Gastroenterology (digestive system) outpatient clinic Blue Mountains Hospital

Details

About us

We see patients who need an endoscopic procedure, including those who have had a positive result on a faecal occult blood test (FOBT).

Referral information

Patients will need a referral from their doctor or GP (general practitioner) including details of their patient history, current medications and symptoms.

All new patients will need a completed referral form to be faxed to the clinic before an appointment can be made. GPs and referring clinicians can access the form in the Nepean Blue Mountains LHD outpatient referral catalogue.

Clinic services, specialists and hours

This clinic is run on alternate Mondays and Tuesdays by Dr Deniz Durmush.

What to bring

• Medicare card for bulk billing
• list of current medications
• previous test and pathology results, reports and scans if available.

Direct Access Colonoscopy (DAC) service

The DAC service is an innovative nurse-led clinic that fast tracks people with a positive faecal occult blood test who meet set clinical criteria, through to colonoscopy, avoiding the wait time to see a gastroenterologist.

The DAC service is a NSW Ministry of Health Initiative that is supported by the Cancer Institute as part of the Leading Better Value Care Program.

DAC Referral criteria

Patient must have/be:

• positive faecal occult blood test
• 50 to 75 years of age
• fit and healthy
• no history of heart disease, diabetes, epilepsy,
• kidney or liver disease or serious lung disease
• body mass index (BMI) of less than 40
• no high anaesthetic risk
• asymptomatic of gastrointestinal symptoms

Please use the Blue Mountains Hospital outpatient referral form above. You will also need to complete the DAC Screening Tool and send this with the referral form to make an appointment. Talk to your doctor or GP about a referral to DAC.

What to expect

A gastroenterologist triages all referrals within 7 days of receiving the referral. A registered nurse will then make a virtual or in-person assessment and aim to book you into a colonoscopy within 30 days of the nurse appointment.

All referrals are triaged by a gastroenterologist against the DAC criteria. If a patient requires urgent review or has comorbidities (when two or more disorders or diseases are present), they will be reviewed by a gastroenterologist in the outpatient clinic in consultation with the referring GP.