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Referral Cancelled Twice by the Central Referral System

Posted By libraeh56

"Referral Cancelled Twice by the Central Referral System"

About: Department of Health WA

(as the patient),

I am an osteosarcoma survivor, and in 2005, I had a rib resection as part of my treatment. In July 2024, I started experiencing severe pain in the same area and followed the proper process through my GP. A CT scan initially suggested a possible recurrence of osteosarcoma. After further investigation, I was cleared of cancer, yet I have been left in constant pain with no answers or treatment plan.

Over the past seven months, I have seen four different specialists, yet I still have no diagnosis, no treatment plan, and no support. My referral for surgery in the public system has been cancelled twice without explanation, and I believe this may be because I saw a private doctor who was simply trying to help me.

I am now living with chronic pain every single day, ranging from 5 to 8 on the pain scale. I have tried eight different pain medications, all of which have given me severe side effects. I am 42 years old, I have a family, I run a business, and I am being forced to live in inhumane conditions because the system has failed me.

My ribs are literally caving in, and I have only several days until I see a thoracic surgeon in Perth. But I am terrified that, once again, I will not be heard and will be dismissed without the surgery I urgently need.

I understand that my case is complex and that this is not an easy surgery, but I also know that I deserve help. I have done everything I can to advocate for myself, but I cannot keep living like this. I would appreciate any guidance on what steps I need to take to ensure I receive the care I need.

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Responses

Response from Department of Health, Western Australia 2 months ago
Department of Health, Western Australia

Submitted on 15/07/2025 at 4:31 PM
Published on Care Opinion Australia at 4:33 PM

Dear libraeh56,

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. The Central Referral Service (CRS) is sorry to hear of the distress you are experiencing in gaining a diagnosis and treatment plan.

You mentioned that a General Practitioner (GP) initiated a referral for you to see a specialist. When a referral is received at the CRS we check the referral contains all the required information and then allocate you to the best and most appropriate specialist service according to your care needs.

Once a referral is reviewed and accepted by the specialist at the hospital, the CRS notifies the GP and the patient by text message, letter or email. Without knowing the specifics of your case, we are unable to confirm if this occurred.

A common reason for referrals not progressing is due to lack of information on the referral. The process can be delayed if the referral doesn’t contain enough information for us to allocate the right specialist to oversee your care.

Without this key information, referrals are returned to the referrer with a request for additional information. If you have not received notification that your referral has been accepted (usually within 4 weeks), we encourage you to follow this up with your GP who is able to follow up on the status of a referral.

The CRS acknowledges that this must be an extremely distressing time for you and encourages you to speak to your GP, who can follow up on the status of your referral. Additionally, you can also contact WA health enquires using the online website form located via https://www.health.wa.gov.au/about-us/contact-us which will enable the CRS to investigate your referral specifically.

Thank you again for providing this feedback. We will continue to work with referrers to improve the quality of the referrals received and better understanding your experience can help guide improvements.

Kind regards

Dr Shelley Campos

Clinical Lead Central Referral Service,
Clinical Excellence Division
Department of Health

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