About our women's health services
We are dedicated to providing a wide range of public health services to women in the Hunter New England district. John Hunter Hospital Gynaecology Services provides care to women who have complex Gynaecology and Gynaeoncology conditions.
We pride ourselves on providing Excellence in healthcare for women and girls and our goal is to make sure you have access to quality care that meets your individual needs. Our Service offer’s paediatric and adolescent gynaecology, general gynaecology, colposcopy, menopause and gynaeoncology.
Gynaecology services
Our gynaecology service provides care for a wide range of conditions that affect people across their entire life.
Our service is committed to Closing the Gap. We strive to identify, acknowledge, and individually welcome Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples who are looking for care in our clinics.
We acknowledge and embrace the diversity of gender and sexual expression. We recognise it can be challenging for transmen and non-binary people to look for care for gynaecologic problems, we aim to provide a safe space for everyone.
We welcome people from all cultural backgrounds and language groups and are committed to providing culturally appropriate and sensitive care. We aim to provide collaborative, compassionate, and holistic care and to provide you with the knowledge you need to make informed decisions about your health and wellbeing.
We offer a wide range of gynaecology services for women of all ages including:
- early pregnancy concerns
- abnormal bleeding and period problems
- pelvic and sexual pain
- ovarian cysts and masses
- structural differences in the vulva, vagina, and uterus
- urinary incontinence
- pelvic organ prolapse
- fertility problems
- vulvovaginal skin conditions
- abnormal cervical screening test (Pap) results
- contraception and termination of pregnancy.
We offer a range of gynaecology support services including:
- Early Pregnancy Assessment Service - a clinic at John Hunter Hospital that supports women with pain, bleeding or other complications in early pregnancy up to 18 weeks
- Multicultural health services - helps women and families from different cultural backgrounds with their care
- Aboriginal Liaison Officer - helps indigenous patients and families while in hospital
- Drug and alcohol support services - supports women and their families that may have problems with drugs and alcohol.
- Allied health services including:
- Social work
- Dietitian
- Physiotherapy
- Occupational therapy
- psychologists
- Cancer Care Coordinator - supports women to understand what is happening with their treatment. The cancer care coordinator meets with the team each week to talk about results and plan treatment.
The John Hunter Hospital Gynaecology services are located in Ward K3 on level 3 of the hospital. Ward K3 is a 12-bed unit providing healthcare to women for general gynaecology and gynaecological cancers.
Our unit is shared with other services including 12 beds for high risk pregnant women and at times 8 extra beds are used to care for other women who need a stay in hospital.
Ward K3 has 12 beds which include 4 single rooms and 2 four bedded bays. Single rooms, where available, are given to patients with the greatest clinical need. If a room isn’t needed for this reason, it may be offered to a patient with private health insurance.
We have limited accommodation for relatives travelling long distances (greater than 100km). These units provide a pleasant space and close by accommodation for relatives of patients who need treatment and care. You can ask our staff for more information about family accomodation options.
Our team
Each of our services are supported by:
- doctors
- nurses
- allied health professionals including:
- social workers
- physiotherapists
- dieticians
- occupational therapists.
Plan your hospital stay
We want your hospital stay to be as comfortable as possible. It is important to plan your hospital stay and to make sure you understand what to expect before and after your surgery. You can find out about our REACH system.
Outpatient gynaecology clinics
We have a range of outpatient gynaecology services to support your health needs.
We provide expert care to women across the Hunter New England Health District for a range of gynaecological issues.
Gynaecological problems include:
- period (menstrual) pain
- chronic pelvic pain
- heavy menstrual bleeding
- vulval conditions
- endometriosis
- fibroids
- after abnormal cervical screening (pap smears)
- infertility
- onco-fertility and gender fertility
- recurrent miscarriage
- incontinence
- issues associated with prolapse.
- long acting contraception such as Mirena IUD, Copper IUD, Implanon and Zoladex implant.
We also provide at John Hunter Hospital a specialised service to support girls and young people with a range of gynaecological problems. This is called the Paediatric and Adolescent Gynaecology (PAG) service.
Referrals
You will need a referral from your GP, once your GP sends the referral, it may take up to 10 days for processing. One of our gynaecology specialists will review your referral and decide how urgently you need to be seen.
You will be contacted by text message once your referral has been received and processed. You will then be contacted by letter of an appointment.
The Early Pregnancy Assessment Service (EPAS) is an outpatient service dedicated in supporting women that experience pain, bleeding or other problems in early pregnancy before 18 weeks gestation.
A nurse led clinic also operates as part of the EPAS service, offering the insertion of long-acting birth control devices such as intrauterine devices, pessary reviews and zoladex injections.
Women must be deemed medically safe to be reviewed in EPAS.
Referral
You can be referred to the EPAS by your GP or the Emergency Department if you have presented there for a review.
EPAS aims to contact all women within 72hrs and is an appointment only based service. EPAS does not accept walk-ins.
Your GP can refer you to the John Hunter Colposcopy Clinic for a closer examination of your cervix after a positive or abnormal Cervical Screening Test (CST) result also known as a pap smear.
It is important to remember that most abnormal CST results are not cancer, and your abnormal results may be caused by inflammation or an infection.
A colposcopy is a procedure that uses a special microscope (colposcope) which lets the doctor see if there are any cell changes and to assess the extent of the cell changes.
The procedure takes approximately 5 to 15 minutes. The examination can be uncomfortable but not painful. Sometimes a biopsy may be taken to send for further testing. If this happens, you will be notified of this result in about 2 weeks’ time with advice if further treatment is needed.
Referral
Your GP will need to send a referral to us for this service.
Bring these items to your appointment:
- medicare card
- healthcare card (if applicable)
- an updated referral from your GP if there have been any changes in your condition.
Gynaecological cancers
The Hunter New England Centre for Gynaecological Cancer is a specialist service providing coordinated and individualised care for women undergoing investigations and treatment for gynaecological cancers.
Find a women's health service
Use our Service Directory to find a health service near you.
Virtual care appointments
Virtual care (telehealth), uses technology to offer patients and consumers a convenient way to connect with health professionals. Virtual care has many benefits for patients, carers and health professionals. Learn more about virtual care.
If you're unsure which waiting room to join in or need to speak with our telehealth support team, call (02) 4985 5400 from 8am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.
Join your virtual care waiting room: