Interdisciplinary Persistent Pain CentreOutpatient Service
Urgent Referrals
- To discuss an urgent referral or gain urgent advice, please contact the service during business hours on 5668 6825.
- Outside of these hours, please call through switchboard 1300 744 284 or our GP Enquiry Line 5687 0003.
Are you referring to the right service?
- For Paediatric Referrals please refer to Queensland Children’s Hospital Persistent Pain Service.
- Referrals for this service are only accepted from General Practitioners.
- This service has an extended catchment area inclusive of the following Hospital and Health Service Districts: Gold Coast, Darling Downs, West Moreton, South-West and Northern Rivers to Coffs Harbour in NSW.
- Patients accessing this service must have completed all active consultations with any other specialist service (eg. Orthopaedics, Gynaecology, Neurosurgery, Rheumatology, Neurology)
- Patients must have finalised any Insurance and/or Workers compensation claims relating to chronic pain condition.
Conditions
Out of Scope Services
The following conditions are out of scope for this service:
- The following are not routinely provided in a public Persistent Pain Management service.
- Patients who can be well managed in primary care (using appropriate guidelines where necessary).
- Previous Queensland Health Persistent Pain Management Service (PPMS) patients who have not followed management recommendations unless there are extenuating circumstances or new issues.
- Previous Queensland Health PPMS patients who have completed the pain management pathway / programs and for whom no new management approaches are available (within previous 12 months).
- Patients undergoing treatment from other specialist services for the same pain problem without mutual awareness / agreement of cross referral by both teams.
- Patients with untreated and unstable mental health conditions.
- Patients with a cognitive impairment of sufficient severity that would affect the ability to self-manage their condition unless they have a carer that is willing and able to assist with pain management recommendations.
- Patients that have unstable, non-therapeutic drug dependence without concurrent treatment by a drug and alcohol specialist.
- Patients consuming >100mg oral Morphine Equivalent Daily Dose (oMEDD) for longer than 3 months that are not already engaged in an appropriate primary care directed opioid deprescribing program (Patients with long term psychological opioid dependence are less likely to engage with non-pharmacological interventions. Please consider phoning your local PPMS for advice regarding medication optimisation or opioid deprescribing).
- Indefinite referrals are not accepted
Out of Catchment
Gold Coast Health is responsible for providing public health services to the people who reside within its boundaries. Special consideration is made for patients requiring tertiary services or for services that are not provided by their local hospital and health service district. If your patient lives outside the Gold Coast Health catchment area and you wish to refer them to one of our services, please indicate relevant medical or social information that will assist with the processing of your referral.
Notes
Please note that where appropriate and where available, the referral may be streamed to an associated public allied health and/or nursing service. Access to some specific services may include initial assessment and management by associated allied health and/or nursing, which may either facilitate or negate the need to see the public medical specialist.
- A change in patient circumstance (such as condition deteriorating or becoming pregnant) may affect the urgency categorisation and should be communicated as soon as possible.
- Please indicate in the referral if the patient is unable to access mandatory tests or investigations as they incur a cost or are unavailable locally.
- If your patient consents to telehealth, please indicate in the body of the referral.
Patient Must Bring
- Medicare card
- Any concession cards (e.g. Pension, Health Care, DVA, PBS Safety Net, ADF, etc.)
- Current medication list
Send Referrals To
Smart Referrals
Internal Referrals
Fax
Post
Suite 3 Campus Alpha,
2 Investigator Drive
Robina QLD 4226
Enquiries
Service Availability
Facilities
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.