Respiratory (Program)Community
Useful Management Information
Eligibility for service:
- A confirmed diagnosis of COPD
- A confirmed Diagnosis of Bronchiectasis
- A confirmed diagnosis of ILD and is under the care of a Respiratory Physician
- A confirmed diagnosis of Pulmonary Hypertension and is under the care of a Respiratory / Cardiac Physician
Please provide the following investigations with the referral
- Full Pulmonary Function Test or Spirometry within the last 12 months
- ECG
- Chest XRray report
- Chest CT scan, if available
- Echocardiogram, if available
- FBC, E/LFT, (glucose, lipids if available) within the last 3 months
Are you referring to the right service?
- This service is for adults, 18 years and older who require Multidisciplinary Care and wish to learn self-management skills for their respiratory disease
- This service encourages patients to attend the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Education and Exercise program
- There is no Respiratory Physician in the community setting
- If the diagnosis has not been confirmed, please refer to the Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Specialist Respiratory Outpatients Department, Bookings and Referrals.
- If the referral is to request long-term oxygen therapy, please refer to the GCHHS oxygen clinic
- Oxygen therapy cannot be arranged in the community program
Minimum Referral Criteria
Category 1
(Contact within 1-2 working days)
- Hospital discharges following an acute exacerbation, where there is a high impact of respiratory symptoms and a high risk of readmission due to those symptoms
- Limited understanding / unable to manage their respiratory disease
- Complex co-morbidities/ psychosocial stressors / limited or no support at home
Category 2
(Contact within 3-5 working days)
- Hospital discharges following an acute exacerbation where there is a moderate to high impact of respiratory symptoms and risk of readmission due to those symptoms
- Limited self-management skills / medication non-compliance
- Limited support at home
Category 3
(Contact within 6-14 working days)
- Requiring guidance to effectively self-manage their respiratory symptoms
- Existing support at home
- Respiratory condition is impacting their ability to perform their ADLS
- New MASS home oxygen education for respiratory clients
Category 4
(Contact within 15-28 working days)
- Chronic/ stable respiratory disease requiring some MDT support
- Requiring a review of their respiratory self-management skills
- Aiming to attend the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program
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
Out of Scope Services
The following conditions are out of scope for this service:
- Asthma Management
- Long-term, ongoing support for patients
- The Respiratory Program does not participate in the GP Management Plan, Team Care Arrangement
Essential Referral Information
A confirmed Respiratory diagnosis of at least one of the following:
- COPD
- Bronchiectasis
- Interstitial Lung Disease and is under the care of a Respiratory Physician
- Pulmonary Hypertension and is under the care of a Respiratory / Cardiac Physician
- Full Pulmonary Function Test or Spirometry within the last 12 months.
- ECG within the past 12 months.
- Chest XRay report.
- Echocardiogram report (for clients with Pulmonary Hypertension), within the past 12 months.
- Chest CT scan (for clients with Bronchiectasis).
- FBC, E/LFT within the past 3 months.
- Do you have any concerns regarding the patient exercising?
Additional Referral Information
- Chest CT scan, if available
- Echocardiogram, if available
- Glucose, lipids if available within the last 3 months
- Allergies and Adverse Reactions
- Smoking status
- Social history
Out of Catchment
Gold Coast Health is responsible for providing public health services to the people who reside within its boundaries. Special consideration is made for patients requiring tertiary services or for services that are not provided by their local hospital and health service district. If your patient lives outside the Gold Coast Health catchment area and you wish to refer them to one of our services, please indicate relevant medical or social information that will assist with the processing of your referral.
Notes
Please note that where appropriate and where available, the referral may be streamed to an associated public allied health and/or nursing service. Access to some specific services may include initial assessment and management by associated allied health and/or nursing, which may either facilitate or negate the need to see the public medical specialist.
- A change in patient circumstance (such as condition deteriorating or becoming pregnant) may affect the urgency categorisation and should be communicated as soon as possible.
- Please indicate in the referral if the patient is unable to access mandatory tests or investigations as they incur a cost or are unavailable locally.
- If your patient consents to telehealth, please indicate in the body of the referral.
Patient Must Bring
- Medicare Card
- Current medication list
- Relevant X-rays, scans and reports
- Reading glasses
Send Referrals To
Smart Referrals
Preferred Method
About Smart Referrals
Secure Web Transfer
Send to: Gold Coast Health Service District
Internal Referrals
Not Available
Fax
Post
Booking and Referral Centre
Gold Coast University Hospital
1 Hospital Boulevard
Southport QLD 4215
Enquiries
Service Availability
Facilities
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.