Cat 1
Category 1
Appointment within 30 calendar days
Statewide clinical prioritisation
Clinical Prioritisation Criteria
Hospital triage assigns the official category. CPC indicates the likely category; it is not a booking guarantee. Condition-level Cat 1/2/3 lists are seeded only for heart failure on this site. For other CPC specialties, open Refer Your Patient.
Cat 2
Category 2
Appointment within 90 calendar days
Cat 3
Category 3
Appointment within 365 calendar days
Essential referral information
Essential referral information: “Referral will be returned without this.” If a mandatory test cannot be obtained, say so in the referral.
If a referral is returned incomplete, resend a new referral containing all required information — do not send only the missing piece.
Emergencies — not outpatient CPC
Emergency features are not Category 1. Send the patient to ED. Do not use Smart Referrals, Medical Objects, or the bookings fax for emergencies. Those inboxes are not monitored around the clock or on weekends.
- Send the patient to ED (ambulance if needed) or seek emergent medical advice.
- Phone the GP Only Switchboard 07 5687 0003 to advise that the patient is coming.
- Send the referral with the patient, or fax a written request to the ED — not to bookings.
Gold Coast University Hospital ED (07) 5687 4699
Robina Hospital ED (07) 5668 6145
Catchment
In most cases referrals are only accepted for people who reside in the Gold Coast Health catchment. Special consideration may be made for tertiary services or services not provided by the patient’s local HHS — include relevant medical or social information.
Clinical override
If the patient does not meet CPC but specialist review is still required, request a clinical override and explain why. The referral may not be accepted or may be redirected.