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Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT)
Outpatients
Information about outpatient clinics for the assessment and management of ear, nose and throat conditions (adult and paediatric).
The Department will periodically contact patients waiting for an outpatient clinic appointment via SMS, with a link to an electronic form. This is part of routine waitlist auditing to ensure patient details are up to date. If you receive this SMS, please update your details.
Availability
North West
A public service is not available in this region. See Health Pathways for more information.
South
Wellington Clinics (Level 11)
Phone: 03 6166 0000
Fax: 03 6234 9454
To contact ENT Registrar on-call phone switch on 03 6166 8308.
Emergency conditions
Emergency symptoms/conditions in ENT include but are not confined to:
- Airways distress: noisy breathing/breathing difficulty/stridor
- Severe odonophagia with or without subsequent dehydration
- Abscess e.g. quinsy, salivary gland abscess, paranasal/sinus pyocele
- Haematoma formation eg.septal or auricular.
- Tonsillar haemorrhage
- Severe rhinosinusitis associated with visual disturbance, neurological signs, frontal swelling and severe headache
- Batteries ingested or as nasal foreign bodies
- Nasal fracture with new deviation and/or septal haematoma
- Hoarseness associated with neck trauma or surgery or laryngeal obstruction
- All nasal, hypopharyingeal or upper oesophageal foreign bodies
- Vestibular neuritis with CNS signs
- Disproportionate otalgia
- Otitis externa with occlusive oedema
- Complicated Mastoiditis/cholesteatoma
- Complicated sinusitis
- Otitis media with neurological signs.
- Uncontrolled epistaxis
- Sudden hearing loss
- Otorrhea associated with hearing loss
- Sudden idiopathic hearing loss with tinnitus or vertigo
Emergency care
If you, or someone else, are experiencing a serious and life-threatening injury or illness call triple zero (000) immediately or go to the nearest Emergency Department.
Learn more about when to access emergency care and non-emergency care options if the injury or illness is not serious or life-threatening.
Scope
North and South
The following conditions are not routinely seen at ENT Clinic.
- Prescription of hearing aids - refer to Australian Hearing Services or private audiologist.
- Aesthetic surgery procedures
- Facial pain - refer to Oral Maxillo Facial Unit (Link to OMFU page)
- Migraines - refer to Neurology or General Medicine
- Adult allergy testing
The conditions below do not require the specialist, tertiary services of the hospital and can be managed in a primary care setting. Suggestions are made for primary care management, and patients should only be referred if these approaches have been unsuccessful:
Please note:
- We do not provide hearing aids.
- Due to the high demand for ENT services, we are unable to accept most routine referrals at present.
If patients are referred for hearing loss they may be seen by an audiologist and it is requested that the referrals are marked with Audiologist/ENT to allow them to be seen by both services.
South only
If you would like to discuss concerns regarding an ENT patient's treatment/management, such as medication and new changes, please send a letter with details including your best contact number and times to fax number 03 6234 9454. Within one or two days of receipt the patient's treating Consultant, ENT Registrar or on-call ENT specialist will contact you by phone or fax.
Referral process
A referral is required for all new appointments and must conform to the Referral Standards as outlined on the referral standards. eReferral is now the preferred method of referral for this service and is available in All regions. Please refer via HealthLink SmartForm eReferral through your software system (either Best Practice, or Medical Director). For instructions, see the creating an eReferral quick guide.
Referrals are registered by the clinic to who they are referred and are triaged according to the specific clinic guidelines.
Emergency patient should be sent directly to the Emergency Department.
Please note, due to the high demand for ENT services, we are unable to accept most routine referrals at present.
The referring GP must include:
- Clear statement of symptoms
- Duration of problem
- Functional impact
- Risk factors
- For hearing issues an audiology report must be obtained or at the very least an office based formal hearing testing results performed in the GP clinic.
- Date of last audiology examination - include report
- Current diagnostic report if indicated in the referral guidelines
If the GP is unable to ascertain the clinical information required to identify the thresholds, this may be obtained from an Audiologist in some circumstances.
Audiology Clinic for newborn screening, cochlear implant assessment and some non-medical rehabilitation for hearing. Adult hearing testing is by exception only and by in house referral. Very limited external referral for paediatric patients is available.
Appointments are based on clinical priority.
Where available, eReferral via HealthLink smart forms is now the preferred and only secure method of referral to the Tasmanian Department of Health.
Clinic appointments
Urgent (Category 1)
Urgent referrals should be accompanied by a phone call to the Consultant/Registrar to organise urgent review and the referral must be faxed.
We will endeavour to see these patients within four weeks, or sooner if clinically indicated.
Semi-urgent (Category 2)
We will endeavour to see these patients within 12 weeks.
Routine (Category 3)
Next available appointment.
Additional information
Acknowledgement to The Royal Victorian Eye & Ear Hospital Primary Care Referral Guidelines - ENT, Alfred Hospital Referral Guidelines ENT/Otolaryngology and Geelong Hospital Outpatient Referral Guidelines ENT/Otlaryngology.
See the Health Pathways website for more information.
