Geriatrics Medicine Outpatient Services at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (TQEH) provides inpatient and outpatient services for patients in the Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN)

  • Geriatrics medicine outpatient services at TQEH, which offers public outpatient and outreach services.
  • The Aged and Extended Care Services at TQEH, which provides for specialist geriatric medicine services across the continuum of care and is linked to the Professorial Geriatric Medicine service of the University of Adelaide.

Where patient needs dictate, we provide for geriatrician and registrar assessments in their homes or in residential aged care facilities.

Contact details

Clinic fax (for referrals): (08) 8222 8593

For all appointments, enquires, reviews and treatment: (08) 8222 8178

Review / change of appointments: (08) 8222 8178 or (08) 8222 8594

Appointment location

Aged and Extended Care Services
Location: Level 8B, TQEH, Woodville SA 5011.

Staff and clinic days

Monday

Afternoon 

Clinic – CALHN Falls Prevention Multi-Disciplinary Clinic

Doctors: 

  • Shirley Rasiah (OT)
  • Kimberly Teo (PT)
  • Mabel Staniford (Nurse)

Alternate weeks - 2 and 4

Clinic - Falls Clinic

Doctors: 

  • Dr Khai Tam
  • Registrar 
  • Frieda Appleton (Nurse)

Alternate weeks – 1, 3 and 5

Clinic - Movement Disorders Clinic

Doctor - Dr Pazhvoor Shibu

Tuesday (am)

Clinic – Older Persons Assessment Clinic

Doctors:

  • Dr Shailaja Nair
  • Dr Fin Cai (bi-weekly)
  • Registrar 
  • Carla Smyth (Nurse)

Thursday (pm)

Clinic: 

  • Cognitive Assessment Clinic
  • Older Persons Assessment Clinic 

Doctors:

  • Dr Faizal Ibrahim
  • Dr Khai Tam
  • Registrar
  • Carla Smyth (Nurse)

By appointment

Conditions - Community Geriatrician or Registrar Visits

Clinic – In Residential Aged Care or Patient Home

Consultants

  • Prof Renuka Visvanathan – Head of unit
  • A/Prof Solomon Yu
  • Dr Pazhvoor Shibu
  • Dr Faizal Ibrahim
  • Dr Khai Tam
  • Dr Shailaja Nair
  • Dr Kareeann Khow
  • Dr Jason Ng
  • Dr Bavand Bikdelli
  • Dr Fin Cai

Target population

  • Aged 65 + (ATSI 50+)  

  • Clients with features of frailty where early intervention may prevent or improve frailty.
  • Clients with cognitive and physical decline who are at high risk of needing higher aged care community services (or residential aged care) within the next 6 to 12 months.  This would include patients who typically have moderate disability and or frailty and a range of medical conditions and geriatric syndromes.
  • Clients who have had a recent decrease in functional status that maybe in the context of a recent acute event and it is felt by general practitioner that specialist geriatric assessment may contribute to a beneficial improvement in function
  • Clients in aged care facilities who need access to specialist assessment in their facility for the management of geriatric syndromes such as delirium, dementia and BPSD (may also need involvement of DBMAS, MHSOP)

Exclusions:

  • Clients who are acutely unwell and needing acute hospital care
  • Clients of the Disability sector and under 65

GP information

How to make a referral

We only accept referrals from general practitioners (GPs).

The urgency of the referral should be indicated on the referral. We currently, undertake triaging of referrals on Mondays and Thursdays and therefore, where urgent review is required, we recommend contact with the department to discuss.

Indefinite referrals are not accepted. We also undertake a predominantly assessment service and will aim to transfer care back to the general practitioner as soon as possible.

Referrals for our geriatrician or registrar outreach service are made by faxing a referral directly to our department or contacting the department and requesting a discussion with the Community Geriatrician within our unit.

Referrals to our outpatient clinic are made by faxing a referral directly to our department but where more urgent review is required (including consideration for admission to the Geriatric Evaluation and Management Unit), we recommend that the general practitioner makes contact with the department and requests a discussion with the Community Geriatrician within our unit.

  • Clinic fax (for referrals): (08) 8222 8593
  • For all appointments, enquires, reviews and treatment: (08) 8222 8178
  • Review / change of appointments: (08) 8222 8178 or (08) 8222 8594

GPs to provide the following information

  1. Reason for requesting review (if not available, contact referring medical practitioner to determine)
  2. GP documented PMHx, Allergies, Medication List (this is important for medico-legal reasons unless a referral from the hospital medical staff)
  3. If home visit is being requested, this needs to be outlined (if not available, contact medical practitioner to determine circumstances or reasons) [In general, home visits are reserved for situations where a clinic visit is not possible and this is in almost always due to the patient being highly disabled by their underlying condition making travel to the OPD clinic area difficult]
  4. Urgency of review: 1 to <2 weeks, 2 to <4 weeks, 4 weeks +