Patient Information

Referral Process

Seachange Paediatrics is a private specialist paediatric practice. Our Doctors accept patients from birth to age 16 years. Occasionally, we are able to accept a patient 16-18 years but these referrals are reviewed on a case by case basis.

You will need a GP referral before booking your appointment. As part of your care team, your GP will receive ongoing correspondence from your Doctor. The child's GP plays a vital role in coordination and communication of your child's health and our Doctors aims to provide SHARED CARE together with your child's regular GP. For this reason we do not accept:

Indefinite referrals;
Subspecialist referrals;
Referrals written by family members who are GPs.

Referrals are reviewed and prioritised by the doctor according to urgency. Non-urgent referrals are filed by the date of receipt and you will be notified as your referral moves through the waiting list. Presently, the waiting period ranges from 6-12+ months (this is an estimate and not guaranteed).

Process for New patients

You will need a GP referral before booking your appointment. As part of your care team, your GP will receive ongoing correspondence from your Doctor.
Specialist referrals are discouraged as may not be accepted by our Doctors.
The child's GP plays a vital role in coordination and communication of your child's health and our Doctors aims to provide SHARED CARE together with your child's regular GP.

INDEFINITE referrals are also discouraged as our Doctors do not have the capacity to take on sole care of your child. Indefinite referrals also restrict the Medicare rebates you may obtain.
Referrals made by family members/parents who are doctors are strongly discouraged and are unlikely to be accepted by our Doctors.

Triage process

Our Doctors prioritise referrals based on urgency.
Non urgent referrals will be filed by date of receipt and you will be contacted as your referral progresses through the wait list.
Current wait times are 6-12 months (estimate only, not guaranteed).

Urgent referrals

If your matter is urgent or the urgency of your child's situation changes, please ask your GP to indicate this in the referral or contact our Doctors directly.
Clinical urgency is a matter to be decided Doctor to Doctor. Please refrain from continually contacting administrative staff to request an earlier appointment.

Cancellation list

Current wait times for paediatric care are long. We appreciate the frustration patient experiencing in accessing paediatric care and we are doing what we can to streamline processes to accommodate patients as quickly as possible.
If you would like your child to be placed on a cancellation list and offered an earlier appointment when one becomes available, please let our reception staff know. Please be aware that requested paperwork and registration forms must be submitted before you are placed on the cancellation list.

Review appointments

Routine review, as prescribed by our Doctors, is an important aspect of monitoring your child's physical and mental health. For children who take prescription medication there are professional requirements in place mandating the frequency of your child's medical reviews.

It is important to ensure that your child has a new referral every 12 months to optimise your Medicare rebate. Although we aim to remind you when your referral has expired, it is your responsibility that the referral is valid. We are unable to process a Medicare rebate without a current referral. If you are unsure if your referral is valid, please contact our Reception staff.

Referrals legally cannot be backdated by GPs.