Cat 1 · 30 days
appointment within 30 calendar days. - No category 1 criteria
Home · Child Development Services · Condition
Child Development Services · Refer Your Patient
Feeding and Mealtime Concerns
Copied from the official Gold Coast Health condition page (27 Aug 2026). Hospital triage assigns the official category. Live source: Refer Your Patient — Feeding and Mealtime Concerns.
CPC windows
Cat 2 · 90 days
appointment within 90 calendar days. - Child aged > 12 months with dietary restriction or food selectivity and/or reduced volume of dietary intake and current nutritional deficiencies and/or current growth concerns (with or without need for oral supplementation). - Child aged > 12 months with significant mealtime specific oral motor, sensory or behavioural difficulties and current nutritional deficiencies and/or current growth concerns (with or without need for oral supplementation).
Cat 3 · 365 days
appointment within 365 calendar days. Recommended to be seen within 91 – 180 calendar days: - Child aged > 12 months with significant dietary restriction* but no current nutritional deficiencies or growth concerns. - Child aged 12-18 months accepting 20-30 or more foods (with or without variety of texture and food groups) who presents with significant mealtime specific oral motor, sensory or behavioural difficulties but no current nutritional deficiencies or growth concerns. Recommended to be seen within 181 - 270 calendar days: - Child aged > 18 months accepting 20 to 30 or more foods (with or without variety of texture and food groups) who presents with significant mealtime specific oral motor, sensory or behavioural difficulties but no current nutritional deficiencies or growth concerns.
Essential referral information
Referral will be returned without this. If a mandatory test cannot be obtained, say so in the referral.
- Past or current mealtime related medical concerns (e.g., reflux, constipation), including medications for same - Growth history (as a minimum birth and current measurements) - Reason for referral - clear description of current feeding/mealtime concerns, including nature of parental concerns - Feeding history - All current foods accepted/eaten from food/texture groups, including current milk intake - Current mealtime behaviours - Current/past strategies used by parent (e.g., pressure to eat, distraction, reward chart) - Details of previous feeding / mealtime assessment and/or intervention
Out of scope / wrong door
The following conditions are out of scope for this service: - Children who require developmental monitoring/surveillance (in the absence of developmental delay) should be referred to GP or Child Health Nurse. - Educational assessment of school age children - Services that should be initially provided by primary care or community based allied health care for children, including well infant care and advice, parenting and behaviour management for young children, developmental services for children with mild developmental delay - Health screening assessments including on entry to foster care - Acute paediatric concerns - Developmental Allied Health intervention services will not be provided for Children who are eligible for Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) / National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) For children who are non-Australian citizens but still meet clinical criteria for an underlying disability as defined by ECEI/NDIS, CDS Gold Coast is unable to provide long term allied health intervention services. - Allied health developmental intervention services are not provided for children who are school-age (prep to year 12)
Parent service: Child Development Services
Send outpatient referrals to
- Smart Referrals preferred (Best Practice or Medical Director)
- Medical Objects GQ42150009Z (lookup qh → QHEALTH, GOLD COAST HEALTH OUTPATIENT)
- HealthLink EDI Qldgchsd
- Fax (07) 5687 4497 — Booking and Referral Centre
- Post: Booking and Referral Centre, Gold Coast University Hospital, 1 Hospital Boulevard, Southport QLD 4215
- Clinic enquiries 1300 559 083
HealthPathways
Sign in for localised assessment and management. HealthPathways does not send the referral. Register: gchealthpathways@health.qld.gov.au