eReferrals in NNSW

NNSWLHD commenced using eReferrals in June 2020 as a 12-month trial in the Lismore Outpatient Department, Lismore Pain Clinic and 6 Community and Allied Health Services.

NNSWLHD decided to operationalise eReferrals into Business-As-Usual in late 2023 and started the expansion by including Cancer Care Services in November 2023.

In early 2024, eReferrals were expanded to:

  • Tweed and Grafton Outpatients
  • The Maclean Infusion Clinic
  • Tweed and Grafton Paediatric Clinics (with Richmond Paediatrics planned for late 2024)
  • Midwifery Services – Antenatal Clinics (Lismore, Tweed, Grafton), Early Pregnancy Assessment Service (EPAS, at Lismore and Tweed) and Midwifery Group Practice (MGP, at Murwillumbah and Byron)
  • Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) via the Child and Adolescent Assessment and Triage Service (CAATS)

Further services will be added through 2024 including Community Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) and Community and Allied Health.

New services are added as they become operational and the most accurate list is in HealthLink SmartForms, NNSWLHD eReferrals.

Accessing eReferrals

NNSWLHD eReferrals are provided by HealthLink, a Secure Message Broker. HealthLink is also used by the Commonwealth for My Aged Care referrals, Transport NSW and eReferrals across NSW, ACT, SA, Tasmania and Victoria.

Referrers can access HealthLink SmartForms in their clinical information system if they are using one of Best Practice, Medical Director, Genie, Shexie, MedTech Evolution or ZedMed. Referrers without one of these systems who wish to use eReferrals can use a seure web portal.

eReferrals is free for referrers to use.

eReferrals also allows LHD clinics to electronically update referrers at key points of the referral handling process, for example, when the referral is being triaged, or the patient appointment is made. Messages are sent to referrers securely.

Privacy, Security and Assurance

The LHD has conducted a Privacy Impact Assessment and has passed eHealth NSW’s Privacy, Security and Assurance Framework (PSAF) process to ensure patient information is secured and protected via appropriate data and access control.

Help Pages

GPs and other referrers, or their representatives like Practice Managers, can get help here: referrer help.

LHD staff can get help here: LHD staff help page