General practices should be aware of changes the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) is making to the regions it accepts specialist clinic referrals from, how it manages missed appointments, and waiting list visibility.
From 17 August 2026, the RMH is introducing a consistent approach across the organisation to support access to specialist clinics (outpatients).
This approach will support delivery of care closer to home and integration of specialist and primary care services, in line with the Victorian Department of Health strategy.
This approach will also support the RMH to better meet both its local population health care needs for general care, and to deliver specialty and statewide services.
For general conditions, the RMH sees patients who live in the City of Melbourne, Merri-bek and Moonee Valley Local Government Areas.
For patients who live outside these areas, we may now redirect their referral back to you if the RMH is not the closest service providing that care to the patient.
The RMH continues to accept referrals for:
- patients who live in a regional/rural area or where the RMH is the closest service to provide that care
- patients who need statewide and highly specialised (tertiary/quaternary) care.
If you have any questions, please contact the relevant RMH specialty team.
Contact details and referral information for specialty services can be found on the RMH website.
Important update for referrers: missed appointments (DNAs)
The RMH is also changing how it manages missed specialist clinic appointments (did not attends, or DNAs).
If a patient misses two consecutive specialist clinic appointments without telling us in advance, they will be discharged back to their GP. Exceptions will be made for patients who are vulnerable or considered to be at high clinical risk.
We are making this change to maximise the availability of clinic appointments for our patients. There is high demand for our service and when patients miss appointments, that time cannot be used for other patients who need care. Reducing repeat missed appointments helps improve access and helps more patients to be seen sooner.
This approach is in line with the Victorian Department of Health Specialist Clinics Access Policy, which supports better and optimised use of clinic time.This approach is in line with the Victorian Department of Health Specialist Clinics Access Policy, which supports better and optimised use of clinic time.
If a patient is discharged because they did not attend, both the referrer and the patient will be told. You can refer the patient again if it is clinically appropriate and the patient is willing to attend future appointments.
We ask for your support to:
- make sure patients understand why they are being referred
- identify or let us know about any barriers to attendance
- remind patients to attend or reschedule their appointment in advance
Thank you for helping us improve access to care for all patients.
Publication of specialist clinic waiting list times
The RMH is changing how we share information about how long patients are waiting for a routine (non-urgent) first appointment following a referral from a GP or external provider.
This approach aligns with the Managing referrals to non-admitted specialist services in Victorian public health services policy, which supports better use of clinic capacity, improves transparency, and reduces waste.
The RMH will publish waiting time information for specialist services, including the 50th and 90th percentile wait times for routine first appointments.
We expect this information to be available on our website soon, pending final content updates following consumer consultation and additional data validation to ensure accuracy.
Publishing this information will provide referrers and patients with reliable and accessible information about realistic waiting times for routine specialist appointments, supporting informed decision-making and appropriate referral pathway.
Contact details for the RMH specialist clinics can be found here.
Disclaimer: This article was provided by The Royal Melbourne Hospital. While every effort has been made to ensure the information is accurate, North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network does not warrant or represent the accuracy, currency and completeness of any information or material included within.
