Statewide Referral Criteria

Statewide referral criteria are standardised, consensus thresholds for referral to specialist clinics in public hospitals for high volume or clinically important presenting problems.

An evaluation of statewide referral criteria in 2023 showed that their introduction in Victoria has achieved the intended outcomes.

• Statewide referral criteria assist referring clinicians to know when a referral to a public hospital specialist clinic is appropriate and the information that should be included in the referral
• Statewide referral criteria have streamlined the referral acceptance process. There are fewer inappropriate and incomplete referrals and as hospital clinicians have the right information on the referral documentation they can more easily assess and accept referrals
• Referrals to each clinical speciality are assessed against the same criteria in all Victorian public hospitals improving consistency of referral acceptance and equity of access to specialist clinic services across the state.