Specialist Clinics (Outpatients)

Monash Health provides specialist care in more than 60 specialties for adults and children.

This type of care is also called outpatient care, specialist clinics, specialist consulting, or ambulatory clinics.

On this page

• What is a specialist clinic?
• The referral process
• Attending an appointment
• Changing or cancelling an appointment
• Why have I been placed on a waitlist?
• What is a waitlist audit?

What is a specialist clinic?

Specialist clinics provide specialised care for people with specific medical needs, offering expertise in diagnosing and treating particular conditions or diseases.

When you attend a specialist clinic, you are not admitted to the hospital as an inpatient, which is why this type of care is sometimes referred to as ‘outpatients’.

Specialist clinics often bridge the gap between care provided in the community by GPs (general practitioners) and acute hospital care. Specialist clinics provide access to:

• medical, nursing or allied health professionals for assessment, diagnosis and treatment
• ongoing specialist management of chronic and complex conditions in collaboration with healthcare providers in the community, such as a GP or physiotherapist
• pre- and post-hospital care
• maternity care
• related diagnostic services such as pathology and imaging

Patients are referred to specialist clinics by a GP, specialist or other community-based healthcare provider, as well as clinicians in emergency departments, hospital inpatient units and other areas of the health service.

To learn more about the specialist clinic/unit you are attending, please visit the Services section of our website.

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The referral process – what happens to my referral?

1. Referral received by Monash Health
   A referral is matched with a patient’s existing record (if a previous Monash Health patient) or a new patient record is created. Receipt of the referral is recorded.
2. Referral assigned to specialty
   The referral is sent to the appropriate specialty for assessment.
3. Clinical triage
   The specialty assesses the referral and assigns it a priority level based on urgency. Some referrals may not be accepted.
4. Referral accepted *
   If a referral is accepted, a patient appointment is booked. If there is high demand for a specialty and no appointments are currently available, the referral is added to the waitlist.
5. Referral not accepted *
   If a referral has not been accepted, the patient and the referring doctor will be notified of the reason.

*The patient AND the referring doctor/GP will receive a letter by post to advise if the referral has been accepted or not accepted. If a patient’s email is recorded, the outcome will be sent by email only.

How will I hear about my appointment?

Once the urgency of your care has been determined and your referral is accepted, an appointment will be booked if available, or the referral will be added to the clinic waitlist. Our team books appointments in order of urgency and date, and will contact you when an appointment is available.

It is important that your contact details on our system are up to date so we can communicate with you.

If your appointment is within 4 weeks, we will telephone and/or send you a text message with your appointment details. You will also receive a reminder text message 3 days before your scheduled appointment.

If your appointment is more than 1 month away, we will send you a letter with your appointment details.

If you are not able to attend the scheduled appointment, it is essential that you contact us as soon as possible to reschedule so the appointment can be used by someone else waiting for care.

What do I need to do?

As a patient referred to Monash Health, you can help us.

• Keep us updated with any changes to your contact details.
• Cancel or reschedule any appointment you are unable to attend as soon as possible. This allows us to offer the appointment to another patient.
• Let us know if you have received care elsewhere or if you no longer need to be on the waitlist for an appointment.

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Attending an appointment

Attending an appointment for the first time can be overwhelming. Here are some things you can do to help prepare.

What to bring

• Make sure you bring any test results, blood tests, X-rays, etc. related to this appointment.
• Bring a list of your medications, including over-the-counter medications.
• Think of any questions you have and write them down.
• If possible, arrange for a family member or friend to come with you for support.
• Sometimes clinics run late due to emergencies or patients with complex needs. You may wish to bring a book, device or magazine and some water (unless you have been told to fast).

Before the appointment

• Check your appointment letter/text message for the clinic location – for more information on the hospital or site you are attending, please visit the Contact page on our website.
• If you need an interpreter to support you, please let us know before your appointment.
• If you are experiencing issues related to your disability, please contact our Disability Liaison Officers by emailing disability_liaison@monashhealth.org.

On the appointment day

• Give yourself plenty of time to travel, find parking, and navigate to the clinic location. Hospitals are large and sometimes tricky to navigate. This can be stressful if you are running late.
• Follow the instructions on your appointment letter/text message to check in to the clinic.
• If you are given information before, during or after the appointment that isn’t clear, ask questions. It is important that you understand what the specialist says, and that you know what happens next.
• Make sure you ask for an attendance/sick certificate on the day of your appointment. We cannot provide these certificates after your appointment.

If you have a general query or need to update your contact details, submit your question below or phone 1300 342 273.

Ask us a question or update your details by emailing outpatient_enquiries@monashhealth.org.

Where are the clinics located for in-person appointments?

Monash Health offers hundreds of specialist clinics across 8 of our hospital and community centre sites:

• Monash Medical Centre, Clayton
• Monash Children’s Hospital, Clayton
• Casey Hospital, Berwick
• Dandenong Hospital, Dandenong
• Moorabbin Hospital, Bentleigh East
• Sandringham Hospital, Sandringham
• Victorian Heart Hospital, Clayton
• Cranbourne Integrated Care Centre, Cranbourne

The location of your appointment will be included in your appointment text message or letter.

Find Monash Health’s hospitals and locations here.

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Changing or cancelling an appointment

If you can’t make it, let someone else take it.

Monash Health had more than 70,000 missed specialist clinic appointments last year. This greatly impacts our ability to provide timely care to our community.

If you can’t make your appointment, please let us know in advance so we have time to offer the appointment to another person waiting for care.

I need to change my appointment

It is important you know that changing your appointment may delay your treatment. Specialist clinic appointments are in high demand, and the next available appointment may mean that you have to wait longer and are not seen as quickly as your doctor has recommended.

To ensure your request to change your appointment is recorded, please request any changes at least 2 days before your appointment.

Submit a request to change your appointment by emailing outpatient_enquiries@monashhealth.org.

If you need to make a change within 2 days of your appointment, please call 1300 342 273 and choose option 1.

If you do not change your appointment within 2 days of your booked appointment, it will be recorded that you did not attend the appointment and you will be given an opportunity to rebook at a later date.

What happens if I do not attend my appointment?

If you do not attend your appointment, you will be given an opportunity to rebook. If you don’t respond to rebook, or if you do not attend the rebooked appointment, you may be discharged from the specialist clinic. You and your referring doctor will be notified if you are discharged. This means you will need a new referral (e.g. from a GP) to request another appointment. Appointments for specialist clinics are in high demand, and you may return to a waiting list for the specialist clinic.

I no longer need my appointment

If you have received care elsewhere or no longer need your appointment, please let us know as soon as possible.

Email: outpatient_enquiries@monashhealth.org with your full name, specialist appointment details and date of birth, or
Phone: 1300 342 273 (choose option 1)

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Why have I been placed on a waitlist?

If you can’t make it, let someone else take it – if you no longer need your appointment, please take the time to tell us, as this may help someone else access care sooner.

Why do I have to wait for a specialist clinic appointment?

As Victoria’s largest public health service, Monash Health provides care to one-quarter of Melbourne’s population across seven major hospitals, and several large community health centres.

Wait times for the different specialties vary depending on demand for appointments. We know waiting lists are a concern for many in the community, and this is an issue across Victoria and nationally. See below what we are doing to reduce wait times.

How long will I wait for a specialist clinic appointment?

The wait time for a first appointment will vary depending on which specialty you have been referred to, your triage category (urgent or non-urgent), and how many patients are already waiting for an appointment. While we try to provide access within 30 days for urgent patients and 365 days for non-urgent patients, demand for some services means this is not always possible.

What are my options while waiting for an appointment?

While waiting for your specialist clinic appointment, you may consider the following:

• Talk to your GP or referring doctor about whether you could seek a specialist opinion through another public healthcare service
• Talk to your GP or referring doctor about options for referral to see a local specialist in their consulting rooms – usually you will not need private health insurance for this, but there may be an out-of-pocket fee
• Talk to you GP or referring doctor about options for self-funded care at a private hospital
• Talk to your GP or referring doctor about local community allied health services that may be helpful
• If your condition changes, talk to your GP or referring doctor, and they can update your Monash Health referral to reflect the changes

What should I do if my condition gets worse while I wait?

If your condition changes, please contact your GP or referring doctor or, if you need urgent medical care, go to an Urgent Care Clinic or the nearest hospital emergency department. Specialist clinics do not provide emergency medical care.

If your referring doctor feels you need an earlier appointment, a new referral can be sent to us. We will review and, if it is decided you need an earlier appointment, one will be provided to you. If you were referred to our clinics by our emergency department team, please contact your GP or local doctor to discuss an updated referral.

In an emergency, call 000 or go to the nearest emergency department.

What should I do if my situation changes?

If you are on a Monash Health waiting list, you will be contacted regularly to make sure you still need your appointment and to confirm that your contact details are up to date.

Please email outpatient_enquiries@monashhealth.org if:

• Your name, address and/or phone number changes
• You no longer need an appointment, so we can offer it to someone else on the waitlist

What is Monash Health doing to reduce wait times?

Improving access to care is a priority for Monash Health. We are working to improve how quickly we see those who require our care. Some of these initiatives are:

• Ensuring our waitlists are up to date
  We audit our waitlists to ensure those waiting still require appointments (e.g. they have not received care elsewhere). This means that when an appointment becomes available, it can be offered to someone waiting for care.
• Patient-initiated rebooking after a missed appointment
  To help reduce missed appointments, if a patient does not attend their appointment, a new appointment will not automatically be rebooked. They will be given an opportunity to rebook if they still require care, or be discharged.
• Information about expected wait times for first appointments
  Informing patients and referring doctors of expected wait times to support informed decision-making about a patient’s care.
• Improved scheduling for urgent appointments
  Improving appointment scheduling so patients requiring urgent care are seen within the recommended timeframe.
• Patient-requested follow-up appointments
  Providing a pathway for patients who have received care to make a follow-up appointment if they require one (rather than an automatic ‘just in case’ follow-up appointment).
• Streamlining support for patients around making and changing appointments
  Aligning nursing and administration within specialties to provide more efficient patient contact, support and appointment management.

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What is a waitlist audit?

We regularly contact patients on our specialist clinic waiting lists to confirm that they still require a specialist appointment.

Why are you contacting me?

Your situation and details may have changed. We will regularly contact you to confirm that you still need an appointment with us.

If you are waiting for a first appointment with more than one specialty, you will receive separate communications for each. You will need to respond to each communication you receive.

Why do you need to hear from me, if I haven’t been offered an appointment?

• To make sure that your personal details are correct
• To check if you still require specialist care and, if not, to remove you from the waitlist

How do I respond to this request?

To respond, please complete the short online survey sent to you by text message. The text message will be from ‘MONASHHLTH’.

It is important that you respond within 28 days of our first contact with you to ensure you maintain your place on the waiting list for future care and our team can respond to any questions you have.

If you have received a letter, this means we did not receive a response to the survey sent by text message. Please contact us within the specified time to stay on the waiting list or request to be removed from the waiting list.

What happens once I have responded to you?

If you respond ‘No’ to needing an appointment, we will remove you from the waitlist. Any future care will require a new referral from your GP.

If you respond ‘Yes’ to needing an appointment, you will remain on the waitlist, and we will contact you when an appointment becomes available.

What if I do not reply?

If you do not reply to our first contact with you, we will send you a text message reminding you to respond. If you still do not respond to our text message, we will try to reach you by letter and contact your GP.

If we do not hear from you or your GP, we will remove you from the waitlist. If you still need care but have been removed from the waitlist, you will need to talk to your GP to arrange a new referral.

How often do you audit the waiting lists?

Audits are scheduled at varying times of the year for Monash Health’s 60 specialty units. They are open for a limited time.

Your text message or email contains information on how to contact us with any questions about the waitlist audit.

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