Paediatric surgery registrars at Queensland Children's Hospital/ GCUH can offer telephone advice to rural HHS. In some areas it would be more appropriate to seek initial advice from local paediatric medical service or general surgery services:

• Queensland Children's Hospital: (07) 3068 1111
• GCUH: 1300 744 284

Burns

Paediatric surgery registrars at Queensland Children's Hospital/[CM1] GCUH can offer telephone advice to rural HHS. In some areas it would be more appropriate to seek initial advice from local paediatric medical service or general surgery services:

• Queensland Children's Hospital: 07 3068 1111
• Gold Coast University Hospital: 1300 744 284
• Townsville: 4433 3642 (4433 1111 Nights)

All major burns require emergency management and referral

Catchment areas:

• Mackay region and above, please refer to Townsville Hospital first (07) 4433 1111
• Gold Coast region and in Northern New South Wales down to Grafton, please refer to Gold Coast University Hospital first. Paediatric surgical registrar or on call surgical cover 1300 744 284
• The Pegg Leditschke Children’s Burn Centre (PLCBC), Qld Children's Hospital offers a 24/7 referral service. For a referral coming from regional QLD, an online referral service is available. Criteria for referring to our service is based on the Australian New Zealand Burns Association transfer guidelines for Burns Service referral.

To refer a patient to the Pegg Leditschke Children’s Burns Centre at Queensland Children's Hospital:

• Contact the Burns on call phone via switch (07) 3068 1111
• Fill in the referral form: https://econsult.acclario.com.au/chq/telehealth/burns/
• If advised that the patient can be treated locally, continue to contact Burns on-call phone at each dressing change to update progress and send through photos to the email address CHQ_QCHburns@health.qld.gov.au

Most paediatric patients referred to any of the centers do not require physical attendance at the facility, as treatment can be offered at local facilities

Antenatal & neonatal surgical conditions

• Patients with congenital malformations causing bowel obstruction or respiratory compromise are emergency referrals not outpatients. Resuscitation and safe transfer to tertiary paediatric unit is a priority. Notify neonatal unit or appropriate neonatal/paediatric medical specialist of neonatal/fetal diagnosis as per local protocol.
• Acute neonatal bowel obstruction

Abdominal pain - chronic

• Acute abdominal pain (suspected serious pathology) especially severe pain or peritonitis
• Intussusception
• Hypertrophic pyloric stenosis
• Suspected bowel obstruction with bile stained vomiting
• Suspected malignancy – discuss with on-call paediatric surgical registrar if serious pathology is suspected

Constipation and encopresis

• Acute neonatal bowel obstruction

Enlarged lymph bodes/midline neck swelling

• Acute infective node with no improvement within 48 hours
• Nodes rapidly increasing in size, overlying skin erythema or very tender
• Acute infection not responding to treatment/antibiotics

Facial Masses

• Respiratory compromise or rapidly escalating issues with swallowing

Hernia, hydrocele and testicular conditions

• Irreducible, incarcerated or strangulated inguinal hernia
• Suspected testicular torsion
• Inguinal hernia: If under <52 weeks post conceptual age, call nearest paediatric surgical unit for urgent review
• Acute scrotal pain with or without swelling
• Ambiguous genitalia Paediatric General Medicine/Paediatric Endocrinology (depending on local resources)
• Neonatal bilateral undescended testes are urgent referrals to service

Midline neck swelling

• Respiratory compromise, acute abscess or infection midline neck not responsive to treatment/antibiotics present to emergency

Ovarian Conditions

• Acute ovarian torsion

Penile conditions

• Paraphimosis (when unable to replace foreskin)
• Variations of Sexual Characteristics (previously known as Disorder of sexual development) – refer to paediatric surgeon or paediatric medicine immediately

Perineal conditions

• Severe abdominal pain or peritonitis

Perianal conditions

• Acute abscess causing distress or sepsis

Renal and bladder congenital lesions

• Acute retention
• Poor urinary stream in neonate / suspected valves

Skin and soft tissue masses

• Acute breast infection requiring admission or drainage
• Acute infection - if unresponsive to treatment or acutely unwell from infection
• Acute infection requiring admission or drainage
• Suspected solid paediatric tumours should be urgently referred through local paediatric medical service and/or paediatric oncology services

Stomas and abdominal devices

• Accidental removal of gastrostomy button or ACE tubing – phone on-call paediatric surgical registrar
• Any stomal or abdominal device issues refer to treating hospital

Umbilical and peri umbilical pathology

• Any painful, red, or irreducible hernia – discuss with on-call paediatric surgical registrar
• Suspected vitello-intestinal remnant or patent urachus

Urinary tract infections (UTI)

• Acute infant urinary tract infection presenting septicaemia or acutely unwell
• Hypertension > 97 percentile for age and/or height
• Presumed UTI in infant <3 months

Vascular anomalies/haemangioma

• Obstruction of vision, airway compromise, uncontrolled bleeding, ulceration, suspected kaposiform haemangioendothelioma (KHE) or cardiac output compromise - contact paediatric surgical registrar on call

Vomiting

Phone the on-call surgical registrar for:

• Bile stained vomiting (a surgical emergency)
• Suspected pyloric stenosis usually ≤ 6 weeks of age
• Suspected intussusception approx. 3 months to 3 years age
• Suspected strangulated inguinal hernia/gonadal torsion

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.)