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 Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) Upper Gastrointestinal (UGI) Service has surgical units at Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) and The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (TQEH). Both units perform many complex open and laparoscopic surgical interventions, also have state-of-the-art endoscopic services and run a recognised laboratory for functional studies of the oesophagus.
All cases of upper gastrointestinal malignancy are discussed in the weekly state-based multidisciplinary meeting. The units have close functional links with the gastroenterology, radiology and oncology units.
RAH UGI surgery unit provides specialised assessment and surgical care of patients with problems of the upper gastrointestinal tract, including diseases of the oesophagus and stomach (bariatric procedures are offered in patients who meet criteria as well), in addition to meeting the community needs for patients with general surgical problems. This applies to both acute inpatient and outpatient care settings.
For more information please view the following:
- Upper gastrointestinal surgery outpatient service in CALHN web page - outpatients
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at RAH private web page
UGI and bariatric surgery
Clinics are held for patients with general surgical problems as well as for specific UGI diseases and obesity-related problems. TQEH surgical unit holds clinics for patients with hepatobiliary (HPB) problems.
Clinics at the RAH:
- General surgery and UGI (Monday and Friday)
- Rapid access clinics for cancers (Monday and Friday)
- Bariatric Clinic (Thursday once monthly)
GP patient referral process
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/Fellow to discuss the case.
- CALHN Upper GI service information triage referral guidelines (PDF 234 KB)
- CALHN Acceptance guidelines for bariatric surgery (PDF 137KB)
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/Fellow on call on (08) 7074 0000.
To make a referral at RAH:
- Fax: (08) 7074 6247
- Telephone: 1300 153 853
Discharge guidelines and information
Patients whose surgical condition has stabilised or resolved and for whom no further appointment has been made will be formally discharged. If surgical 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.