Newborn Outpatient Clinics

The Newborn Outpatient Clinics care for babies who have had medical problems in the newborn period.

There is a focus on surveillance, with referral to other community services as appropriate.

Specialities

• Neonatal medicine

• Developmental follow up

Clinical inclusion

• Infants who have been admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and require developmental surveillance (e.g. prematurity, hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy).
• Infants who may be awaiting test/scan results or need review for other newborn problems.
• Infants referred by their general practitioners (GP) or Maternal and Child Health nurse (MCHN) for neonatal conditions.

Frequency

Clinics are held on all days of the week. 

These include:

• medical clinics, and
• developmental follow-up clinics which may include a review with a developmental paediatrician and/or allied health practitioners (physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy).

Estimated wait 

Most infants referred from within the Women's are seen six to eight weeks after discharge, or earlier if required.

External referrals will be discussed with the referring practitioner and scheduled as required.

Referral     

Most referrals are made when the baby is discharged from the Women's.

However, if GPs or MCHNs wish to refer a baby for neonatal review, they should contact the Newborn Clinic Coordinator on (03) 8345 2240 (Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm).

When sending a referral, please provide a mobile phone contact number for the family for ease of scheduling. 

Appointment     

Appointment details are provided to babies who have been patients at the Women's at time of discharge, or sent out by mail.

When a baby is referred by a GP or MCHN, an acknowledgement letter with appointment details will be sent directly to the patient's family.

The referring GP or MCHN will receive a letter after the patient has been reviewed in clinic. 

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