Continence Referrals

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  • Referrals for Continence from GPs and community health providers should be directed to Armadale Hospital, Bentley Hospital or Midland SJoG Hospital for EMHS residents. Please refer to the patients closest service
  • Referrals for Non EMHS residents should be directed to their local service.
  • Referrals for Spinal Injury continence issues should be directed to FSH Spinal Urology service via CRS
  • Please consider referral to Residential Care line or Silverchain services for immobile patients
  • Annual assessment for Continence aids and Management and Support Scheme should be directed via Silverchain 
  • NDIS assessments should be directed to private providers
  • BHS is an Adult service, Referrals for child and adolescent health services should be directed to Perth Children’s Hospital
  • For Country patients please consider a local service, view resources within MAPPA

BHS Continence service accepts referrals from GPs and community health providers for EMHS residents.

  • Assessment of Bladder and Bowel management in Adults
    • Aged care
    • Neurological
    • Urology
    • Women’s Health
  • Catheter Management
  • Trial of void for patients under specialist care of EMHS clinicians
  • Specialist referral for EMHS catchment area residents, see EMHS catchment map (PDF 400KB). Including EMHS linked WACHS areas – Kimberley, Pilbara, Eastern and Western Wheatbelt.

The continence service at Bentley Health Service (BHS) offers both physiotherapy and continence advisor support for bladder and bowel health.

Specialists, please use the WA referral form templates available referral form templates (external link) and email to the BHS referral office: BHS.OutpatientReferrals@health.wa.gov.au

Referrals will be returned without this information:

  • Presenting symptoms (evolution and duration)
  • Impact on functional activities
  • Bladder chart/diary – time and volume chart
  • MSU M/C/S results
  • USS urinary tract and post-void residual
  • UEC results
  • Current Medication and dosages
  • Previous Physiotherapy and/or continence nurse management e.g. pelvic floor muscle exercises and bladder training
  • Previous medical management including any surgical input

If a specific test result is unable to be obtained due to access, financial, religious, cultural or consent reasons a Clinical Override may be requested. This reason must be clearly articulated in the referral.

Minimum Standard Referral is included in the standard referral template Referral-form-templates and is available Minimum-standards-for-outpatient-referrals-Central-Referral-Service.

Please ensure patient email and mobile phone numbers are included to facilitate patient contact.

Patients can be flagged for Video or Telephone consultations at referral, triage, or follow-up.

Please Note: Continence has an extensive outpatient waitlist for routine referrals. Consider alternate referral pathways such as:

The following are not routinely provided in a public Adult Continence service:

  • Patients under 16 years – please refer to the PCH service (external website)
  • Non EMHS catchment residents – Continence services are also available NMHS and SMHS hospitals
  • Spinal injury continence issues – please refer to FSH Spinal Urology service via CRS
  • Annual assessment for Continence aids and Management and Support Scheme should be directed via Silver Chain Continence and Catheter care (external website)
  • NDIS assessments should be directed to private providers

GP referrals – please forward referrals for EMHS residents to Bentley Hospital, Armadale Hospital or Midland SJoG hospital based on the patient’s closest service.

EMHS is responsible for providing public health services to the people who reside within its boundaries. 

The EMHS catchment map outlines the suburb catchment areas for East Metropolitan Health Service (EMHS). The country areas that flow to EMHS are Kimberley, Pilbara and Wheatbelt.

Referral to a hospital for assessment and/or treatment is based around multiple criteria. These include:

  • Place of residence – most hospitals have catchments to help service people closer to home. For country patients, the residence of family with whom they will reside whilst attending appointments can be taken into consideration.
  • Age – RPH is an Adult Hospital, children are only treated by some hospitals.
  • Hospital location of specialty services – some conditions need designated specialist services that are not available at all hospitals.

Please use this information to guide referrals to the hospital servicing your patient's residence and inform your patients of these criteria when you are referring them for public hospital services via the Central Referral Service (CRS).

Last Updated: 20/11/2024