The first step is to meet with your local General Practitioner (GP) to assess your condition and determine whether an appointment with a specialist is needed. If you do require an appointment with one of our specialist clinics, your GP will provide a referral to us. You can talk to your GP about your options for private or public access to the service you require and expected wait times for the appointment.
All referrals are assessed by our specialist teams. For public services Mater accepts referrals to our specialist clinics in line with clinical criteria and based on the urgency of the need. These criteria ensure we see those patients with the highest need first. Patients are advised of the urgency of their referral in writing with a Category. These are Category 1 (urgent), Category 2 (priority) and Category 3 (routine). Each category has an expected waiting time. These are 30, 90 and 365 days respectively. We aim to see all patients in the category waiting time; however, some public services have a much higher demand than others. It is difficult to give an exact waiting time for your appointment but current average waiting times for each speciality are available on our Materonline website.
Public Specialist Clinics are held at Mater Hospital Brisbane and Mater Private Hospital Springfield. Information on how to access these hospitals by car or public transport is available on our Contact page (in the Hospitals tab).
Patients with a Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) Card may be eligible for free transport to and from their specialist appointment. If you have a DVA Card, please contact Department of Veteran Affairs or our specialist clinics on 07 3163 3000 prior to your appointment to discuss transport options. For all other patients, please speak with your referring doctor about any concerns you may have regarding transport to and from your specialist appointment.
Although we endeavour to see all patients at their scheduled appointment time, unfortunately delays can occur. These usually occur because a patient with an urgent clinical need must be seen without delay, resulting in other scheduled appointments being delayed. Please allow two hours for your appointment and bring reading materials, quiet activities and refreshments to make your wait more comfortable.
If you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment, contact the hospital through the National Relay Service on 13 36 67. The hospital will provide you with an Auslan interpreter at no charge.
If you do not speak or understand English, contact the hospital through the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) on 13 14 50. The hospital will provide you with an interpreter at no charge.
Mater provides some accommodation for outpatients and patient's families in Reg Leonard House, as well as general accommodation through Mater Hill Place.
Other local accommodation is available a short distance from the hospital in Brisbane City, Woolloongabba, Highgate Hill and West End.
For information please read the Patient Charter.
If you cannot make your scheduled appointment, contact our specialist clinics on 07 3163 3000 as early as possible before the scheduled appointment time.
Please be aware, if you do not attend your scheduled appointment, you will need to return to your referring doctor to request a new referral.
It is important that you continue to see your referring doctor while you are waiting for your appointment. Your referring doctor will continue to manage your care until your first appointment. If you require urgent medical attention, phone an ambulance or go straight to your nearest hospital emergency department.
- Medicare card
- Pension card / Healthcare card / DVA card
- List of current medications
- Your appointment letter
- Any relevant tests or x-rays
- Refreshments
- Any specific tests or materials requested in your appointment letter
- Reading materials or quiet activities
- A list of any questions that you wish to ask the specialist
You are welcome to bring a support person to the appointment.
In most situations, for patients under 18 years of age the parent or guardian will need to attend the appointment.
Your appointment letter will let you know where your appointment is located. Please remember to bring your appointment letter with you on the day of your appointment. If you require directions when you arrive at the hospital please go to the information desk. Information on how to access Mater's hospitals by car or public transport is available on our Contact page (in the Hospitals tab).
Your appointment will be with a clinical specialist, which could be a medical officer, nurse or allied health professional. Our specialist clinics are made up of multi-disciplinary teams who work together to deliver the best possible healthcare to our patients.
Medicare eligible patients receive publicly funded care with no out of pocket expenses. If you are not a Medicare eligible patient, or if you wish to explore other options, please contact us on 07 3163 3000 during business hours.
Telehealth allows you to connect with your specialist via videoconference for your appointment without having to come to hospital. Your consultant will decide if videoconference is a clinically appropriate option for your treatment, but if you are interested you can request this type of appointment and/or your GP can indicate this in your referral. For a telehealth appointment you will need to link to the hospital through videoconference—depending on your technology this can be done from home or by attending your local health care facility. For any queries, please contact the Mater Specialist Clinics on 07 3163 3000 and ask to speak with Telehealth.
If you are running late for a booked appointment, your appointment may need to be rescheduled. Please contact Mater Hospital Brisbane’s Outpatient Call Centre on 3163 3000 when you are running late, so we can discuss this with the clinical team.