Surgical

  • 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

    Timeframe brackets

    0–3 months

    4–6 months

    7–12 months

    13–24 months

    25+ months

    *Timeframes are a guide only


  • Allied Health Medicine

    Burns

    Burns Clinic 0–3 months
    Burns Laser Clinic 0–3 months
    Burns Physiotherapy Clinic 0–3 months

    Cardiac surgery

    Cardiac surgery 25+ months

    Cardiology

    Cardiology 25+ months
    Cardiology Heart Failure 13–24 months
    Cardiology Hypertension 4–6 months
    Cardiology Regional 25+ months

    Dental

    Dental 7–12 months
    Cleft Palete 4–6 months

    Ear Nose and Throat

    Cleft Palete 7–12 months
    ENT Cleft Lip and Palate 7–12 months
    ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) 25+ months
    ENT OSA 4–6 months
    ENT Otology 7–12 months
    ENT Upper Airways Cons 13–24 months
    ENT Voice 4–6 months
    Laryngology 25+ months

    Gastroenterology

    Gatroenterology 25+ months
    Gastroenterology Clinical Nutrition 13–24 months
    Gastroenterology Coeliac 4–6 months
    Gastroenterology IBD Nurse 0–3 months
    Gastroenterology Polyp 4–6 months
    Gatroenterology Imflamatory Bowel 0–3 months
    OA Gastroenterology 0–3 months

    Gynaecology

    Dermatology Gynaecology 4–6 months
    Gynaecology 13–24 months

    Hepatobiliary

    Liver 4–6 months
    Liver Transplant 0–3 months

    Neurosurgery

    Neurosurgery Consult 0–3 months
    Neurosurgery 7–12 months
    Trauma Follow-up 0–3 months

    Ophthalmology

    Electrodiagnostic Testing Eye Clinic 0–3 months
    General Eye Clinic 25+ months
    Genetic Eye Clinic 4–6 months
    Oculoplastic Eye Clinic 0–3 months
    Orthoptic Clinic 7–12 months

    Orthopaedics

    Limb Deficiency 0–3 months
    OAC 7–12 months
    OAC Club Foot 7–12 months
    OAC Spine 7–12 months
    Orthopaedics 13–24 months
    Orthopaedics Cerebral Palsy 0–3 months
    Orthopaedics Limb Reconstruction 7–12 months
    Orthopaedics Spina Bifida 0–3 months
    Orthopaedics Spine 13–24 months

    Paediatric Surgery

    Complex Paediatric Surgery 7–12 months
    Paediatric Surgery 25+ months
    Paediatric Surgery Colorectal 13–24 months
    Paediatric Surgery Thoracic (Chest Wall) 25+ months

    Plastics and Maxillofacial

    Cleft Palete 25+ months
    Plastic Surgery 25+ months
    Plastic Surgery Brachial Plexus 0–3 months
    Plastic Surgery Counselling 13–24 months
    Plastic Surgery Craniofacial and Microtia 7–12 months
    Plastic Surgery Facial Palsy 7–12 months
    Plastic Surgery Hand and Micro Surgery 25+ months
    Plastic Surgery Neuropsychology 4–6 months
    Plastic Surgery Oral and Maxillofacial 25+ months
    Vascular Anomalies 13–24 months

    Urology

    Urology 25+ months
    Urology Spina Bifida 0–3 months


    Updated October 2025