The Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) provides a specialist service for the diagnosis and management of diseases and conditions affecting the gastrointestinal tract and liver. This includes diseases of the oesophagus, stomach, small and large bowel and the pancreas.
The Department has close functional links with the surgical gastroenterology units: upper gastrointestinal surgery, colorectal and pancreato-biliary to offer comprehensive Gastrointestinal Services.
The liver/hepatology clinic at RAH offers public and private (Medicare bulk billed) services for people with any symptom or disease associated with the liver including management of:
- Hepatitis C
- Hepatitis B
- Abnormal liver function
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Alcoholic liver disease
- Cirrhosis (including scarring of the liver) and complications
- Hepatocellular Carcinoma
- Immune and hereditary liver diseases
- Autoimmune liver disease
- Hemochromatosis
- Iron deficiency anaemia
- Fibroscan clinic
Services are also provided to patients referred from rural and remote areas via virtual clinics/telemedicine.
For more information please view the following:
- Liver and hepatology outpatient service in CALHN web page - outpatients
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at RAH private web page
Appointment location at RAH
Outpatient Department, Level 3F, Wing 4
RAH, Port Road SA 5000
Please refer to the outpatient map below and present to your designated clinic on the day of your appointment.
Clinics at RAH
- Clinics operate Monday and Friday for patients with various liver diseases
- Nurse Led clinic for fibroscan operate Tuesday morning and a Hepatitis C clinic on Monday afternoon
Refer your patient
Fax referral to us
We accept GP and specialist referrals to this service.
All referrals are triaged by the service according to clinical urgency. Patients who are unstable and requiring immediate assessment should be sent directly to the Emergency Department.
To refer your patient, follow the outpatient service information, triage and referral guidelines, complete and fax a referral to us. For urgent referrals, also contact the Registrar to discuss the case.
To ensure appropriate and timely triage, include all demographic and clinical details as well as relevant investigation results.
If you are concerned about any delay of the appointment or if there is any deterioration in your patient’s condition, contact the Registrar on-call via the hospitals' switchboard telephone: (08) 7074 0000 (RAH).
To make a referral
Fax: (08) 7074 6247
Telephone: 1300 153 853
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C treatment can be done without a hospital appointment. CALHN offers support with managing your patient in the community via the two options below:
- Complete the RAH Hepatitis C Remote consultation request (DOCX 90KB) form and fax to: (08) 7074 2194. Alternatively you can send to our outpatient triage fax: (08) 7074 6247 for review. Contact will be made once the form is reviewed and approved by a hepatologist.
- The HealthElink study is a prospective multicentre trial involving tertiary hospitals in South Australia, Northern Territory and Victoria in conjunction with referring GP’s.
HealthElink is a web based platform that will allow you to receive treatment management advice from your tertiary care team in real time. This includes a hepatologist and hepatology nurse consultant. The long term aim of this platform is to enable easier and faster access to specialist care for your patients. If you are interested in this method of consultation please login at http://www.healthelink.com.au
Discharge guidelines and information
Patients whose liver condition has stabilised or resolved and for whom no further appointment has been made will be formally discharged or integrated into a long term management plan. If a liver assessment is required again, a new referral, explaining the reason should be faxed to us.
As only the GP referral is available to the specialist at the time of triage, simply requesting review without providing information about the problem is insufficient and will lead to significant delays in assessing the referral which will most likely be returned to you for more information.
Health Pathways
Health Pathways South Australia is an online portal designed to be used by general practice at the point of care to guide best practice assessment, management and referral of common clinical conditions.