Information for General Practitioner (GP)

All bookings for Antenatal Care at the Royal Hospital for Women are via Electronic Referral (eReferral). 

For more information regarding eReferral please click here 

Before you refer a pregnant woman to RHW please ensure you: 

• Confirm the pregnancy (preferably by ultrasound).
• Organise routine blood tests.
• Discuss genetic screening options.

RHW Advice Line for Antenatal Shared Care GPs please call the Birth Unit on 02 9382 6100 or 02 9382 6116

The types of calls we are expecting on the GP advice line are those that require specialist clinical advice and not calls about unstable patients or emergency situations.

• Urgent obstetric / medical advice Delivery Suite 02 9382 6100 or 0439 869 035
• 8am–4.30pm Weekdays, for non-urgent clinical questions contact the GP Shared Care Liaison Midwife on 0417 995 153
• 8am-4.30pm Weekdays, for more complex obstetric/medical advice from the GP Shared Care O&G registrar, call RHW Switch on 9382 6111 and ask to speak to Team 2 / Green Obstetrics registrars for Drs Coogan, Fay, Lee and Owen. 
• After-hours and weekends 02 9382 6111 and ask switch to page the O & G Registrar, if not available then page the Nursing Supervisor on 44020.

If the registrar is unavailable then please ask switch to page the nursing supervisor.

The nursing supervisor will take your message and identify an appropriate staff member to answer your question as soon as possible

Early Pregnancy Assessment Service (EPAS)

If you need advice for women who are less than 20 weeks pregnant, bleeding or have pain and you wish your patient to be reviewed by the Early Pregnancy Assessment Service (EPAS) call 02 9382 6111 and page 46520, or if out of hours page the Nursing Supervisor on 44020.

This is an appointment only service and you will need to provide a referral.

Refer women to the Prince of Wales Emergency Department if clinically indicated.

Pregnancy Day Stay

Your patient should be greater than 20 weeks pregnant and indication for referral includes: IUGR, hypertension, spontaneous rupture of membranes (preterm-term), ambulatory BP monitoring, cholestasis, diabetes, hyperemesis* or if generally concerned.  This is an appointment only service and you will need to provide a referral

Please call  02 9382 6417 

*For initial presentation of hyperemesis please advise your patient to attend POW Emergency Department for assessment, notify the RHW gynaecology resident via switch as this assists with your patient being seen quickly. For subsequent management the patient will be seen in PDS.

Late diagnosis of pregnancy

If a woman presents late, perform routine screening and arrange an antenatal booking appointment ASAP. Contact the GP Shared Care Liaison Midwife on 0417 995 153 (8am-4.30pm). 

Refer to the genetic counselling clinical business rule for advice on genetic screening options. To contact the genetic counselling department call 9382 6098. 

Eligibility 

To be eligible to be a member of the Antenatal Shared Care Program for Royal Hospital for Women the GP must:

• Be known to Central and Eastern Sydney PHN (CESPHN)
• Fulfil the requirements for affiliation

Affiliation 

GPs wishing to practice Antenatal Shared Care need to be affiliated in the program. 
 
Affiliation for ANSC requires:

• Satisfying the current requirements of SESLHD for appointment as an affiliated General Practitioner at the RHW
• Attendance at a RHW and CESPHN Antenatal Shared Care Program affiliation course
• 12 POINTS of endorsed Antenatal Shared Care educational activities for each triennium.  CESPHN and RHW will monitor the number points achieved by each GP.  CESPHN will record the names of the GPs attending the activities they run, but if GPs attend an activity run by another PHN, GPs must inform CESPHN so the points can be recorded

Quality Assurance

Quality assurance activities will be conducted periodically by CESPHN and RHW

Application Forms for GP ANSC at the RHW can be downloaded from the RHW web site, please contact GP liaison at the RHW for further details 02 9382 6016 or 0417 995  153

Royal Hospital for Women is committed to providing regular and comprehensive educational events to support GPs providing ANSC, which attract both ANSC and RACGP category 1 and 2 points.

Royal Hospital for Women provides the following :

• Clinical Placements for GPs in Obstetrics and Neonatology.  Spaces are limited to five GPs per session.
   
• Hosts biannual Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonatal updates.  To book contact Royal Hospital for Women or CESPHN  www.cesphn.org.au 
   
• Antenatal Shared Care Program affiliation course Clinical tutorials are held throughout the year.  Details are available at CESPHN  www.cesphn.org.au 

General   

GP ANSC protocol summary

GP Antenatal Shared Care Guidelines

Eastern Suburbs PlayGroup : 1800 171 882

Child and Family Health Centres provide a free service to parents of children from 0-5 years. They provide mothercraft advice, counselling for the parents and to monitor the growth and development of babies and toddlers.

For first appointment phone 02 9382 0933
(For services outside Eastern Sydney see the White Pages)

Psychiatric services

• EDS Template

Crisis Team Triage Number         1800 011 511  

St Vincent’s O’Brien Centre         02 8382 1300  

RHW Clinical Midwife Consultant Perinatal Mental Health  0457 733 554

Parenting Telephone Helplines (Telephone support for parents)

Pregnancy

The Australian Government

• Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council 2012, Clinical Practice Guidelines: Antenatal Care – Module 1. Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, Canberra.

NSW Ministry of Health

• NSW Ministry of Health has produced number of publications that provide pregnant women with advice on all aspects of pregnancy.
• Thinking of Having a Baby - Planning pregnancy and becoming pregnant.
• Having a Baby - This is given to all women who receive care at a public maternity unit.
• Early Pregnancy - When things go wrong.
• These documents can be sourced from The Better Health Centre on 02 9887 5450 or e-mail bhnc@nsccahs.health.nsw.gov.au or by downloading them at: http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/pubs/a-z/a.asp

Non English Pregnancy Resources

• See the Royal Hospital for Women's Cross Cultural Worker in Maternity & Child & Family Health Services page for information on how you can access cross-cultural services at RHW.

• Pregnancy and Parenting resources are also available in other languages and can be sourced at http://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/ (under Publications and Resources)

Baby Hearing and Child Health

• SWIS-H publications to help inform families about the program have been developed, these are:
  • Why does my baby need a hearing check
  • Why does my baby need a repeat hearing test
  • Hearing loss and your baby – the next steps  
• Can be sourced at: http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/topics/child_health.asp
• A brochure titled Hearing Loss is available in seven community languages:   http://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/topics/hearing_loss  
• Other useful Publications and Factsheets from NSW Health: www.health.nsw.gov.au/pubs/main_index.asp

Infectious Diseases

Hepatitis B

• A brochure B positive – All you wanted to know about Hepatitis B: a guide for primary care providers
  • http://www.ashm.org.au/
  • www.hepatitisaustralia.com
• For links to State Hepatitis Councils and information for people affected by Hepatitis B and C and those who work to support them: www.hepatitisc.org.au
• NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service. Resources are available by topic and language

Herpes

• www.ahmf.com.au
• Australian Herpes Management forum

HIV

• See the ASHM website for a comprehensive directory of health services relating to HIV, viral hepatitis and related areas.
• Pamphlets and brochures for clients as well as information provided through the website or helpline. The helpline can also assist in locating clients’ nearest service.

Gastroenterology

• The Gastroenterological Society of Australia – Patient Factsheets in multiple languages.