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	Wednesday	1.00 pm - 4.00 pm
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).

Prince of Wales Hospital Outpatient Department is using electronic referrals. eReferrals are electronic SmartForms that can be sent directly to the hospital facility from your practice system or the MyHealthLink Portal. An eReferral is an electronic document that can be sent securely, replacing other methods such as faxing or posting paper referrals. The above solutions enable referrals to be sent, received, and managed electronically. Referrers and patients will also receive notification of referral outcomes.

If your patient is eligible for treatment, please read this information on how to submit your referral. 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.

Please note that it is 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?

Once the eReferral has been received and accepted a notification will be sent to the referrer and patient. Appointment details will be provided via letter to the patient and GP. Patients will receive an SMS reminder 3 days before their appointment. If an appointment cannot be made, we will send patients a letter confirming that they are on the outpatient waiting list for the next available appointment.

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