Chronic Heart Failure
Adult

On this page

Emergency Referrals

Useful Management Information

This time-limited service is for adults living in the Gold Coast catchment area, aged over 18 years who require specialist intervention for chronic heart failure
Clients referred must have a confirmed diagnosis of chronic heart failure (on Echocardiogram within the last 12 months)
The heart failure medication titration clinic can only be accessed by clients who have a confirmed diagnosis of chronic heart failure and who are managed by a public Gold Coast Cardiologist
The heart failure service offers a heart failure exercise & education program plus multidisciplinary input for eligible clients
If the diagnosis has not been investigated or confirmed please refer to Cardiology

Minimum Referral Criteria

Does your patient meet the minimum referral criteria?

Category 1 (Contact within 1-2 working days)	NYHA Class III-IV symptoms Recent hospital admission with decompensated heart failure & identified as high risk of readmission related to heart failure symptoms Transfer of care from Hospital in the Home
Category 2 (Contact within 3-5 working days)	NYHA Class II-III symptoms Recent hospital admission with decompensated heart failure Limited understanding of condition Culturally and linguistically diverse background Poor compliance with medications and diet Limited support at home Multiple co-morbidities
Category 3 (Contact within 6-14 working days)	NYHA Class I-II symptoms Adequate understanding of condition Ability to follow medication and dietary guidelines No admissions for decompensated heart failure within past 6-12 months Adequate social support Regular contact with GP
Category 4 (Contact within 15-24 working days)	Referrals from private Cardiologists and out-patients department for heart failure medication titration clinic, multidisciplinary input, education and exercise
If your patient does not meet the minimum referral criteria Assessment and management information may be found on a range of conditions at HealthPathways If the patient does not meet the criteria for referral but the referring practitioner believes the patient requires specialist review, a clinical override may be requested: Please explain why (e.g. warning signs or symptoms, clinical modifiers, uncertain about diagnosis, etc.) Please note that your referral may not be accepted or may be redirected to another service

Standard Referral Information

Reason for request

To establish a diagnosis
For treatment or intervention
For advice and management
For specialist to take over management
Reassurance for GP/second opinion
For a specified test/investigation the GP can't order, or the patient can't afford or access
Reassurance for the patient/family
For other reason (e.g. rapidly accelerating disease progression)
Clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary

Relevant clinical information about the condition

Presenting symptoms (evolution and duration)
Physical findings
Details of previous treatment (including systemic and topical medications prescribed) including the course and outcome of the treatment
All conservative options that have been pursued unsuccessfully prior to referral
Body mass index (BMI)
Details of any associated medical conditions which may affect the condition or its treatment (e.g. diabetes), noting these must be stable and controlled prior to referral
Any special care requirements where relevant (e.g tracheostomy in place, oxygen required)
Current medications and dosages
Drug allergies
Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs use

Patient's Demographic Details

Full name (including aliases)
Date and country of birth
Residential and postal address including whether patient resides at an aged care facility
Telephone contact number/s – home, mobile and alternative
Medicare number (where eligible)
Name of the parent or caregiver (if appropriate)
Name of delegate and contact details (Department of Corrective Services)
Preferred language and interpreter requirements
Identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Any special needs, access requirements and/or disability relevant to the referral

Referring Practitioner Details

Full name
Full address
Contact details – telephone, fax, email
Provider number
Date of referral
Signature
Nominated general practitioner’s details (if known), if the nominated general practitioner is different from the referring practitioner

Other relevant information

Willingness to have surgery (where surgery is a likely intervention)
Choice to be treated as a public or private patient
Compensable status (e.g. DVA, Work Cover, Motor Vehicle Insurance, etc.)

Essential Referral Information

A confirmed diagnosis of chronic heart failure (confirmed by Echocardiogram in the past 12 months):
- Heart Failure reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF)
- Heart Failure preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF)
- Heart failure with associated valvular disease
- Isolated right heart failure (e.g. cor pulmonale)
- Pulmonary Hypertension secondary to left heart disease under the care of a Cardiologist Community Heart Failure Service

Please provide the following investigations with the referral

Echocardiogram within the last 12 months
A recent ECG (if available)
A recent chest X-ray report (if available)
FBC, iron studies, BNP, eLFT, glucose, lipids (if available) within the last 3 months
Other relevant cardiac investigation results (e.g., coronary angiogram, myocardial perfusion scan, cardiac MRI)

Additional Referral Information

A recent ECG (if available)
A recent chest X-ray report (if available)
FBC, iron studies, BNP, eLFT, glucose, lipids (if available) within the last 3 months
Other relevant cardiac investigation results (e.g., coronary angiogram, myocardial perfusion scan, cardiac MRI)

Send Referrals To

Smart Referrals

Preferred Method
About Smart Referrals

Secure Web Transfer

Send to: Gold Coast Health Service District

Internal Referrals

Not Available

Fax

(07) 5687 4497

Post

Central Intake Unit
Robina Health Precinct
Level 4, 2 Campus Crescent
Robina QLD 4226

Enquiries

1300 559 083

Related HealthPathways

No directly related pathways found

HealthPathways home page

Service Availability

Facilities

Helensvale Community Health Centre

Robina Health Precinct

If you would like to send a named referral, please address it to the specialist listed above, who will allocate a suitably qualified specialist to see the patient. Alternatively, you can view a full list of our specialists.

Chronic Heart FailureAdult