Getting a referral to an allergy specialist

A referral is when one health professional asks another to see you to review your health condition or provide an opinion about managing your health condition. This can be done with a written referral letter or an electronic referral.

For people with suspected allergic conditions, the referral may be to a:

• Private allergy specialist
• Public allergy/immunology service
• A specialist such as a dermatology or respiratory specialist.

It will usually be your GP that refers you to an allergy specialist, but a nurse practitioner or other specialist can also refer you to an allergy specialist.

Choosing a specialist

Things that can affect your choice include:

• Available specialists in your area
• Other health conditions that you have
• Cost.

Talk to your GP about

• Which specialist they recommend you see and why.
• Whether you can see a specialist in the public or private health system. Some specialists may work in both.
• If you know the name of a specialist you would like to see, you can suggest them to your GP.

Private specialists set their own fees. You can contact private specialists to ask if they are taking new patients, how long the wait list is and what it will cost. Sometimes you can do this before getting the referral from the GP but some private specialists need a referral before they can give you that information.

There is a list to locate a specialist on the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) website. On this website, you can find:

• Doctors who have completed advanced clinical training in allergy and immunology. They will have the words ‘allergy/clinical immunology’ next to their name.
• Doctors who have not done advanced clinical training, but they have done some training in allergy. They have the word ‘allergy’ next to their name.
• If a doctor works in public or private.
• If a doctor sees adults or children, or both.

Allergy services in public hospitals are not able to accept all referrals. Some hospitals will have strict criteria on what type of allergic conditions that they see. Your GP will have more information.

What should be included in a referral?

The referral helps the allergy clinic or specialist decide if they will see you and how quickly they need to see you. If there is not enough information the referral may not be accepted.

Information that may be included in the referral:

• The name of the specialist that you wish to see or the department in a public hospital.
• Your full name and date of birth.
• Allergic conditions, for example anaphylaxis, food allergy, eczema, allergic rhinitis.
• Symptoms you are having and when, how severe they are, how long you have had them.
• Other medical concerns.
• Test results.
• Mental health concerns.
• Medications you take.

If you have, or are suspecting of having, a food allergy:

• What food/s, known or suspected that are causing the symptoms, especially if they include staple foods like cow’s milk (dairy), wheat, egg
• If you are at risk of not getting enough nutrition. 
• For babies and children– if there are feeding or growth problems.

Sometimes a specialist will request more information from your referring doctor which may slow down the process.

What happens after I get a referral?

Public system

Depending on where you live in Australia, if you are referred to a public specialist, the referral will either be:

• Sent directly to the outpatient clinic, service or department at the hospital by your GP. Services or departments which see people with allergic conditions may be called:
  • Allergy and/or Immunology
  • Respiratory
  • Dermatology.
• Sent directly to a central referral system that will send the referral to the correct hospital department.
• Given to you to send to the outpatient clinic or specific service or department at the hospital. If the referral is given to you, you will need to contact the hospital and ask how to send the referral letter to them.

When the service gets your referral, they will decide how quickly you need to see the specialist compared to others on the waiting list. This is called a triage system. The service will see some patients with allergic conditions sooner than others.

If your referral is accepted, the service will let you know when your appointment is. You might receive a letter, a phone call, a text message or an email. Often you will be asked to confirm your appointment again one or two days before the appointment.

It is important to go to your appointment. If you are unable to go to your appointment you must let the service know as soon as possible so that another patient can have the appointment.

If you do not attend your appointment and do not contact the service to let them know, it may be difficult for you to book another appointment without a new referral.

Private system

If you are referred to a private specialist, you will be given a written referral letter, or the referral will be sent via email by the referring doctor to the specialist. Private specialists have their own triage system. You will need to call the specialist private rooms to make an appointment. They will need to have a copy of the referral letter before or at your first appointment.

When referrals are not accepted

Sometimes a referral may not be accepted. Your referral may not meet the triage requirements to be seen in the public allergy service, or a private specialist may not be taking new patients at that time. If this happens, speak to your referring doctor about other options.

If your referral is not accepted, the specialist or service should inform your referring doctor and tell them why the referral was not accepted. You should be notified by either the specialist or your referring doctor.

The specialist may suggest management and treatments that your referring doctor can discuss with you.

What to do while you are waiting for your specialist appointment

Your GP can support you in managing your condition while you wait for your specialist appointment.

People with allergies should be cautious about information they find or receive on allergic conditions, for example on websites and social media. Not all information is evidence-based. Sometimes it can be harmful, inaccurate and misleading.

You can call the National Allergy Helpline if you need help while you are waiting for your specialist appointment. We have trained allergy educators who can provide support by phone and email. They will share up-to-date, accurate information to help you manage your allergic condition.