Search entire site
This page contains information for general practitioners on how to refer patients aged 16 years and over to Plastics and Reconstructive services at Mater Hospital Brisbane.
Patients less than 16 years of age with congential conditions should be referred directly to Children's Health QLD HHS.
Catchment criteria applies for referrals for this service. Patient referrals from outside the Mater SEQ Catchment (which includes Metro South and West Moreton Hospital and Health Services) may not be accepted.
The Mater Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery unit is involved in all forms of reconstructive surgery and is available for all other services in the hospital for combined surgical approaches for elective and emergency surgery.
To establish individualised plans with the most appropriate care path and treatment for our patients we currently have Multidisciplinary team meetings scheduled fortnightly Dermatology and Breast and Endocrine specialists. Our Young Adult Cranio Facial Service also offers a combined clinical approach with Speech Pathology, Orthodontist and ENT collaboration.
Onsite attendance is available in all clinics with Occupational Therapists, Breast Care Nurses, Clinical Nurses, Wound Care and Stomal Nurses.
We have patients attend the Mater for surgery here in Brisbane from all over Queensland.
Our service consistently reviews and treats our patients within the recommended OPD categorisation time frames.
How to send a referral
This service does not have the capacity to accept referrals for:
Please note, many major elective breast and abdominal procedures require a BMI of 30 or below for safe outcomes.
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
Clefts for initial assessment
Secondary cleft lip and palate related conditions causing speech and other functional issues
Secondary cleft lip and palate related conditions
No Category 1.
Refer directly to emergency clinically indicated:
Congenital hand conditions e.g. syndactyly, duplicate thumb
Benign soft tissue lesions e.g. lipoma, ganglion
Visual or feeding compromise, neurological symptoms or potential airway involvement
Primary diagnosis or deteriorating condition
Stable known condition
Ear reconstruction (traumatic abnormalities)
Microtia
Other congenital or acquired deformities of the ears
Suspected malignant transformation or serious pressure effects
No category 2 criteria
Disfiguring effects of the tumours
Obstruction of vision, potential airway compromise , rapid growth, bleeding, incipient ulceration
Deterioration of a lesion
Stable vascular anomalies for review
No category 1 criteria
(Refer directly to emergency if clinically indicated e.g. suspected septic arthritis)
Significant ADL or occupational limitation
Associated with inflammatory arthropathy affecting other joints
Rapid deterioration in function
Not responding to maximal management
Skin breakdown and/or infection secondary to severe contracture
Fixed flexion deformity of 90° at MCPJ or 60° at PIPJ or
Multiple joints or recurrence after surgery with functional impairment or
Rapidly progressing disease
MCP flexion contractures > 30° or
PIP flexion contracture >20° or
Functional impairment
At the Mater Hospital Brisbane this condition is managed by the Maxillo-facial Service. Please refer to their referral guidelines and name the referral to their head of department
Facial palsy with a threat to vision from lack of corneal protection
Acute facial palsy as a result of traumatic or surgical division of facial nerve
Ulcers with acute deterioration (e.g. sacral, ischial or lower limb)
Dermatochalasis of the eyelid
Abdominal wall defects e.g. gross divarication or hygiene issues where medical treatment has failed to resolve skin conditions arising under redundant skin (photograph required)
Chronic facial palsy without threat to vision
Symptomatic ptosis not involving visual axis
Blepharochalasia which obstructs the visual axis and >55 years age
Confirmed major head and neck malignancies including intra oral tumours and unconfirmed growths with any of the following:
No category 3 criteria
Threat to function of limb or exposed fixation plates
Limitation to weight bearing ability e.g. ulceration of sole, non-union of fracture requiring flap coverage
Stable disability
Severe contracture or deformity causing severe pain, or threatening vision or joint function
Moderate contracture or deformity that is at risk of worsening
Hypertrophic or keloid scars causing severe symptoms and functional impairment
Stable contracture or deformity and failed conservative scar management
It is strongly recommended that people who smoke stop 3 months prior to consultation. It is associated with delayed skin healing. Please consider directing your patient to a smoking cessation program.
Pre-operative mastectomy patients
Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) positive patients
Post mastectomy reconstruction 6 months post chemotherapy and 12 months post radiotherapy
Macromastia: where breast size causes substantial disability and the patient’s BMI is <35
Post burn reconstruction
Congenital abnormalities e.g. Poland syndrome, tuberous breast deformity and gross asymmetry.
Gynaecomastia where there is a substantial breast enlargement or significant breast tenderness and where the breast size is disproportionate to body habitus
Breast implant for renewal
Asymptomatic with recalled, suspended or undetermined implants. For consideration of replacement where the existing implant was placed in the context of breast cancer or congenital abnormality.
Severe/disabling symptoms of nerve compression and/or muscle weakness or wasting and NCS confirmation of diagnosis
Soft tissue tumour of the hand with suspicion of malignancy
Frequent symptoms of nerve compression and any of the following:
Major impacts on ADLs and/or employment
Intermittent/mild symptoms of nerve compression without weakness or wasting
Secondary hand surgery after injury
Stenosing tenosynovitis and failed medical management
Rheumatoid hand deformity with impaired function or pain and failed maximal medical management
Symptomatic or enlarging ganglion of the hand
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
Prior malignancy at the same site
Uncomplicated non melanoma skin malignancies (BCC/SCC/IEC)
Skin lesions with any of the following:
Benign soft tissue lesions e.g. lipoma, ganglion not suitable for primary health management
Clinically significant benign lesions
Essential information (Referral will be declined without this) General referral information Relevant condition information Relevant pathology and imaging reports Categorisation Available appointments are provided to our patients based on clinical priority. A process of categorisation ensures safety and equity of access.
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 align with standardised best practice tools for referral to publicly funded specialist outpatient services developed in Queensland through the Clinical Prioritisation Criteria project.
Content last reviewed: 13 December 2023
Search for a private Mater specialist to see your patient.
Read more
GP Education, Maternity Shared Care Alignment Program and Events.