Our Service

A penicillin allergy label leads to worse outcomes from infections, higher rates of multidrug resistant organisms and longer hospital stays.

Antibiotic allergy labels are often incorrect, with 9 out of 10 patients who report a penicillin allergy not actually being allergic on further testing.

We have an Inpatient Antibiotic Allergy program operating on Mondays and an Outpatient Antibiotic Allergy Clinic operating on Thursdays in the Ambulatory Care Unit.

The clinic may be contacted on 9113 2957 during working hours Monday to Friday.

CEC antibiotic allergy
ASCIA - Allergy Testing - fast facts
 

Our Clinic

Any patient with an antibiotic allergy who would like their antibiotic allergy reviewed can be referred for outpatient testing at St George Hospital via GP or specialist referral to Dr Richard Sullivan or Professor Steven Krilis.

A referral form can be found here.

The ASCIA website also has a list of specialists in your area who do allergy testing.

The Antibiotic Allergy Outpatient Testing Clinic operates at the Ambulatory Care Unit on 2 East every Thursday.

The clinic can assess and test any patient with any reported antibiotic allergy.

The clinic can perform antibiotic skin testing and oral challenges, confirm if the antibiotic allergy is true, and determine which antibiotics can be given safely. This provides many more options for infection treatment and surgical prophylaxis in future.

Our Specialist Team

Our vibrant Antibiotic Allergy Team includes Health Professionals who work in both Infectious Diseases and Immunology, involving both doctors and nurses. 

Referral Criteria

Any adult patient reporting any antibiotic allergy, including both recent and distant (e.g., childhood) reactions.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age > 16 years with any reported antibiotic allergy

Exclusion Criteria

• Non-antibiotic allergies 

How to send a referral

Please use this referral form or send a referral letter to Dr Richard Sullivan or Professor Steven Krilis to seslhd-sgh-allergy@health.nsw.gov.au or fax (02) 9113 4058.

Please ensure that all the mandatory information is completed on the form. The referral form ensures that you do not miss any important information to enable a timely and appropriate referral.

Please note the following whilst completing the referral:

• You must address the referral to the Consultant from our Specialist team, not the hospital, clinic, outpatient department or JMO
• The Antibiotic Allergy clinic requires referrals from either a GP or a Specialist medical officer
• You must sign and date the referral, and include your provider number and practice address
• You must provide this referral prior to the appointment date.

Referrals that do not meet the above criteria will not be processed by our team.

A member of our administration team will contact the patient with an appointment date once your referral is received and has been triaged. If you have not heard from anyone from our team by two weeks please call 91132957 to follow up with your referral. 

If an appointment is missed or cancelled, we will call the patient with a plan to reschedule.

Costs for patients and rebates

We are a Medicare service. You must provide a referral that is addressed to our specialist doctor. Your patient will be bulk billed.

What is HiTH?

HiTH is an acute care service that is provided free of charge to patients 18 years and over who reside within the St George area.

This service offers treatment in your home (or an agreed safe location) as a substitution for in hospital care. Treatment may be a combination of home visits, clinic visits (located in main tower ward block, Level 4 North), and/or virtual tele-health appointments.

Benefits of HiTH include, but are not limited to:

• Reduce your stay in hospital or provide a safe alternative to hospital admission
• Reduce risk of infection
• Increase independence
• Increased comfort of being in own home environment

HiTH is a team of Doctors and Nurses with access to Allied Health Professionals like Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Pharmacists if needed.

How can HiTH help you?

The HiTH team will visit you regularly at home or in the clinic. HiTH can help you with:

• Intravenous medications and antibiotics if you have an infection
• Wound Management and/ or drain care
• Blood tests and medication management
• Before and After Surgery care

What to expect if you're a patient on HiTH?

The HiTH Nurses and/or Doctor will visit in person or conduct virtual tele-health as required depending on your treatment plan. HiTH is a 7 day service so can include weekends and public holidays. The nurses will bring all the medical equipment that is needed and will regularly discuss with you the required treatment plans. When the service is no longer needed a discharge summary will be sent to your GP.

Who is eligible for HiTH?

• People over the aged of 18 who would otherwise need to be admitted to hospital
• Have an acute condition, requiring ongoing care, that can't be managed by another community or outpatient service
• Need treatment no more than twice a day
• People who are safe to stay at home, who can take care of themselves or have a carer
• People with reliable access to a telephone

How to make or cancel an appointment with HiTH?

If your Doctor recommends you for the HiTH service, you will be visited on the ward before you go home for your first assessment, or within our HITH clinic. Our staff visiting you will make appointments with you to come see you at home, or have you visit the clinic.

If you need to cancel an appointment, or will no longer be available, please talk to your nurse or contact the HiTH team on 9113 2899 or 0428 359 591. Wherever possible please contact us a few days beforehand so we can make alternative arrangements.

What time are the visits?

The visits are usually between 8:30am and 8:00pm daily. This will be organised for a time that suits both yourself and your required treatment.

What happens if I have an appointment and will not be available for the visit?

If you need to cancel an appointment, or will no longer be available, please talk to your nurse or contact the HiTH team on 9113 2899 or 0428 359 591. Wherever possible please contact us a few days beforehand so we can make alternative arrangements.

What do I do if I feel unwell after hours?

The HiTH service is available to contact 24 hours a day. You will be given a phone number to contact if you are concerned.

If you feel unwell, have chest pain, trouble breathing, uncontrolled bleeding or a fever please call 000 or if able go to the Emergency Department.

Do I need an interpreter?

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.

Loan Devices

We provide short term loans of equipment or devices to help you manage at home and in the community during your treatment with HiTH.

There is no cost for the loan of equipment, however, damages to equipment will be required to be returned to the HiTH Service.

Accessing Loan Devices

The HiTH team will determine if loan devices are right for your treatment in the home and will arrange your devices for you. Medical equipment then is temporarily provided to patients who are receiving care through the HiTH service. These devices or equipment are loaned to the patient for use at home during their treatment and will be returned once the treatment is completed or the patient's condition improves. It is important for patients to access and take part in a wide range of programs that meet their needs. This service will help patients take control of their own health and recovery.

Contact the nurse or contact the HiTH team on 9113 2899 or 0428 359 591 for more information.

Factsheets

• HiTH Brochure - Congestive Heart Failure
• HiTH Brochure - Hyperemesis Gravidarum: Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy
• HiTH Brochure - Intravenous Fluids at Home
• HiTH Brochure - Post Operative Surgical Care
• HiTH Brochure - Pre-Operative Surgical Care

How we can help you

Palliative care can improve symptoms and help you and your family to achieve the best possible quality of life throughout your illness. Help is available to anyone with any life-limiting illness, not only cancer.

We can help you to navigate through our complex care system, ensuring you have the key information you need. We will talk with you about your feelings, values and wishes for your care.

Our aim is to improve your quality of life while you face problems associated with your life-limiting illness. We aim to prevent and relieve your suffering by carefully treating your pain and other problems, be it physical, psychosocial and spiritual.

Palliative care is not just about caring for patients who are dying. The majority of our work is dedicated to improving the control of your symptoms, particularly if you have advanced disease, including advanced cancers. We can also help to make cancer treatment more tolerable. 

If your family members are finding illness difficult to cope with, our team is available to help at any stage of your illness.