Coming to an appointment

Information for patients coming for an appointment at a specialist clinic.

If you have any questions about an appointment, need to cancel or reschedule, or need to update your details, please contact our Specialist Clinics team on 1300 342 273 and choose option 1, or email outpatient_enquiries@monashhealth.org.

Before the appointment

Check the clinic location in your appointment letter.
Tell us if you need an interpreter so we can organise this for you.
Tell us if you need disability support by emailing our Disability Liaison Officers at disability_liaison@monashhealth.org before your appointment.
Check for any special instructions on your appointment letter.
Ask a family member or friend to come with you if you need help.

What to bring

Your appointment letter (paper or digital version).
Your Medicare card, plus any Pension, Veteran, Healthcare, Concession, Asylum Seeker or Refugee Identification cards, as relevant.
Blood tests, scans, x-rays, or other test results related to this appointment.
A list of your medications, including any non-prescription medications.
A book, magazine, or device in case you need to wait on the day.
Water to keep you hydrated while you wait (unless you need to fast).
A list of any questions you may have for your doctor or our team.

On the day of your appointment

Allow plenty of time for travel, parking, and finding your way to the clinic. Allow at least 1 hour for your appointment (unless otherwise noted in your letter), noting that how long your appointment takes will depend on how busy the clinic is and any urgent situations we may have on the day.
Don’t be late, as many of our clinics run on time to a tight schedule. Being late could mean missing your appointment and having to reschedule.
Follow the instructions on your appointment letter to check in to the clinic.
Ask for a medical certificate on the day of your appointment, if you need one. We cannot provide this after your appointment.
Ask us if anything is unclear, either before, during or after your appointment. We’re here to help, and it is important that you understand all the details regarding your health, care, and appointments, and what happens next.
We will ask your name, date of birth and address, to confirm your identity.

A few things to note:

In many clinics, you may see a different doctor or healthcare professional at each visit.
We do our best to see you on time, but sometimes there may be a wait if the clinic is very busy or other patients need urgent care.
Some of our appointments are by video call (telehealth). This means that even if the waiting room is not full, doctors may be seeing patients online.
If you would like to have your appointment via video call (telehealth), call us to check if this is possible. Some appointments need to be in person.

While visiting Monash Health:

Smoking and vaping are not permitted at any Monash Health site.
You have the right to be treated with respect and dignity. We ask that you treat our staff, patients, carers, families and visitors with dignity and respect too.
To learn more about visiting Monash Health, including safety, privacy and what is expected while you are here, see Visiting Monash Health and Rights and Responsibilities.

Getting to our clinics

The location of your appointment will be in your appointment letter.

Your in-person specialist clinic appointment will be at one of the following locations:

Please allow plenty of time for parking and read our visitor parking and parking fees information before your visit.

For information about public transport, visit the Transport Victoria website.

There may be a long walk from the car park to the clinic, or within the hospital. If you need help getting around, it is a good idea to ask a friend, relative or carer to help you.

More information on our site locations is available on our contact us page.

Changing or cancelling an appointment

If you need to reschedule

If you can’t make it to your appointment, please call us as soon as possible. This will allow us to make a new appointment for you and ensure your care is not further delayed. We may also be able to offer the appointment to another patient waiting for care.

Please tell us at least 2 days before your appointment if you need to cancel or change it.

Changing your appointment may delay your care. There may be a wait for another appointment, which could mean you are not seen within the timeframe that your doctor has recommended.

If we need to reschedule

Sometimes we may need to change your appointment if your test results are not ready. This gives us time to get the results so we can discuss them with you at your appointment.

If you miss your appointment

If you miss your appointment, call us as soon as possible to reschedule. If you do not reschedule or also miss the next appointment, you may be discharged from the clinic.

If you are discharged from the clinic, you will need a new referral from your GP (or other referring clinician) to be seen at the clinic. You may also go back on the wait list, as appointments for specialist clinics are in high demand, which could delay your care. If this happens, we will let you and your doctor know in writing.

If you’re finding it hard to make it to your appointment, please call us to reschedule or find out if telehealth is an option for you so we can ensure your care is not delayed.

If you no longer need your appointment

If you have received care elsewhere or no longer need your appointment, let us know as soon as possible. By letting us know, you allow someone else in the community to receive the care they need.

How we communicate with you

We may contact you in different ways including phone calls, SMS text message, physical mail and email.

In many of our clinics, we are moving from physical letters to digital letters that we send via SMS text message or email. If you receive a digital letter via SMS text or email, you will be asked to enter a password to protect your personal information.

If you are getting worse

If your condition gets worse while you are waiting for an appointment, please contact your GP or referring doctor immediately (if you were referred by Emergency, contact your GP).

If your doctor recommends an earlier appointment, they can send a request to us. We will review this and let you know if an earlier date is possible.

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.

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