral from your GP instead. In this case, you will need to contact your medical practice for an appointment.
• You can access care from another hospital closer to where you live. In this case, we may forward your referral to that hospital who will contact you with the next steps.
• You no longer need an appointment because you were treated for your condition during your recent hospital visit.

We will let your doctor know why you weren’t added to the waiting list. You should talk to your doctor about your referral and the next steps for your care.

Medicare bulk billing

Medicare bulk billing helps our public hospitals provide more care to our communities. Bulk billing means Medicare funds are paid to Sunshine Coast Health for your appointment, but there are no out-of-pocket costs for you.

When you come to hospital for an appointment, you might be asked to sign a Medicare form. This is needed for the hospital to bulk bill Medicare for the services we provided to you.

You might need a new referral from your GP each year for Medicare bulk billing. If you’ve been referred by a specialist, you’ll need a new referral every 3 months.

Read more about Medicare bulk billing.

Treatment without Medicare

If you don’t have a Medicare number, you will need to pay for your treatment. A hospital appointment will usually cost more than $400. The total cost you need to pay can add up quickly, depending on the services you need. It’s important to ask about costs before you come to your first appointment.

Sometimes getting treatment in a private medical clinic can be cheaper than in a public hospital. It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor about your options before you’re referred.

Read more about health costs, insurance and financial support.