Palliative Care
Referral criteria
The eligible patient is required to meet the following criteria:
- Adult (from 16 or 18 years of age, depending on individual circumstance)
- Patient and their family / carer agree with palliative goals of care and consent to referral
- The patient lives in the MN catchment area (accepting that RBWH and TPCH see inpatients from outside MN)
- Life-limiting diagnosis not receiving curative treatment*
- Has a current or anticipated complex symptom burden unresolved by generalist care
- May be stable but clinically assessed as likely to deteriorate soon / rapidly
- Potential or actual unstable social / domestic situation +/- carer stress +/- complex bereavement risk
- Patient and their family / carer require end of life support and terminal care
* there are exceptional cases where curative intent remains but the treatment exerts complex multiple symptoms on the patient, requiring specialist support.
Please ensure ALL CLINICAL INFORMATION accompanies your referral. This includes diagnosis, anticipated prognosis, medications, concurrent therapies / services and a record of relevant discussions that have occurred with the patient / family and if possible, their PCOC phase and RUG score.
Referral requirements
A referral may be rejected without the following information.
Please triage the urgency of the referral for this patient according to the following criteria:
- Urgent – needs to be contacted within 24 hours
- Priority – needs to be contacted within 3 days
- Routine – needs to be contacted within 7 days
Caboolture, Redcliffe and TPCH Palliative Care
All facilities offer outpatient clinics and an inpatient consultation-liaison service. Redcliffe and TPCH have inpatient units. An inpatient unit will open at Caboolture Hospital in late 2023.
Community Palliative Care Service
The Community Palliative Care Service provides care for people who have a life limiting illness with little or no prospect of a cure, and for whom the primary treatment goal is quality of life. The aim of the Community Palliative Care Service is to support end of life care within the home setting in collaboration with the patients treating GP or specialist and domiciliary nursing services.
Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital
RBWH Palliative and Supportive Care Service is principally an inpatient consultation-liaison service. Patients may be seen in the outpatient service only if receiving modifying/palliative treatments for their condition.
Patients cannot be referred for direct admission as there are no dedicated palliative care beds.
Out of catchment
Metro North Health is responsible for providing public health services to the people who reside within its boundaries. Special consideration is made for patients requiring tertiary care or services that are not provided by their local Hospital and Health Service. If your patient lives outside the Metro North Health area and you wish to refer them to one of our services, inclusion of information regarding their particular medical and social factors will assist with the triaging of your referral.
- Impact on employment
- Impact on education
- Impact on home
- Impact on activities of daily living
- Impact on ability to care for others
- Impact on personal frailty or safety
- Identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- To establish a diagnosis
- For treatment or intervention
- For advice and management
- For specialist to take over management
- Reassurance for GP/second opinion
- For a specified test/investigation the GP can’t order, or the patient can’t afford or access
- Reassurance for the patient/family
- For other reason (e.g. rapidly accelerating disease progression)
- Clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary
- Presenting symptoms (evolution and duration)
- Physical findings
- Details of previous treatment (including systemic and topical medications prescribed) including the course and outcome of the treatment
- Body mass index (BMI)
- Details of any associated medical conditions which may affect the condition or its treatment (e.g. diabetes), noting these must be stable and controlled prior to referral
- Current medications and dosages
- Drug allergies
- Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs use
- Full name (including aliases)
- Date of birth
- Residential and postal address
- Telephone contact number/s – home, mobile and alternative
- Medicare number (where eligible)
- Name of the parent or caregiver (if appropriate)
- Preferred language and interpreter requirements
- Identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- Full name
- Full address
- Contact details – telephone, fax, email
- Provider number
- Date of referral
- Signature
- Willingness to have surgery (where surgery is a likely intervention)
- Choice to be treated as a public or private patient
- Compensable status (e.g. DVA, Work Cover, Motor Vehicle Insurance, etc.)
Specialists list
Send referral
Hotline: 1300 364 938
Medical Objects ID: MQ40290004P
HealthLink EDI: qldmnhhs
Mail:
Metro North Central Patient Intake
Aspley Community Centre
776 Zillmere Road
ASPLEY QLD 4034
Health pathways
Access to Health Pathways is free for clinicians in Metro North Brisbane.
For login details email:
healthpathways@brisbanenorthphn.org.au
Login to Brisbane North Health Pathways:
brisbanenorth.healthpathwayscommunity.org