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This page contains information for general practitioners on how to refer patients aged 16 years and over to Dermatology and Minor Skin Lesions services at Mater Hospital Brisbane.
The Dermatology service offers a comprehensive inpatient and outpatient service staffed by skilled Dermatologists.
The service provides a Multidisciplinary team meeting fortnightly for people with complex skin cancers in combination with the Plastics and Reconstruction Service, Radiation Oncology, and also the Rheumatology and Haematology Departments.
The service is staffed with clinical nurses, registered nurses and wound care nurses. There is direct access to the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons when required.
'My Advice' Service
An online advice only service for dermatology is available through the Mater Doctor Portal. You can submit images and will receive specialist response to a clinical question in 3 business days. This service does not constitute a referral. More information is available here.
How to Refer
If referral for care is indicated please list all of the General Referral Information, reason for request, and essential information as indicated below.
Referrals can be sent by:
Digital referrals in your practice software that include templates linked with referral criteria for quality handover for any public hospital
Medical Objects: HM4101000R8
HealthLink EDI: materref
For fax and secure messaging our latest Mater Adult Referral Form or Antenatal Form are available to embed into most major Practice Management software systems.
Essential information (Referral will be declined without this)
Additional referral information (useful for processing the referral)
Other useful information for management (not an exhaustive list)
Categorisation
Available appointments are provided to our patients based on clinical priority. A process of categorisation ensures safety and equity of access.
Category 1 – urgent
Clinically recommended timeframe for initial appointment is 30 days
Category 2 - Priority
Clinically recommended timeframe for initial appointment is 90 days
Category 3 - Routine
Clinically recommended timeframe for initial appointment is 365 days
Severe skin infections
Severe unstable dermatoses
Extensive inflammatory dermatoses
Severe symptomatology (causing distress or preventing work)
Stable dermatoses causing distress
Minor skin infections
Congenital skin disorders
Acne, mild-moderate severity
Psychiatric diseases manifesting in the skin
Minor Skin Conditions
Category 1 – Urgent
Appointment required within 7 days
Skin lesion highly suspicious for melanoma or excision biopsy proven melanoma
Rapidly growing skin lesions especially on the face
Complex non-melanoma skin malignancies and any of the following:
Other subcutaneous and deep tissue malignancies e.g. Merkel, sarcoma
Skin lesion causing substantial obstruction to vision
Suspicion of malignant liposarcoma
Poorly differentiated SCC
Appointment required within 30 days
Prior malignancy at the same site
Uncomplicated non melanoma skin malignancies (BCC/SCC/IEC)
Skin lesions
Benign soft tissue lesions e.g. lipoma, ganglion not suitable for primary health management
Clinically significant benign lesions
Mater Health offers patients the opportunity to attend bulk billed clinics. To provide your patient with the opportunity to attend a bulk billed clinic, please provide a named referral to one of the specialists listed above.
If you would like to discuss a referral, including clinical criteria, or update the status of a current patient please contact our priority GP phone line on 07 3163 2200
We provide up to date data on how long patients are waiting for their first appointment by specialty here
These Mater Referral Guidelines have been developed locally by GPs and specialists to support safe and quality referral to publicly funded specialist outpatient services.
Content last reviewed: 12 February 2024
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