Contact
Sydney Children's Hospital Randwick:
- Phone: (02) 9382 1544
- Location: Outpatients, Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick
The Children's Hospital at Westmead:
- Phone: (02) 7825 0918 (Mon-Fri 8am-4.30pm)
- Location: Speech Pathology Department, Outpatients building, level 2
About our service
The Craniofacial service is a highly specialised team dedicated to the treatment of babies and children with congenital and acquired abnormalities of the head and face.
The service is provided across our two campuses, the Children’s Hospital at Westmead and the Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick.
Our team comprises plastic surgeons, neurosurgeons, ophthalmologists, orthoptists, ENT surgeons, specialised anaesthetists, paediatric radiologists, speech therapists, specialised registered nurses, dentists, orthodontists, geneticists, medical photography and orthotists.
We collaborate to tailor individualised treatment plans, ensuring the highest quality and state of the art care for the children in need. The mission of the Craniofacial service extends beyond surgical intervention; the team strives to provide holistic care that encompasses physical, emotional, and psychological well-being.
We are actively involved with teaching and research, all with a view to enhancing the care of children with craniofacial conditions in NSW.
We work closely with the cleft lip and palate and the orthotics services.
Conditions we treat
- Craniosynostosis
- Positional Plagiocephaly
- Craniofacial Syndromes
- Facial Nerve Palsy
- Clefts
- Bone Growths and Tumours
- Craniofacial Tumours
- Overgrowth Conditions
- Atrophic Conditions
- Pierre Robin Sequence
- Other conditions including Hypertelorism, head size and fontanelles
See the Craniofacial handbook for more information on our approach to the care and treatment of these conditions.
Referral process for clinicians
Our department is using Consultmed to manage referrals. The Consultmed platform allows health professionals to send e-referrals to us securely.
Consultmed questions and technical support: helpdesk@consultmed.co
Referral and appointment process for parents and carers
Request a referral
To make an appointment at our clinic, you will need a referral from your GP, paediatrician or specialist.
They will assess your child, discuss your concerns, and make a referral to the appropriate service.
Track your referral
Our department uses Consultmed to manage referrals. Your referring clinician sends the e-referral to us using the secure Consultmed platform.
Once we receive the referral, we will send you an email with your tracking information. We will update you as we process the referral and book your appointment.
To receive these updates, please ask your referring clinician to include your email on the referral.
If your clinician has questions about Consultmed or require technical support, they can contact helpdesk@consultmed.co.
Need support?
If you need help or have questions about the referral and appointment process, please contact us.
- Randwick: (02) 9382 1544
- Westmead: 02) 7825 2078
Clinic information
Preparing for your appointment
- Please forward X-rays, CT or MRI scans to us two weeks before your appointment, as we need to review these before the meeting.
- If you have not been asked to have scans there's no need to have any performed before the appointment.
- Please arrive in plenty of time and bring your blue book with you to the appointment.
- Children attending this clinic often have complex needs, so please allow for additional time on the day of your appointment.
- Children are evaluated in a supportive and playful environment by many different specialists.
At the appointment
- Patients and their family are allocated a consultation room where they will stay for the most of the appointment.
- The various specialty teams will move around from room to room to see each patient individually.
- Patients will have their height and weight taken by a nurse at the beginning of the session, and often their head circumference will also be measured by a doctor.
- You can expect to be at this appointment for around 1-2 hours.
- After all patients have been seen in clinic, we hold a team meeting where patients' progress is discussed in depth and our specialists have input into your child's treatment plan. We need your consent to discuss your child at this meeting and will provide a form for you to sign.
- Patients are asked to have their photograph taken by our professional medical photographer. Photographs remain a confidential part of the medical record, and are used to document changes in a patient’s condition over time.
- If any medical imaging procedures are required, these will be organised by the team.
- For minor procedures such as X-rays or audiology (hearing) tests, you will be given forms and asked to go to the radiology department for the test at your convenience. If your child requires a more in-depth procedure such as a CT or MRI under general anaesthetic (GA), this will be arranged and you will be informed by the Hospital of the date for the procedure.
- Our team, including our dedicated craniofacial clinical nurse coordinator will support you throughout the process.
