Referrals & Admissions

To access our services and facility, you generally need a referral.

Referrals can be made by:

  • GPs and private psychiatrists
  • Public / private hospitals
  • Mental health providers
  • Self-referral (with psychiatrist agreement)

Referrals are reviewed by our Intake Clinician and then, the admitting psychiatrist. Our review includes confirmation of private or other health insurance arrangements (or self-funding), and clinical suitability screening.

Referrals should be addressed to your chosen psychiatrist in the team. Alternatively, you are welcome to address your referral to “Dear Psychiatrist” or “Sunshine Clinic Private Hospital Psychiatry Team” so that our triage team can allocate the patient to the best-suited and soonest-available psychiatrist.

Patients can be admitted under the following Medicare Item numbers:

  • Medicare Item # 291
  • Medicare Item # 293
  • Medicare Item # 296

We see the following types of patients, including:

  • Private patients (private health insurance)
  • Self-funded patients
  • Workers compensation patients (eg: WorkCover, SafeWork, iCare, SIRA, etc)
  • Veterans (DVA) and emergency service workers / first responders
  • Transport Accident Commission patients

For anything urgent in nature, we recommend you contact our intake officer on (03) 7004 0068 to discuss the patient directly, and they can be evaluated and triaged accordingly.

To access our unit, patients must:

  • Be 18 years or older
  • Be voluntary and willing to engage in care
  • Present with mild-to-moderate symptoms
  • Require short-term structured support
  • Require treatment in an inpatient facility
  • Be under the care of, or willing to engage with, a treating psychiatrist

GPs & Specialists Online Referral

Booking an Appointment or Admission

Psychiatrist Appointments

  1. Please email us your referral – our clinic manager will review and allocate to appropriate psychiatrist.
  2. Our team will contact you to schedule appointment, advise of any fees, send confirmation email, etc.

Fax

(03) 8672 3143

Day Therapy Programs

  1. Please email us your referral – our intake clinician will review.
  2. If initial consultation with psychiatrists is needed, we will liaise with you and the appropriate psychiatrist.
  3. Our team will contact you to schedule appointment, advise of any fees, send confirmation email, etc.

Fax

(03) 8672 3143

Inpatient Admissions

  1. Please email us your referral – our intake clinician will assess the referral against our inclusion and exclusion criteria.
  2. If patient is deemed suitable, our intake clinician will send the referral to our psychiatry team for consideration and a formal admission is created – admission details will be communicated to referrer.
  3. If patient not deemed suitable (ie: high-risk), a phone call to the referrer will be performed to provide an explanation.

Fax

(03) 8672 3143

Online Referrals - GPs & Specialists

Referral

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Comprehensive Private Mental Health Care in Melbourne’s West

Sunshine Clinic offers psychiatry consulting services, as well as inpatient and outpatient programs tailored to support recovery, resilience, and long-term wellbeing.