Referrals to specialist outpatient services within Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital must be in writing, and as a minimum contain the following:
• Patient demographics including Medicare number and Interpreter requirements
• Patient's mobile phone contact number and an alternate postal or contact address (if not the same as usual residence)
• Reason for referral (including the problem to be assessed, degree of loss of function, pain experienced)
• Results of relevant investigations (pathology, radiology, histology)
• Current medications and doses, prescribed and over the counter (note any recent changes in drug therapy)
• Allergies (drug/topical preparation)
• Relevant information about the patient's condition such as previous medical/surgical treatment (include systemic and topical medications prescribed for the condition) and details of any associated medical conditions which may affect the condition or its treatment (e.g., diabetes)
• Relevant psychological and social issues impacted by condition
• Smoking and alcohol history.
• the degree that the presenting problem is affectingactivities of daily living, e.g. breathlessness
• the information provided to the patient (if possible), e.g. possible lung cancer diagnosis
• recent pathology - FBC, E/LFT, ABGs if applicable; and any recent results of specific tests, e.g. pertussis, legionella, mycoplasma
• x-ray and scan reports
• smoking history
• spirometry, if available