❓ Mr. L'Estrange inquires about the referral process, admission procedures, and waiting times at the Perth Children's Hospital (PCH) fracture clinic. The Minister's response clarifies referral pathways, triage processes, and the role of the Emergency Department in fracture management.
AnsweredQoN 4865Legislative Assembly
Asked
12 March 2019
Member
Portfolio
Deputy Premier; Minister for Health; Mental Health
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the fracture clinic at Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH) and I ask: (a) What is the process for a child to be referred to the fracture clinic; (b) Are referrals accepted from other hospitals; (c) What is the process for referrals from other hospitals; (d) Can children presenting to PCH with a fracture on referral from another hospital be directly admitted to the fracture clinic: (i) If no to (d), why not; (e) Are children who have been referred to PCH’s fracture clinic from another hospital required to present to PCH’s Emergency Department before being admitted to the fracture clinic: (i) If yes to (e), why is this the case; (f) In what circumstances would a child, having been referred to the PCH fracture clinic, be required to first attend the emergency department for an assessment, when they have already been: (i) referred from another hospital; (ii) referred from a general practitioner; and (iii) referred from a specialist practitioner; (g) For children who have been referred to the fracture clinic, what is the average waiting time for their fracture to be treated; and (h) Can children attending PCH’s emergency department with a fracture be seen by the fracture clinic on the same day: (i) If no to (h), why not?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
7 May 2019
Response time
12 days
I am advised:
(a) The process for a child to be referred to the fracture clinic, which is a follow up clinic and not for emergency fracture assessment, involves multiple referral pathways to access, including:
All referrals are received and then triaged by orthopaedic doctors for categorisation and treatment planning.
(b) Yes.
(c) See answer (a).
(d) Due to the varying nature of fracture treatment and the follow up care that is required, the decision about whether a patient should present to PCH ED is made on a case by case basis by the on-call or duty orthopaedic team.
(e) The decision to have a patient present to PCH ED is one that is made on a case by case basis by the PCH on-call or duty orthopaedic team after contact from the referrer.
(f) As per answer to (d) and (e) – if the patient requires urgent, emergency care.
(g) All children referred to the fracture clinic are seen on a priority basis. The average waiting time for a new appointment is 13 days: priority one patients (scheduled to be seen within 30 days) have an average wait of 10.9 days. If emergency care is required, the patient is directed to the PCH ED for review by the orthopaedic team.
(h) Yes, if it is clinically appropriate. However, should an orthopaedic review be required on the day of presentation, the orthopaedic team will attend the Emergency Department to review the patient.
(i) Not applicable.
(a) The process for a child to be referred to the fracture clinic, which is a follow up clinic and not for emergency fracture assessment, involves multiple referral pathways to access, including:
All referrals are received and then triaged by orthopaedic doctors for categorisation and treatment planning.
(b) Yes.
(c) See answer (a).
(d) Due to the varying nature of fracture treatment and the follow up care that is required, the decision about whether a patient should present to PCH ED is made on a case by case basis by the on-call or duty orthopaedic team.
(e) The decision to have a patient present to PCH ED is one that is made on a case by case basis by the PCH on-call or duty orthopaedic team after contact from the referrer.
(f) As per answer to (d) and (e) – if the patient requires urgent, emergency care.
(g) All children referred to the fracture clinic are seen on a priority basis. The average waiting time for a new appointment is 13 days: priority one patients (scheduled to be seen within 30 days) have an average wait of 10.9 days. If emergency care is required, the patient is directed to the PCH ED for review by the orthopaedic team.
(h) Yes, if it is clinically appropriate. However, should an orthopaedic review be required on the day of presentation, the orthopaedic team will attend the Emergency Department to review the patient.
(i) Not applicable.
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