Information for doctors

In 1994, the NSW Department of Health established guidelines to encourage Area Health Services to distribute specialists' waiting time information to GPs.

This website has been designed to enhance that process. The site will allow GPs and their patients to explore available options to reduce waiting time should the patient need to consult a specialist and undergo booked admission to hospital.

In designing the site, consultation occurred between the Department and, among others, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the Australian Medical Association, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Privacy NSW, the Australian Consumers Association and the NSW Council of Social Service (NCOSS).

Waiting times are only one criterion for selecting specialists to whom you will refer your patients. This site has not been established to influence you to change your referral patterns, but rather to enhance the information you have available (in particular cases) to provide the most appropriate options for your patients.

The present system of general practitioners ringing doctors directly when there are special clinical needs will still be the best way to address specific clinical problems.

It should be noted that where procedures are listed as having been performed by particular doctors, there is no implicit or explicit reference to the current credentialling of doctors to undertake these procedures. Moreover, neither the inclusion nor exclusion of a particular doctor should be interpreted as an indication of his/her experience, interest or expertise in that procedure.

Also note that for a number of reasons, a particular doctor may not be available to perform a particular procedure indicated on this site. It is important to confirm that the doctor in question generally undertakes this particular procedure.

Before going to the waiting time information, you are advised to read Accuracy information in order to understand any limitations of the data.