Outpatients
Where clinically appropriate, outpatient appointments are being provided virtually via telephone or video call. Read more below in 'Virtual outpatient appointments'.
Depending on your clinical condition, you may have a combination of in-person and virtual appointments. The hospital will contact you to advise of any change to your appointment.
The location section of your appointment letter details whether your appointment will be virtual or in person at the hospital. If the appointment location listed is an outpatient clinic, you need to attend the hospital for your appointment.
Virtual outpatient appointments
Where practical, some outpatient appointments are now being delivered by telephone or video call rather than onsite within the hospital.
There are a range of benefits with virtual appointments including not having to travel to hospital and associated travel costs, however not all appointments are suitable to be done virtually. Your clinician will determine if it is appropriate, and you may have a combination of face-to-face and virtual appointments depending on your clinical condition.
Virtual appointments are those conducted by:
- telephone
- video call at home or with your GP
- Avaya
- telehealth at another WA Health site.
For telephone appointments
Your clinician will call you:
- between 8am and 12noon for a morning appointment, or
- between 1pm and 5pm for an afternoon appointment.
If you have a scheduled telephone appointment you will receive a call from an unknown number. If you miss our call/s, contact the number on your appointment letter/SMS to reschedule.
For video appointments
You will receive a link via SMS (text message) or email before your appointment.
Click on that link 10 minutes before your appointment to join the clinic’s virtual waiting area.
If you would like to have your appointment virtually
Please:
- discuss with your GP or referring specialist
- discuss with your clinician during your appointment
- talk to your clinic clerk
- contact FSH Outpatient Enquiries on 6152 5100.
How to manage your appointment
Use the Manage My Care app
The Manage My Care app gives you and those you care for more access to outpatient appointment and referral information than ever before at a number of metropolitan hospitals.
Key features include:
- easily see your outpatient appointments and referrals 24/7
- update your contact details (e.g. address and phone numbers)
- request to reschedule, confirm or cancel upcoming outpatient appointments for select specialties
- access information about your appointment and hospital visit.
Create a Manage My Care account (Healthy WA).
If you can't use the Manage My Care app
Change an appointment
If you are unable to attend your appointment, follow the directions outlined in your appointment letter or SMS reminder or phone Outpatient Direct (Healthy WA) on 1300 855 275.
Can’t make your appointment?
If you can’t make it to your scheduled appointment for whatever reason, it’s important to let us know as soon as possible.
The hospital misses out on funding for every missed appointment. It also means other people have to wait longer for an appointment.
To let us know you can’t make it to your appointment, you can call either:
- Outpatient Direct on 1300 855 275, or
- number in your appointment letter or SMS.
Update your contact details
Let us know if any of your contact details have changed (address, telephone number) to make sure you receive our communications by:
About our outpatient clinics
Outpatient clinics and services provide health care to patients who do not require admission to hospital.
These services allow for examination or treatment as well as the provision of care for patients with complex or chronic conditions who benefit from a multidisciplinary approach.
Services are provided by a range of healthcare professionals including medical, nursing and allied health staff. You may see these healthcare professionals together or separately depending on your needs. We may also need to refer you to other hospital services.
Referrals and appointments
An outpatient appointment is made after your General Practitioner (GP) or specialist refers you for treatment, or if you need further treatment after being discharged from hospital.
Information about your outpatient clinic appointment will be sent to you by letter. Most clinics also send an SMS reminder to your mobile phone in the week before your appointment.
Sometimes the hospital will contact you by phone. This is usually when your appointment is in less than 7 days.
Please do not attend your outpatient appointment if you have any of the following symptoms:
- flu or COVID-19 like symptoms, such as fever, cough or a sore throat
- sudden onset of vomiting and diarrhoea
- generalised unexplained rash.
You should visit your GP and reschedule your clinic appointment.
If your condition gets worse before your appointment
Please see your General Practitioner (GP) if your condition gets worse before your specialist appointment or in between appointments.
Your GP will be able to contact medical staff at the hospital for advice or can help you decide if you should go to the emergency department.
What should I bring?
Please bring:
- your outpatient letter – please hand this to the receptionist
- any relevant x-rays or laboratory results
- any aids you may require (spectacles, hearing aids etc)
- Medicare card
- Healthcare card
- Repatriation benefits card
- immunisation records
- a list of any questions you want to ask the specialist.
Patients are also advised that wait times for outpatient appointments can vary.
Getting here
There are a number of ways to access FH, including: