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This page contains information for general practitioners on how to refer patients aged 16 years and over to General Surgery – Breast and Endocrine services at Mater Hospital Brisbane
The Breast and Endocrine service accepts referrals from GPs and specialist services.
The Breast Surgery service consists of surgeons, clinical nurses and two accredited Breast Care Nurses. The Breast Care Nurses provide tailored information and psychosocial support to patients with Breast Cancer with face to face clinics and telephone support. Patients also have access to allied health services including physiotherapy, psychology, social work, occupational therapy and dietetics.
The Breast and Endocrine service integrates with other specialties including Medical and Radiation Oncologists, Pathologists and Research Staff at weekly multidisciplinary team meetings to establish individualised plans of care.
The Breast and Endocrine Surgery service consistently review patients within recommended OPD categorisation times
Please note for patients who require a referral for breast reconstruction please send a named referral to the Plastic Surgery Service.
If referral for care is indicated please list all of the General Referral Information, reason for request, and essential information as indicated below.
Referrals can be sent by:
Digital referrals in your practice software that include templates linked with referral criteria for quality handover for any public hospital
Cloud solution in your practice software that eliminates the need for template management
Medical Objects: HM4101000R8
HealthLink EDI: materref
GPs can refer patients directly to Queensland X-Ray's Mater Hospital Brisbane (MHB) radiology department for relevant investigations. If the imaging request is for FNA or core biopsy, a pathology request form is also required.
Queensland X-Ray will accept requests on any medical imaging request form or letterhead.
Telephone 07 3212 9000
Fax 07 3163 1850
Please note: in these cases this referral to the Medical Imaging department and:
Essential information (Referral will be declined without this)
Additional referral information (useful for processing the referral)
Other useful information for management (not an exhaustive list)
Categorisation
Available appointments are provided to our patients based on clinical priority. A process of categorisation ensures safety and equity of access.
Category 1 – urgent
Clinically recommended timeframe for initial appointment is 30 days
Category 2 - Priority
Clinically recommended timeframe for initial appointment is 90 days
Category 3 - Routine
Clinically recommended timeframe for initial appointment is 365 days
Diagnosed breast cancer:
Inflammatory breast cancer (rare, involves lymphatic spread causing inflammation in the breast)
Recurrent breast malignancy
Suspicious lesion on breast screening mammography or FNAC
Suspicious breast mass on clinical examination
Ductal carcinoma-in-situ (non-invasive confined to the ducts)
Lobular carcinoma-in-situ (non-invasive confined to lobules)
Breast lump
New diagnosis or clinically suspicious of primary breast malignancy (biopsy or mammogram proven)
New discrete lump
Young women with tender, lumpy breasts
Asymmetrical nodules that persist at review after menstruation
Older women with symmetrical nodules provided that they have no localised abnormality
Any lump that increases in size
Ductal papilloma
Cyst persistently refilling or recurrent cyst
New lump during pregnancy
Breast pain
Continuous mastalgia
Localised areas of painful nodularity/ focal lesions
Nipple discharge, nipple retraction, change in skin contour
Discharge sufficient to stain clothes
Blood stained discharge
Persistent single duct
Nipple retraction/distortion
Nipple eczema
Paget's disease of the nipple
Benign breast disease for consultation
Low-risk breast lumps/cysts
Patient referred for screening for breast malignancy or prophylactic mastectomy
Gynaecomastia where there is substantial breast enlargement breast tenderness and where breast size is disproportionate to body habitus
Nipple discharge (non-blood stained)
Fibroadenoma (diagnostic excision biopsy if diagnostic uncertainty)
Intermittent mastalgia i.e. hormonal
Gynaecomastia
Prophylactic mastectomy
Neck mass with compressive symptoms e.g. dyspnoea, hoarseness or dysphagia
Dominant thyroid nodule >4cm
Nodules demonstrating calcification
Abnormal cytology result
Non-cystic adrenal tumour >4cm
Primary hyperparathyroidism with calcium >3.0
Any evidence of airway compromise
Generalised thyroid enlargement without compressive symptoms & recurrent thyroid cysts
Thyroiditis e.g. Hashimotos
Essential information (Referral will be declined without this) General Referral Information Relevant condition information Relevant pathology and imaging reports Categorisation Available appointments are provided to our patients based on clinical priority. A process of categorisation ensures safety and equity of access.
Dr Christopher Pyke
Breast and Endocrine Surgical Specialist
Dr Christopher Allan
Dr Emma Clarkson
Dr Jason Lambley
Dr Geoff Muduioa
Mater Health Services offers patients the opportunity to attend bulk billed clinics. To provide your patient with the opportunity to attend a bulk billed specialist clinic, please provide a named referral to one of our specialists listed above.
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
We provide up to date data on how long patients are waiting for their first appointment by specialty here.
These Mater Referral Guidelines align with standardised best practice tools for referral to publicly funded specialist outpatient services developed in Queensland through the Clinical Prioritisation Criteria project.
Content last updated: 10 June 2020
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