The WA Department of Health has advised from 27 September 2022, the new Adult Direct Access Gastrointestinal Endoscopy RAC and Referral form applies to all referrals, submitted via the Central Referral Service, for public Direct Access Gastrointestinal Endoscopy services in WA.
The updated criteria are available via the WA Health RAC webpage. The new Direct Access Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Referral form is available via the WA Health CRS Referral form templates webpage.
Referrals to regional (WACHS) sites are to be sent directly to the relevant site as per current process.
Specialist RAC are standardised referral criteria that provide guidance around:
- What conditions will be seen in a public outpatient specialty (and what is excluded).
- What investigations are required to be included with referrals to facilitate patient preparedness and appropriate clinical triage.
The Central Referral Service will ensure that all mandatory information as outlined in the RAC has been provided before allocating the referral to the appropriate hospital.
Providing the required information as outlined in the RAC will ensure referrals are processed in a timely, consistent manner.
The RAC project is part of the broader WA Outpatient Reform Program being led by the System Improvement Unit – Department of Health, which aims to improve outpatient access for those most in need and
streamline the outpatient journey. To date, the following RACs have been implemented:
- Urology (Adult)
- Neurology (Adult)
- ENT (Adult)
- ENT (Paediatric)
The Adult Ophthalmology RAC and Adult Plastic Surgery RAC are in development and will be implemented over the coming months.
The Central Referral Service will ensure that all further information, including a series of FAQs, is available on the WA Health Referral Access Criteria webpage or for specific questions email
the project team at DOHSpecialistRAC@health.wa.gov.au.