Cognitive Disorders Clinic - Information for Health Professionals

Our clinics are located in the Adult Outpatient Department, Level 2, Campus Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick. Phone: (02) 9382 0400.

Clinic Name	Clinic Day	Clinic Time
Cognitive Disorders Clinic	Thursday	9.00am-1.00pm

Our team includes Geriatricians, Advanced Trainees, Clinical Nurse Consultants and administration staff. 

Full Name	Subspecialty
Dr Thi Yen Hill	Geriatrician
Dr Stephanie Ward	Geriatrician

Inclusion criteria 

We accept patients who are: 

• Aged ≥60 years
• Residing in the Prince of Wales catchment area
• Willing and able to attend appointments
• Diagnosed with suspected dementia
• Diagnosed with dementia, with complications requiring specialist input (e.g. BPSD, safety concerns).

Exclusion criteria 

We do not accept patients who are:

• Aged <60 (refer to neurologist)
• Residing outside the Prince of Wales catchment area (refer to War Memorial, RPA or St George Hospital)
• Presenting with: 
  • Atypical symptoms
  • Rapid Decline
  • Prominent neurological symptoms (refer to neurologist)
  • Prominent Psychiatric symptoms (refer to Old Age Psychiatry or Neuropsychiatry)
• Cognitively impaired due to Traumatic Brain Injury, unless there is an overlay of geriatric syndromes and issues 
• Referred primarily for assessment of testamentary capacity, unless in the context of safety issues related to dementia
• Referred primarily to access neuropsychology
• Diagnosed with dementia, with no current requirement for further specialist input
• Displaying cognitive symptoms that may be due to something other than dementia (e.g. delirium, brain tumour).

If your patient is eligible for treatment, please use this referral form. Fax the referral form to (02) 9382 4241.

All mandatory information must be complete. The referral form ensures that you do not miss any mandatory information to enable a timely and appropriate referral.

Mandatory information for public and private referrals

You may receive a fax requesting a review of your referral if any of the following information is missing:

• Patient details, including full name, date of birth, phone number and Medicare number
• Consultant name (for private referrals)
• Clinic name 
• Next of kin details
• Reason for referral 
• Diagnosis 
• Clinical urgency
• Results from investigations.

Please ensure the following tests are completed prior to your patient's initial appointment:

• Blood tests (FBC, EUC, LFT, CMP, B12/folate, TFT, fasting glucose), if none within the last 6 months.
• Brain imaging (CT or MRI), if none within the last 12 months.

Private referrals (bulk-billed through Medicare)

All patients have the right to choose to be treated as a public or private patient for outpatient attendances. If your patient chooses to be treated privately and bulk-billed through Medicare, your referral must meet the following criteria:

• You must address the referral to one Consultant from our Specialist team, not the hospital, clinic, outpatient department or JMO
• You must sign and date the referral, and include your provider number and practice address
• You must state the period of referral in months, or refer “indefinitely”
• You must provide this referral on or prior to the appointment date.

We cannot process your referral if it does not meet the above criteria prior to your patient's initial appointment.

Your patient can choose to amend your referral on the day of their initial appointment. If you provide a private referral that is addressed to a Consultant, your patient may choose to: 

• Seek treatment from another provider within our team and change the Consultant's name on the referral themselves, or
• Decide to be treated as a public patient for their initial appointment, for which the private referral will be valid.

Please note that it is also inappropriate for our administration team to recommend a Consultant for your patient. We have listed the names and specialties of our Consultants above to help you decide on the most appropriate practitioner. 

Who will contact your patient to schedule an appointment?

We will notify your patient and/or their carer by phone, once we have received your referral. We will also send your patient a confirmation letter via post.  

We will send your patient a phone and/or SMS reminder 5 days before their appointment. 

Usual wait times may vary. A new patient may be seen in up to 3-6 months.

Who can you contact to follow up on a referral? 

You may contact the Aged Care Department on (02) 9382 4252 to follow up on a referral.

What is the process if a patient misses or cancels their appointment?

If your patient needs to change or cancel their appointment, they should phone the Aged Care Department on (02) 9382 4252.

We will contact you if your patient misses or cancels their appointment, with a plan to reschedule as appropriate. 

We are a Medicare service. You must provide a referral that is addressed to one of our Specialist team. Your patient will be bulk-billed.