Information for patients

Appointments for Outpatient Clinics are by referral from your GP, specialist, other health professional or as requested prior to discharge from hospital.  In the referral letter, information will have been provided about the reason for your referral.  Note: Self-referral is possible for some clinics.

A health professional reviews the referral and prioritises your appointment based on this information. You might receive an appointment date straight away or be placed on a waiting list to receive an appointment at a later date.

If your appointment is delayed, you may wish to speak to the person who referred you to discuss other treatment options. If your condition changes or you have any health problems while waiting for your appointment, please see your GP or the person that referred you.

A letter will be sent to you either offering an appointment or advising that your name has been placed on a wait list. You may receive other letters relating to your appointment if necessary. For some Outpatient Clinics an SMS reminder will be sent if you have provided a mobile number.

It is important to keep your appointment as any investigation or treatment you require needs to be monitored by a health professional.

If you need to change or cancel an appointment, please contact the Outpatient Clinic you will be attending to organise another appointment. It is important to remember to call the Outpatient Clinic to cancel or change any appointments you cannot attend, as this will allow another patient to have that appointment.  This also helps to reduce waiting lists for clinics.

One in ten patients fails to attend their appointment.
This causes delays not only in treating you, but in treating other patients too.

If you fail to attend your appointment, you may be discharged from the Outpatient Clinic. This means that should you or your health professional request another appointment, a new referral letter is required.

THS Outpatient Clinics are delivered at a number of locations.

Maps are provided below for some clinic sites. If the site you are searching for isn't listed below, please contact the site directly for more information.

Please click link below to view Google map of particular location:

• Clarence Integrated Health Centre
• Launceston General Hospital
• Liverpool Clinics (see also parking and access)
• Mersey Community Hospital
• North West Regional Hospital
• Repatriation Centre
• Royal Hobart Hospital (see also parking and access)
• Telstra Building
• Wellington Clinics (see also parking and access)
• Rural Hospitals and Community Health Centres (see hospitals and health services for more details)

Metro Tasmania operates bus services in Hobart, Launceston and Burnie.  Please see their site for more information about routes and timetables or catch the bus to connect with the RHH.

Please see the Metro Tasmania site for more information about the Hospital Link bus service connecting the North West Regional Hospital and Mersey Community Hospital including timetable and cost of non-urban bus fare.

The THS Interpreter Booking Service (IBS) provides professional interpreters, free of charge to assist non-English speaking and hard of hearing patients.

On-site interpreters are supplied for all outpatient appointments and hospital stays for patients who need one. Where no on-site interpreter can attend, a telephone or remote video interpreter will be used instead. Learn more about interpreter services.

On the day of your appointment, please bring:

• the appointment letter you received in the mail from the Outpatient Clinic
• any relevant x-rays, scans (CT or ultrasound), blood tests or other test results
• a list of current medications
• reading glasses if you need them
• your Medicare card, private health insurance card, pension card (if you have one) and any other concession card you may hold
• any questions you may have for the health professionals – you may want to write these down prior to your appointment.

Please arrive approximately 10 minutes prior to your appointment to allow enough time to check in with reception staff.  After you have checked in, you will then be directed to the waiting area for your Outpatient Clinic.

We recommend that you allow up to two hours for your appointment.

Although your appointment has been scheduled at a specific time, delays can occur.  These delays can be due to longer than expected appointments with other patients, particularly if a complicated treatment and/or diagnosis is being discussed.

Occasionally health professionals are urgently required elsewhere which may also cause appointment delays.

Tasmanian Health Services Outpatient Clinics are teaching facilities and health professionals in training may be present.  Please inform staff if you would prefer not to have students present during your appointment.

Your health professional may ask you specific questions about your health, wellbeing, medical condition and/or treatment.

It is important to provide the health professional with as much information as possible, whether you think it is relevant or not, so that the best treatment for you can be determined.

You may ask the health professional questions at any time. If you don't understand anything, please ask for it to be explained again.

If you need a medical certificate you should ask the health professional during your appointment for one.

Generally, for Australian residents there are no out-of-pocket expenses for Outpatient Clinic appointments and hospital diagnostic tests i.e. pathology, x-ray received through the Tasmanian public health system. These services are covered by Medicare.

Note: Fees may apply if you are an overseas resident or pursuing a compensation claim.

Further information about costs for Medicare Ineligible Patients can be found on the Department of Health website.

Pharmacy, medical supplies or equipment may incur fees, but are generally on a sliding scale according to an individual's concession status. If fees apply, you will be advised by that service.

If you are eligible to be a patient in a THS facility you can expect to have the following rights to be upheld in every dealing with an Outpatient Service:

1. The right to choose to receive public facility services free of charge as a public patient.
2. The right to be treated according to your clinical needs, and receive timely specialist advice in accordance with the THS Standard: Maximum Waiting Times for Outpatient Services.
3. The right to have equitable access to public facility services regardless of where you may live in Tasmania.
4. The right to be treated with respect, dignity and consideration for your privacy, religion and cultural background.
5. The right to be provided with an individual appointment time.
6. The right to be informed and to:
   1. have your health condition explained to you in easy-to-understand terms;
   2. know and understand the choices and treatment options available to you;
   3. know what treatment course is being recommended and how this will affect you;
   4. be able to seek another opinion, where possible.
7. The right to be provided with appropriate and easily understood information about your health care and to participate in any decision making regarding your health care.
8. The right to expect that personal information remains confidential.
9. The right to be able to seek access to your own health record using the appropriate procedures outlined in the resource: Your rights and responsibilities: making the most of a visit to your health service. You may ask facility staff for a copy of this booklet.
10. The right to expect that your own doctor will be kept informed of your treatment.
11. The right to be able to comment on your experience in a THS Outpatient Service.
12. If you or your family have difficulty communicating in English, or you use sign language, an interpreter service will be arranged. This will help you understand information about your healthcare and assist you to make informed decisions about your treatment options.

Please also refer to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care - Charter of Healthcare Rights. The Charter describes the rights that consumers, or someone they care for, can expect when receiving health care.

Please refer to the Outpatient Clinic that you are going to attend or follow the links below for any further information

• Procedures not routinely performed
• Categorisation of Referral
• Feedback