Renal Department

Our Adult Outpatient Department provides appointments with doctors, nurses and allied health professionals for the management of kidney diseases, hypertension and obstetric medical disorders.

You can use our services if you have been referred from the emergency department, a general practitioner or specialist.  You will require a valid referral from your GP (valid 12 months) or specialist (valid 3 months).

We also have an active research program to which you may be invited.

Our team includes;

Nursing staff who help look after wounds, check your blood pressure, measure your height and weight and provide education.  Clinical Nurse Consultants and other senior nurses run many of our clinics and services.

Administration staff who will help you organise your appointments, inform you about what will happen and answer any questions you may have.

Doctors who will assess, treat and help you manage your medical condition.

Physiotherapists who help treat injuries and work with you to develop an exercise plan.

Dieticians provide information and education about nutrition and what to eat to help improve your health.

Monday to Friday

8.00am - 5.00pm

If you will be attending one of our clinics;

  • you will generally need to bring a referral
  • you will be greeted by administration staff
  • you may then be seen by nursing staff, medical staff or allied health staff
  • you may be asked to provide a urine sample if you attend a medical clinic
  • usually a letter will be sent summarising the visit to your referring Dr and GP.

Note that sometimes the clinics run late due to heavy demand so please be patient.

Our services are available to all.  A valid referral from a medical practitioner is required.  For some of our kidney disease clinics we have referral criteria that need to be met before we can see you (your Dr will have these details).

For patients who are not residents of Australia (or ineligible for Medicare), a charge may be applied by the hospital for a clinic attendance.

We provide comprehensive care for patients in the below clinics and services:

  • Chronic kidney disease
  • Obstetric medicine
  • Hypertension
  • Complex transplant management
  • Acute transplant clinic
  • Renal donor assessment clinic
  • Pre-dialysis education clinic
  • Kidney Supportive Care clinics
  • General medicine outreach (Mission Australia Centre)
  • Mission Australia nursing clinics
  • Second weekly mental health

Monday: Acute Transplant, Renal Options, Renal

Tuesday:  Renal, RCS

Wednesday:  Acute Transplant, Renal, BP clinic

Thursday:  Renal

Friday:  Acute Transplant, Dietician, Renal Options

Can I choose the day and time I attend the department for my appointment?

We have medical clinics, allied health clinics and nursing clinics at set times.  We try to find an appointment time that suits you.

Will I always see the same doctor at each visit?

The St George Hospital is a teaching hospital so you will be seen by a specialist doctor or a specialist doctor in training.  You will stay under the care of the specialist doctor but you may see the doctor in training for your appointments.  At some clinics you will see a specialist nurse or allied health staff member.

Who can I bring with me to my appointment?

There is limited seating so please bring along only one support person (for example, a family member, friend, or carer) with you.

You will need a referral letter from your local general practitioner (GP) or specialty doctor to use this service.  Please ask them to write you a referral letter explaining your medical history, relevant test results, X-ray results and what medicines you are taking.

We will then send you a letter in the post with the details of your appointment date, time and location.  If an appointment cannot be made we will send you a letter confirming that you are on the outpatient waiting list for the next available appointment.  Please let us know if your address and/or phone number changes.

If you need to change or cancel your appointment please telephone 02 9113 2622.

Waiting times for an appointment are different for each specialty and depends on the seriousness of your medical condition.

The department is busy and there may be delays when you arrive for your appointment.  Most people are seen within 1 to 3 hours.  We ask that you arrive at your allocated appointment time to prevent having to wait longer.

Appointment Reminders

If we have your mobile phone number in our system you will receive an automated text message reminding you of your appointment date and time 3 days before your appointment.

  • Current Medicare card of Veterans Affairs card.
  • Any Health Care card, Pensioner Concession card or Commonwealth Seniors Health Care card.
  • Insurer details (eg workers compensation, public liability or third party).
  • Your private health fund membership card if you are currently insured with a private health fund.
  • Recent X-rays or medical images and their reports, if applicable.
  • Activities to keep you entertained while waiting (for example, a book, music player with headphones, crosswords).  There is also a television and magazines available in the waiting area.
  • If you have any particular medical needs we suggest you come prepared (for example, bring your medicines, if you are diabetic please bring food).
  • To avoid missing your appointment we suggest you collect refreshments from the cafes located in the foyer of the hospital before checking in.  If you need to leave the waiting area for any reason please inform staff at the reception desk.

Our website can be found at https://www.stgrenal.org.au

where we have information for patients and referrers.

We are a teaching hospital and you may be asked to be involved in research or for a student to be present at your appointment.  You have a right to say no.  If you do so, this will not impact in any way on the services we will provide.

Please let us know if you need an interpreter.  You can contact us by telephoning the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) on 131 450.  Tell the operator what language you speak and then ask the interpreter to set up a telephone conversation between you, an interpreter and the healthcare professional you want to speak with.