Resources Referral Guidelines (public patients) Mater Advanced Epilepsy Unit

Mater Advanced Epilepsy Unit - public patients

This page contains information about how to refer patients with refractory focal epilepsies to the Mater Advanced Epilepsy Unit at Mater Neurosciences Centre Brisbane.

Service Availability:

Mater Advanced Epilepsy Unit accepts referrals from specialists throughout Queensland as well as interstate.

How to refer:

• Specialist referrals should be addressed to Dr Lisa Gillinder, Mater Advanced Epilepsy Unit.
• Please include past relevant correspondence and investigations including any neurological assessments.
• Please include the details of where any previous brain imaging studies can be found (QXR, i-Med, Qscan etc).

Referral options

For fax and secure messaging our latest Mater Adult Referral Form is available to embed into most major Practice Management software systems.                                 

Scope of Service

Services out of scope:

• Referral to this unit is by specialist neurologist referral, with referral criteria as identified in scope below.
• GP referrals will be accepted in a diagnosis of epilepsy was previously confirmed by a Neurologist and referral criteria are met.

Conditions in Scope:

Focal Epilespy

• Defined by semiology and/or evidence of regional epileptiform discharges on EEG
• Refractory to 2 appropriately chosen Anti-seizure medications (ASMs)
• Has undergone routine neuroimaging
• No active / untreated psychiatric issues
• No active substance abuse
• Has consented to a referral for consideration of epilepsy surgery or advanced interventions (Vagal nerve stimulator (VNS), Deep brain stimulation (DBS), clinical trials enrolment)

Generalised epilepsy including epileptic encephalopathy

• Defined by clinical history and/or evidence of generalised epileptiform discharges on EEG
• Refractory to 2 appropriately chosen ASMs
• For consideration of advanced interventions (corpus callosotomy, DBS, VNS, MAD, clinical trials enrolment) 

Other considerations or modifiers (must be included in all referrals)

• Age
• Seizure frequency
• Number / frequency of advanced
• Epilepsy duration
• Demonstrated good adherence to medical therapy
• Disease progression - accelerated / recent deterioration
• Prior treatments including prior surgery
• Results of prior investigations (EEG, MRI, FDG-PET)
• Results of prior psychiatry / psychology evaluations

Categorisation Times 

Available appointments are provided to our patients based on clinical priority. A process of categorisation ensures safety and equity of access.

Our Team

Bulk Billed Clinics

Mater Health offers patients the opportunity to attend bulk billed clinics. To provide your patient with the opportunity to attend a bulk billed clinic, please provide a named referral to Dr Lisa Gillinder.

Contact Us:

If you would like to discuss a referral, including clinical criteria, or update the status of a current patient please contact our priority GP phone line on 07 3163 2200

Current Waiting Time for Appointments:

We provide up to date data on how long patients are waiting for their first appointment by specialty here.

As a clinical sub-unit of Neurology, waitlist times for this clinic may vary.

This page was last reviewed 6 December  2021