Department of Health

Key messages

  • Different paediatric orthopaedic services offer varied levels of care.
  • This allows an integrated approach to providing care.

The service delineation framework for paediatric orthopaedic care in Victoria defines roles and responsibilities for services that offer different levels of paediatric orthopaedic care. This allows for a systematised and integrated approach to providing paediatric orthopaedic services across Victoria.

Each level of care provides specific types of services within the catchment. Level 1 and 2 sites, as well as primary care providers such as general practitioners, make referrals to Level 3-5 sites for specialist care.

  • Sunshine Hospital and Geelong Hospital are Level 3 sites.
  • Monash Medical Centre is a Level 4 site
  • Royal Children’s Hospital is a Level 5 site.

Level 1

Primary care only (emergency care for minor musculoskeletal injuries).

Level 2

Primary and secondary services related to uncomplicated paediatric orthopaedic trauma.

Level 3

Primary, secondary and limited tertiary specialist paediatric orthopaedic services for emergency and general paediatric orthopaedic elective presentations.

Level 4

Comprehensive primary, secondary and tertiary specialist paediatric orthopaedic services for emergency and paediatric orthopaedic elective presentations.

Level 4 services have a statewide role in certain specialised elective orthopaedic procedures in collaboration with Level 5.

Level 5

Full spectrum of primary, secondary and tertiary specialist paediatric orthopaedic services.

Level 5 services have a statewide role for major trauma and low-volume, high-complexity paediatric orthopaedic services, for example:

  • scoliosis surgery
  • orthopaedic oncology
  • managing congenital limb deficiencies.

Reviewed 05 October 2015

Health.vic

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