Sandringham acute general surgery referral

Eligibility

At least one must be met for the patient to be eligible for referral.

Patients who are being treated for the same condition at another Victorian public hospital

Surgical consultation for children under 18 years of age

Patients who are at high anaesthetic risk

Patients with BMI >40 Please note patients with a high anaesthetic risk may be referred to The Alfred for further management

Excision of skin and subcutaneous lesions (including lipomas, cysts, ganglia and skin cancers)

Carpal tunnel release (please arrange nerve conduction study prior to referral)

Hernias (including abdominal, groin and major ventral hernias)

Gallbladder surgery

Colorectal surgery in patients without significant comorbidities, including colectomy, stomas and stoma reversal

Haemorrhoids, pilonidal sinus, anal fissures and anal fistulas Please see the following referral guidelines for more referral information for these conditions

Red flags

Indicate urgent (Category 1) referral or emergency assessment.

Acute deterioration, life-threatening features or symptoms requiring urgent specialist input — contact the on-call registrar or refer to ED

Routine referral criteria

Determine Category 2 or 3 urgency.

Initial primary-care work-up complete (history, examination, baseline investigations per Alfred guideline)

Symptoms persist or progress despite primary-care management

Usually managed in primary care

Patients who are being treated for the same condition at another Victorian public hospital
Surgical consultation for children under 18 years of age
Patients who are at high anaesthetic risk
Patients with BMI >40 Please note patients with a high anaesthetic risk may be referred to The Alfred for further management
Asymptomatic gallstones < 2 centimetres
Gallbladder polyp < 7 millimetres
Raised liver function tests without evidence of gallstones or gallbladder polyps
Referrals based on incidental findings found on imaging where the hernia is asymptomatic and not palpable
Rectus diastasis as the only reason for referral
At low or slightly above average risk where there is no family history of breast cancer
Moderate risk due to family history of breast cancer
Referrals for familial cancer services should be directed to publicly funded familial cancer centres
Referrals for genetic testing should be directed to publicly funded genetic testing clinics
Referrals that do not meet the criteria without specific medical indication and that would be considered a cosmetic procedure would not be accepted
Patients who develop complications of cosmetic breast augmentation should be directed to return to the surgeon, practice or health service where the surgery was performed
No significant abnormality detected
Benign or indeterminate findings on imaging
Single or multiple simple cysts
Fibrocystic breasts
Breast pain with normal imaging and clinical examination
No significant abnormality or benign findings on biopsy or imaging or both
Incidental findings found on imaging without symptoms or clinical significance
Patients with controlled symptoms
Rectal bleeding with a known cause where serious colorectal pathology has been excluded and the symptoms remain unchanged, are occasional, or have resolved
Perianal lumps without concerning features or that have resolved
Refer to the full Alfred Health PDF guideline for complete inclusion / exclusion criteria, required investigations and triage categories.