Outpatients
Through our outpatient services, SMHS cares for patients who require specialist assessment or treatment without an overnight hospital stay. Services include medical, obstetric and surgical assessment and treatment, as well as a range of specialised nursing and allied health services.
Our outpatient services provide an important link between primary care (general practitioners (GPs) and community-based health services) and other parts of the health service.
How outpatient services are delivered
Outpatient appointments in SMHS can be delivered:
- face-to-face – where you physically attend a hospital-based outpatient clinic
- via digital health/telehealth – where your specialist care is provided through telephone or video calls
or
- through a combination of face-to-face and digital health/telehealth appointments.
Benefits of digital health/telehealth appointments can include:
- time and cost savings due to reduced travel to hospital outpatient clinics
- having your appointment in a comfortable and familiar environment such as home or work
- increased opportunities for family members, carers, support people, your GP or other healthcare professionals to participate in your appointment as appropriate.
Your clinician will help to determine if digital health/telehealth appointments are appropriate for you, taking into account your personal circumstances and clinical condition.
How to access outpatient services
You can be referred to an outpatient clinic by:
- your GP, specialist, or community-based health provider (see ‘For referrers’ below)
- hospital-based clinicians in the Emergency Department, inpatient wards and other hospital service areas.
For referrers
The WA Health Central Referral Service (external site) provides a coordinated outpatient referral system for patients requiring a first specialist outpatient appointment at a metropolitan public hospital site.
HealthPathways WA (external site) is a free, web-based portal providing GPs with standardised and concise information to support patient management, including information on requests and referrals to SMHS sites and specialties.
Find out more about our outpatient services
Have you been referred for an outpatient appointment at a SMHS site?
Learn more about outpatient services at: