see also:

• Live Western Health ED occupancy data
• Western Health

• where possible please ensure you select the most appropriate hospital to refer patients to and contact the senior doctor in the ED to discuss the patient as there may be more expedient processes available to avoid your patient waiting unnecessarily long in the ED.

• acute neurosurgery should be referred to RMH - contact their neurosurgical registrar

• children requiring assessment and management by a surgeon should be referred to RCH

• the following services are NOT available at Sunshine and should be referred to Western:
  • urology (however patients with renal colic or pyelonephritis can be referred to Sunshine)
  • vascular surgery
  • thoracic surgery (if you have someone with a worrying CT chest lesion - there is little point sending them to Sunshine)
  • dermatology

• major trauma is managed at the RMH and Alfred Hospitals
• less major trauma but requiring hospital admission under a general or paediatric surgical unit will be transferred to Western or RCH and thus should preferably NOT be referred to Sunshine ED
• isolated musculoskeletal injuries CAN be referred to Sunshine

• major trauma is managed at the RMH and Alfred Hospitals

• these patients should be referred to Sunshine

• these patients should be referred to Sunshine as the stroke unit is at Sunshine
• patients with severe dementia or co-morbidities who will not be suitable for admission to a stroke unit can be referred to Western if admission is deemed necessary rather than management in their nursing home facility.

• all oncology services have been re-located to Sunshine campus in March 2015