The Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) hand and upper limb outpatient clinics (part of the RAH Orthopaedic Unit) provide assessment and treatment services for patients living in the Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) area who have experienced some form of hand or upper limb trauma or chronic hand or upper limb disorders. Services are also provided to patients referred from rural and remote areas.
Services include:
- Diagnosis and management of various hand and upper limb disorders
- Post-operative reviews
- Inpatient consultations and admission
- Virtual clinics
For more information please view the Orthopaedic clinic - Hand and upper limb outpatient service in CALHN web page.
RAH outpatient appointment location
Outpatient Department, Level 3G. Royal Adelaide Hospital Port Road SA 5000
Clinic times
RAH clinics operate weekly on a Friday morning.
Consultant
Dr Jakub Jagiello is a consultant orthopaedic surgeon working at the RAH, Womens and Children’s Hospital and Flinders Medical Centre; as part of the The South Australian Sarcoma and Bone Tumour Unit. His specialist interest include the treatment of arthritis and degenerative joint disease including hip and knee replacement surgery, cartilage injury, together with all aspects of revision surgery.
Other specialist interests include bone and soft tissue sarcoma, together with metastatic cancer surgery. The team strive to deliver the highest standard of modern orthopaedic care, from consultation through to surgery and rehabilitation.
The unit deals with some of the most complex cases of bone and soft tissue tumours as well as complex revision joint surgery; they are recognised nationally and internationally for achieving the best patient outcomes, developing and implementing new treatment strategies and continued translational research.
Referrals to RAH
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 orthopaedic 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 on (08) 7074 0000.
Clinical features indicative or potentially serious pathology
- Swelling, erythema, marked reduction in range of motion of a joint (septic arthritis)
- Acute deformity following recent trauma including dislocation
To make a referral:
Fax: (08) 7074 6247
Telephone: 1300 153 853
Non-urgent referrals will be allocated to the next available appointment. Non-urgent referrals will incur a wait. The waiting time for appointment will vary and be dependent on the demand for this service and the medical urgency of the patient’s condition.
Hand and upper limb problems not considered high priority (see related resources below for eligibility and referral criteria) may wait a longer time for an appointment. Please consider other options and do not refer to multiple providers regarding the same presenting complaint.
Referrals unlikely to be offered an appointment
Hand and upper limb clinics do not provide second opinions for patients already under the care of other orthopaedic surgeons. Transfer of care from another specialist may be accepted.
Referrals from other outpatient clinics in the RAH may not be accepted unless specific hand and upper limb input is required for the condition for which the patient is already attending a hospital outpatient clinic.
Consultants and registrars of other clinics should consider whether incidental non-threatening musculoskeletal problems could be managed by a patient’s general practitioner and whether the problem merits specialist resources.
Alternate care options / health information for low priority
Not all patients with hand and upper limb conditions can be offered appointments in CALHN clinics.
In most cases, the key to appropriate management is a detailed history and examination. Options for obtaining further information regarding various upper limb conditions and to provide guidance for assessment, investigations and management are listed in heath pathways.
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.