Hypertension
Adult

Nephrology

Useful Management Information

Minimum Referral Criteria

Does your patient meet the minimum referral criteria?
Category 1 (appointment within 30 calendar days)

All hypertension referrals would be triaged to General Medicine , unless the referral contains specific clinical indicators warranting sub-specialist review. Referrals may be allocated to Kidney Medicine, Cardiology, or Endocrinology where clearly justified by comorbidities, diagnostic complexity, or suspected secondary causes of hypertension.

  • If associated significant albuminuria or proteinuria and/or abnormal kidney function


Category 2 (appointment within 90 calendar days)
  • Suspected or confirmed renal artery stenosis
  • Hypertension if associated with CKD Stage 4 or 5
Category 3 (appointment within 365 calendar days)
  • If associated with stable CKD
  • Hypertension in patients <30 years where a renal cause is suspected (e.g., abnormal urinalysis, proteinuria, haematuria, or reduced eGFR), and blood pressure is controlled on current therapy

If your patient does not meet the minimum referral criteria

  • Assessment and management information may be found on a range of conditions at HealthPathways
  • If the patient does not meet the criteria for referral but the referring practitioner believes the patient requires specialist review, a clinical override may be requested:
    • Please explain why (e.g. warning signs or symptoms, clinical modifiers, uncertain about diagnosis, etc.)
  • Please note that your referral may not be accepted or may be redirected to another service

Essential Referral Information

  • Medical History & Clinical Background:
    • Detailed medical history emphasising any cardiac, kidney, or endocrine concerns.
    • History of blood pressure (BP) measurements (preferred both arms), including 24-hour or home measurements if available.
    • Current medication list, including over-the-counter (OTC) medications, and detailing all treatments tried, including efficacy.
  • Kidney Investigations:
    • Renin and aldosterone levels.
    • Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR).
    • Urinalysis results.
    • Urine midstream M/C/S (microscopy/culture/sensitivity) for infection, morphology, and casts.
      urine albumin:creatinine ratio
    • Renal artery assessment via kidney duplex report (if stenosis is suspected).
  • Imaging & Other Diagnostic Tests:
    • Chest X-ray report.
  • Laboratory Investigations:
    • Full Blood Count (FBC).
    • Electrolytes, Liver Function Tests (LFTs).

Additional Referral Information

  • History of smoking, alcohol intake and drug use (including recreational drugs)
  • Ethnicity highlighting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population especially at risk
  • Records and results of investigations pertinent to co-morbidities or tests excluding other secondary causes (e.g., sleep studies).
Last updated 7 October 2025

Send Referrals To

Smart Referrals

Preferred Method
About Smart Referrals

Secure Web Transfer

Gold Coast Health Service District

Internal Referrals

Nephrology qhRefer

Fax

(07) 5687 4497

Post

Booking and Referral Centre
Gold Coast University Hospital
1 Hospital Boulevard
Southport QLD 4215

Enquiries

1300 559 083

Related HealthPathways

No directly related pathways found

Service Availability

Dr Jagadeesh Kurtkoti
Medical Director Nephrology/Renal Medicine

Facilities

Gold Coast University Hospital

If you would like to send a named referral, please address it to the specialist listed above, who will allocate a suitably qualified specialist to see the patient. Alternatively, you can view a full list of our specialists.

Gold Coast Health - For Clinicians
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