Referral information

• All referrals received are clinically triaged by The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) to determine the urgency and timeframe for appointment scheduling
• Most referrals determined to be urgent are scheduled for an appointment within 30 days
• Referrals may be redirected to a more appropriate service as determined by the clinical triage team
• Referrals may be rejected for a range of reasons, including requiring more clinical information, missing patient demographics, service not offered at the RCH, or appropriate alternate care pathways/care closer to home or in the community

Waiting list information. What to do while you are waiting?

• Once a referral has been accepted for care by the RCH, you will receive communication confirming this, including how and where it has been triaged for
• Once the appointment is scheduled, you will be contacted again with information on this
• If the patient's condition changes whilst they are on the waiting list for care, a new referral with updated clinical information can be submitted for review and possible retriaging of urgency

How to interpret this information

• These waiting times are for referrals triaged as non-urgent
• These timings are a guide only
• This page is updated and reviewed every three months
• Referrers – for guidance on submitting referrals for concerns, please see referral guidelines

Updated October 2025