Social Work (Program)Community
Useful Management Information
- Our service is time limited (maximum 12 weeks)
- If you are aware your client will need ongoing support, please consider other service providers
Before referring your patient, consider whether your patient may be:
- Eligible for Social Work services within an NDIS package of care
- Eligible for Social Work services within a My Aged Care, level 3 or 4 Home Care Package
- Eligible for a Team Care Arrangement to see a Private Social Worker
- More appropriate for Complex Care, MAPS or TCP
- More suited to Outpatient or other community Social Work services within the Gold Coast Hospital Health Service, e.g., Palliative Care
Exclusion Criteria:
- If patients have not exhausted their Team Care arrangements they are not eligible
- Patients under 18 years of age are not eligible
- Patients located outside the Gold Coast Health District are not eligible
- Completion of NDIS and QCAT applications
- Patients residing in an RACF are not eligible
- Patients accessing NDIS are not eligible
- Patients accessing a level 3 or 4 Home Care Package through My Aged Care are not eligible
- Referrals for ongoing care for a chronic condition are not eligible
- Referrals for pre or post operative domestic/personal care services
- WorkCover patients and Gold card holders are not eligible
- Patients requiring completion/filling out of paperwork
- Patients who are experiencing acute homelessness
- Patients who are experiencing financial hardship that is urgent in nature
- Patients with no decision making capacity
Are you referring to the right service?
- Psycho-social adjustment issues – counselling for new or changed diagnosis/prognosis
- Depression, Panic Attacks
- Complicated loss/grief associated with changed health conditions
- Bereavement following death of significant other and preparatory/anticipatory grief for life limiting illness
- Adjustment to health - counselling for chronic health conditions
- Social Isolation impacting health status
- Brief therapeutic interventions for Mild/Moderate Anxiety, Complex stress, Carer stress and carer support
- Mindfulness for Mood Enhancement program (M4ME)
Minimum Referral Criteria
Category 2
(Contact within 3-5 working days)
- Psycho-social adjustment issues - counselling for new or changed diagnosis/prognosis.
- Past and Recent Trauma - impact on current health re: anxiety, depression, panic attacks etc.
- Complicated loss/grief associated with changed health conditions
- Bereavement following death of significant other and preparatory/anticipatory grief for life limiting illness
- Complex social circumstances where short term Social Work intervention will assist with hospital avoidance and where an achievable (not appropriate for homeless patients nor patients who do not have decision-making capacity), resolution is possible
Category 3
(Contact within 6-14 working days)
- Psycho-social adjustment to chronic health condition.
- Adjustment to health - counselling for chronic health conditions.
- Brief therapeutic interventions for: Mild/Moderate Depression.
- Brief therapeutic interventions for Mild/Moderate Anxiety.
- Complex stress.
- Carer stress and carer support.
- Social Isolation impacting health status.
- Complex family dynamics eg. carer relationship breakdown (not DFV situations).
- Cognitive decline and Capacity Issues- Assessments and diagnosis have been completed and recommendations have been made for social work assistance in key areas to assist the client to manage identified deficits and difficulty on a short-term basis.
- Future Care Planning counselling only (on completion to be referred to CNC ACP).
Category 4
(Contact within 15-28 working days)
- Mindfulness for Mood Enhancement program (M4ME)
- Please note that patients will be assessed individually by the senior social work clinician prior to entry into this program
- Please note that patients will be assessed individually by the senior social work clinician prior to entry into this 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:
- Acute Mental Health
- Acute Suicidal ideation
- Domestic and Family Violence (DFV)
- Acquired Brain Injury
- Sexual Assault
- Acute homelessness
- Acute financial hardship
- Relationship and family counselling
Essential Referral Information
- Patient consent to referral
- Reason for referral
- Date of diagnosis
- Does the client have any cognitive decline or capacity issues?
- Has the client received a definite diagnosis to do with their cognition or is the client currently being assessed?
- Can the client participate in the counselling process?
- Are there any concerns regarding client participation or engagement?
- Known mental health Hx:
- ETOH or other drug Hx:
Additional Referral Information
- Has the client undertaken any of the following tests, and if so what were the results?
- Capacity testing e.g. MoCA, MMSE
- Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)
- Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21)
- Caregiver Strain Index (CSI)
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.
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
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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.