New Referrals
New Referrals
Hunter ENT receives a high volume of referrals, and appointment availability is often in high demand.
Our specialists each have areas of particular expertise. At times, some doctors may be fully booked and temporarily unable to accept new referrals.
Where appropriate, we may offer you an appointment with another suitable specialist, GP (with direct access to specialists’ operating lists) or specialty clinic, or allied health practitioner within our practice to help ensure timely access to care.
If our current wait times are unlikely to meet the expected clinical timeframe for your condition, we may recommend that you consider seeking an alternative ENT specialist who is able to see you sooner (you don’t need a new referral for this, even if your referral is addressed to a Hunter ENT specialist). This recommendation is always made in the best interests of your care and to ensure you receive assessment and treatment without unnecessary delay.
We are committed to processing referrals as efficiently as possible and offering appointments at the earliest available opportunity. We also work hard to minimise missed appointments so that available consultation times can be used productively to care for all patients, particularly children and those requiring urgent assessment.
Once we have received your referral, one of our specialists may require further tests to be done. This may be either to appropriately prioritise your appointment, or to allow you to have this information available at your appointment. Our administrative staff will contact you with the appropriate request forms for this if it is required. Having the appropriate test results available helps to reduce the number of visits you may need, and reduce the time from initial assessment to effective treatment.
What to Bring to Your Appointment
To help us provide the best possible care, please bring the following to your appointment:
- Your referral letter (if you have not already provided it).
- Your Medicare card.
- Your private health insurance details (if applicable or if you have not already provided them).
- Any concession or pension cards (if applicable).
- Relevant test results, including hearing tests, imaging (CT, MRI or X-rays), pathology results, or specialist reports that have not already been sent to us.
- A method of payment for any consultation fees payable on the day, as Hunter ENT is a private practice. We accept cash, EFTPOS, Visa and Mastercard.
If you require an interpreter or assistance, please let our team know before your visit so we can make the appropriate arrangements.
If you are unable to attend your appointment, please notify us as soon as possible so we can offer your appointment time to another patient awaiting care.
Submit Your Referral
Please upload your referral using the secure form below.
To help us process your referral as quickly as possible, please ensure the referral includes:
- The patient's current contact details, including a mobile phone number.
- Medicare details (where applicable).
- Private health insurance details or, for patients under 18 years of age, the parent or guardian's health fund details (if applicable).
- Relevant clinical information, including any recent investigation results or reports.
Once your referral has been received, it will be reviewed and triaged by one of our associates . Depending on the clinical urgency of the referral, it may take approximately 4–6 weeks for Hunter ENT to contact you regarding an appointment.
Urgent referrals are prioritised and reviewed as quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience while we ensure all referrals are assessed according to clinical need.
