If any of the following are present or suspected, please refer the patient to the emergency department (via ambulance if necessary) or seek emergent medical advice if in a remote region.
- Acute stroke/TIA
- Bilateral limb weakness with or without bladder and/or bowel dysfunction
- Acute rapidly progressive weakness (Guillain-Barre Syndrome, myelopathy)
- Acute onset severe:
- ataxia
- vertigo
- visual loss
- Status epilepticus/epilepsy with Red flags:
- first seizure
- focal deficit post-ictally
- seizure associated with recent trauma
- persistent severe headache > 1 hour post-ictally
- seizure with fever
- Altered level of consciousness
- Headache with Red flags:
- sudden onset/thunderclap headache
- severe headache with signs of systemic illness (fever, neck stiffness, vomiting, confusion, drowsiness)
- first severe headache age > 50 years
- severe headache associated with recent head trauma
- recent onset headaches in young obese females
- Delirium/sudden onset confusion with or without fever
- Acute severe exacerbation of known MS
- For patients with seizures it is recommended that GP clear the patient to drive. Please refer to Ausroads ‘Assessing fitness to drive’ 2016 ( http://www.austroads.com.au/drivers-vehicles/assessing-fitness-to-drive ).
- For Back pain: Please refer patient to orthopaedics
- Dementia in > 50 year old age group: Please consider referral to memory clinic or geriatric clinic
- Vertigo: Please refer patient to ENT
- In some cases, patients treatment may begin at West Moreton health and then transferred to a tertiary facility, i.e. Metro South, for ongoing management and investigations, if unsure where to direct referral please phone 3810 1869 for a referrals nurse.
Conditions not seen at West Moreton Health please refer to Metro South
The following are not routinely provided in a public Neurology service.
- Mild or tension headache
- Untreated headache/migraine
- Dementia without prior assessment by physician or geriatrician
- Syncope (consider cardiology)
- Fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome
- Lyme disease
- Head injury (consider neurosurgery)
- See specific Spine CPC
- Chronic unexplained pain/ pain syndrome
Out of catchment
West Moreton Health is responsible for providing a public health service to people who reside within its catchment area. To appropriately manage demand for service we do not accept referrals from outside this catchment area. If your patient does live outside the West Moreton Health area and it is deemed socially or clinically necessary for their care to be received in the West Moreton Health Service, inclusion of information regarding their particular medical and/or social factors will assist with the triaging of your referral.
Feedback
To provide feedback about contents on this website or general referral questions please email WM-CPC@health.qld.gov.au or phone 3413 7402.