Key messages
- Each of Victoria’s specialist paediatric orthopaedic services has a referral form and information for outpatients.
- Outpatient appointments are prioritised in order of clinical urgency.
- Waiting times vary, but can sometimes be more than six months.
There are specialist paediatric orthopaedic services, providing outpatient services and clinics at:
- Barwon Health
- Monash Children’s
- The Royal Children’s Hospital
- Western Health.
There is a description of the services available as each service, along with details on referrals.
Barwon Health
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Barwon Health is Victoria’s largest regional health service. It provides high-quality, safe, people-focused care to more than 450,000 people in Geelong and south-western Victoria.
Barwon Health serves a geographically dispersed population through two major sites with 1,016 beds and more than 21 sites stretching from Geelong to Torquay, Anglesea and Lorne.
Health services available through Barwon Health cover the full spectrum from emergency and acute to mental health, primary care, community services, aged care and subacute/rehabilitation.
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Barwon Health provides a range of specialist services for children with conditions such as complicated fractures, talipes, developmental dysplasia of the hip, slipped epiphyses, Perthes disease and spasticity not requiring single-event multi-level surgery.
The paediatric orthopaedic coordinator at Barwon Health is responsible for coordinating paediatric orthopaedic outpatient appointments.
The paediatric orthopaedic coordinator provides a point of contact for all health professionals and parents. This position also involves promoting and coordinating paediatric orthopaedic education in the region.
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Referral form
The Victorian Statewide Referral Form (VSRF) is the preferred referral tool.
Barwon Health has referral templates for:
- DDH (clicky hip) and clubfoot
- orthopaedic outpatients.
These templates can be downloaded from Barwon Health GP Referral
Fax or post all referrals to
Outpatients Department
Geelong Hospital
PO Box 281
Geelong Vic 3220
Fax: (03) 4215 1383
Appointment enquiries
Tel: (03) 4215 1396
GP hotline: (03) 4215 1398 (GPs only)
Paediatric orthopaedic coordinator: 0409 334 744
Urgent referrals: Please contact the orthopaedic on-call registrar on 0434 564 520.
Referral guidelines
See the paediatric orthopaedic referral guidelines in the downloads section of this page for further information about when to refer and what information is required.
Clinic location
Outpatients, Geelong Hospital
Bellerine Street
Geelong Vic 3220
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Name of clinic
Clinic description
Clinic times
Foot clinic
Assessment and treatment of congenital talipes equinovarus and other foot deformities.
Wednesday afternoon
DDH Clinic
Screening surveillance and treatment of hip dysplasia.
Monday morning (located at BMI McKellar Centre)
Wednesday afternoon
Paediatric Orthopaedic Clinic
Assessment and management of complex orthopaedic conditions or those that may require surgery.
Fortnightly on Thursday mornings
Paediatric Orthopaedic Physiotherapist-led Clinic
This clinic is for patients who may not require surgical intervention Patients are reviewed by a paediatric orthopaedic physiotherapist for postural and developmental variances under supervision by an orthopaedic surgeon.
Thursday morning
Monash Children's
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Monash Children’s at Southern Health is Victoria’s second-largest and Australia’s third-largest children’s hospital.
Monash Children’s provides quality patient care for the children and families of the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne and beyond.
Monash Children’s offers a single integrated newborn, child and adolescent service that links three major Southern Health hospitals located at:
- Monash Medical Centre Clayton
- Dandenong Hospital
- Casey Hospital.
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Monash Children’s at Clayton has seven outpatient clinics per week caring for patients with fractures, congenital anomalies (for example, developmental dysplasia of the hip or clubfoot), through to the tertiary specialist paediatric orthopaedic services.
Monash Children’s has a complex care clinic that cares for children with cerebral palsy in collaboration with the paediatric rehabilitation services.
The paediatric orthopaedic services at Monash Children’s involves the services of paediatric orthopaedic surgeons, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, podiatrists and orthotists.
The paediatric orthopaedic case manager at Monash Children’s facilitates patient care from referral to completion of treatment and provides a point of contact for all health professionals and parents.
Urgent outpatient referrals may be faxed directly to the case manager for immediate attention. Families are free to contact the case manager for support and advice during their treatment.
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Referral form
The Victorian Statewide Referral Form (VSRF) is the preferred referral tool (see downloads section of this page).
Fax or post all referrals to
Outpatients Department
Monash Children’s
246 Clayton Road
Clayton Vic 3169
Fax: (03) 959 iCARE (9594 2273)
DDH referrals fax: (03) 9594 4226
Appointment enquiries
Tel: 1300 3iCARE (1300 342 273)
For urgent referrals, please contact Paul Ferrier, Paediatric Orthopaedic Case Manager, (03) 9594 4073 or the paediatric orthopaedic registrar via the switchboard on 9594 6666.
Referral guidelines
See the paediatric orthopaedic referral guidelines in the downloads section of this page for further information about when to refer and what information is required.
Clinic location
Clinic B
Monash Medical Centre
246 Clayton Road
Clayton Vic 3169
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Name of clinic
Clinic description
Clinic times
Casting/General Paediatric Orthopaedic Clinic
(physio-led)
Assessment and intervention for babies and children with conditions such as developmental dysplasia of the hip, congenital talipes equinovarus, postural variations, and minor paediatric orthopaedic conditions.
Monday morning Tuesday morning
Complex Care Paediatric Orthopaedic Clinic
A multidisciplinary clinic engaging the services of specialist paediatric orthopaedic surgeons, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, paediatric orthotists and paediatric orthopaedic case manager.
Thursday morning
DDH/Complex Paediatric Orthopaedic Clinic
(physio-led)
Assessment and intervention for babies and children with conditions such as developmental dysplasia of the hips, congenital talipes equinovarus, postural variations, and paediatric orthopaedic conditions that may require consultant opinion.
Thursday morning
Paediatric Fracture Clinic
Review and management of uncomplicated paediatric orthopaedic trauma.
Monday morning Tuesday morning
Specialist Paediatric Orthopaedic Clinic
Review and management of complex paediatric orthopaedic conditions.
Thursday morning
The Royal Children's Hospital
- The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Melbourne is the major specialist children’s hospital in Victoria. Established in 1870 and located in Parkville since 1963, the hospital moved to its new site (adjacent to the old hospital) in November 2011.
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The Royal Children’s Hospital orthopaedic department provides the full spectrum of primary, secondary and tertiary specialist paediatric orthopaedic services for children with orthopaedic conditions.
It has a statewide role in the management of major trauma and high-complexity services, including scoliosis surgery, orthopaedic oncology and congenital limb deficiencies.
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Referral form
See the downloads section to download a copy of the Royal Children’s Hospital referral form.
Visit the Specialty services: referring, forms & parent info page. The Victorian Statewide Referral Form (VSRF) is also accepted.
Fax or post all referrals to
Specialist Clinics
Royal Children’s Hospital
50 Flemington Rd Parkville Vic 3052
Fax: (03) 9345 5034
Appointment enquiries
Tel: (03) 9345 6180 (8.15am 4.30pm, Mon to Fri)
GP Quick Access Line: (03) 9345 7060, #2
Email: outpatients@rch.org.au
Urgent referrals: please contact the outpatients department to notify them you are sending an urgent referral, phone (03) 9345 7060 #2 (8.15am 4.30pm).
After hours, please phone the RCH switchboard on (03) 9345 5522 and ask for the orthopaedic registrar on call.
Referral guidelines
See the paediatric orthopaedic referral guidelines for further information about when to refer and what information is required.
Clinic location
Specialist Clinics Desk A1
Ground Floor
Royal Children’s Hospital
50 Flemington Rd
Parkville Vic 3052
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Name of clinic
Clinic description
Clinic times
Cerebral Palsy
Provides care for children with cerebral palsy and related conditions.
Monday afternoon, Thursday afternoon
Complex Spine
Focuses on difficult spine problems in children and adolescents.
Fortnightly on Tuesday afternoon
Difficult Hip
Focuses on difficult hip problems in children and adolescents.
Monday morning once per month and Wednesday morning once per month
Fracture
Provides care for children presenting with fractures and those requiring follow-up to management in the emergency department and after inpatient admission.
Daily clinics
General Orthopaedics
Provides care for children with general musculoskeletal conditions.
Monday morning
Tuesday afternoon
Wednesday afternoon
Friday morning
Limb Deficiency
Provides care for children with absence of all or part of a limb due to congenital or acquired conditions.
Thursday afternoon (three times per month)
Limb Reconstruction
Provides care for children with limb length differences and limb deformities due to congenital or acquired conditions.
Thursday morning and Tuesday afternoon
Orthopaedic Assessment (physio-led)
Provides assessment of simple musculoskeletal conditions considered not likely to require surgical assessment - includes postural variations such as bow legs and intoeing, knee pain, infants with hip dysplasia and some foot deformities requiring casting.
Tuesday afternoon
Wednesday morning and afternoon
Thursday morning and afternoon
Orthopaedic Assessment/ Casting (physio-led)
Provides care for babies and young children with foot deformities who may require casting.
Monday afternoon, Friday morning
Orthopaedic Assessment (Orthopaedic Fellow)
Provides care for children with general orthopaedic conditions.
Tuesday afternoon
Orthopaedic/Hip Ultrasound
(physio-led)
Provides care for babies aged under six months for assessment and management of hip dysplasia.
Monday morning
Friday morning
Spina Bifida
Provides care for children with spina bifida and related conditions.
Bi-monthly on Wednesday afternoon
Spine
Provides care for children with spine condition such as scoliosis and back pain.
Tuesday morning
Western Health
- Western Health provides health services in the western metropolitan region of Melbourne. It offers an extensive range of clinical services.
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Western Health’s Paediatric Orthopaedic Service is located at Sunshine Hospital.
It provides a wide range of elective and emergency care in conjunction with the Royal Children’s Hospital.
The team of paediatric orthopaedic specialists provides care for the common orthopaedic conditions of childhood.
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Referral form
Use the Victorian Statewide Referral Form (VSRF).
Fax or post all referrals to:
Sunshine Hospital
Paediatric Orthopaedic Clinic
Furlong Rd, St Albans Vic 3021
Fax: (03) 8345 1079Appointment enquiries
Tel: (03) 8345 1616
For urgent referrals, please contact the orthopaedic registrar on call on (03) 8345 6333.
Referral guidelines
See the paediatric orthopaedic referral guidelines for further information about when to refer and what information is required.
Clinic location
Paediatric Orthopaedic Clinic
Ground Floor, Sunshine Hospital
Furlong Rd
St Albans Vic 3021 -
Name of clinic
Clinic description
Clinic times
Fracture Clinic
Review of paediatric orthopaedic trauma cases referred from Sunshine, Williamstown and Werribee emergency departments and local GPs.
Monday morning
Thursday morning
Paediatric Orthopaedic Physiotherapy Clinic
Review of paediatric orthopaedic patients referred to orthopaedics who are unlikely to require a surgical review (normal postural variations, simple knee conditions, asymptomatic flat feet, as well as conditions such as DDH and CTEV).
Monday morning
Tuesday morning
Thursday morning
Paediatric Orthopaedic Clinic
Review of non-traumatic paediatric orthopaedic cases including DDH patients for specialist, physiotherapy and orthotics review.
Monday morning
Tuesday morning
Reviewed 05 October 2015