EEG and Neurology Services, The Children's Hospital at Westmead
Contact
For EEG (Routine, prolonged or ambulatory)
- Phone: (02) 7825 2648
- Location: EEG and Neurology Services, Level 3, Banksia Building
For nerve conduction studies and EMG
- Refer via Consultmed to Associate Professor Manoj Menezes
- Phone: (02) 7825 2647
- Location: EEG and Neurology Services, Level 3, Banksia Building
For Inpatient Epilepsy Monitoring Unit and Video EEG
- Contact the Neurology Consultant on (02) 7825 0000
- Referrals for video EEG through Consultmed or fax will not be accepted.
- Phone: (02) 7825 2647
- Location: Neurosciences Inpatient Unit, Level 3, Banksia Building
About our service
We provide inpatient and outpatient neurophysiology services, including:
- routine electroencephalography (EEG)
- sleep-deprived EEG
- prolonged EEG (2 to 3 hours)
- daytime EEG (5 to 6 hours)
- ambulatory EEG
- inpatient video EEG.
We provide EEGs to children:
- who have had an unprovoked epileptic seizure or with recurrent episodes of suspected seizures
- to aid in the management of a known epilepsy disorder
- with chronic epilepsy and acute conditions, in discussion with a Consultant Neurologist or Neurology Fellow.
Neurophysiology scientists perform outpatient EEGs with oversight from consultant paediatric neurologists on Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 5 pm.
Referral process for clinicians
Our department is using Consultmed to manage referrals for EEGs (except video EEGs), nerve conduction studies and EMG.
The Consultmed platform allows health professionals to send e-referrals to us securely.
For Consultmed questions and technical support, please contact helpdesk@consultmed.co.
For urgent EEG requests, please call us on the phone numbers listed above.
We do not routinely accept GP referrals.
If substantial clinical concern exists, GPs can call the Neurology Consultant or the Neurology Fellow On-Call via switchboard to discuss their patient on (02) 7825 0000.
Referrals we accept
Referrals must meet the following criteria:
- The request meets an evidence-based indication for EEG, and there is sufficient detail about the episodes of concern and patient information.
- The patient lives within the Western Sydney Local Health District (LHD), extended catchment area or other areas that do not have a public paediatric neurophysiology service.
- If the patient lives outside the LHD, EEG referrals will be considered for complex cases or if the patient is a current patient at The Children's Hospital at Westmead.
- There is a risk of developmental and epileptic encephalopathy with present symptoms and the patient requires urgent review and intervention, or there is a risk to patient wellbeing.
- There are compassionate circumstances (for example, the family has other children cared for by the Hospital).
Referrals we do not accept
We have restricted our acceptance criteria and are no longer accepting EEG referrals for the following clinical reasons:
- suspected Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (PNES)
- syncope, postural dizziness
- exclusion of a mass lesion
- headache, migraine and tics
- non-specific fatigue
- intellectual impairment without a history of seizures or seizure-like events, or the presence of developmental stagnation or regression
- breath-holding spells
- attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- paediatric simple febrile seizures
- other provoked seizures (for example, concussive, hypoglycaemic, diarrhoea-associated)
- when the events themselves are unlikely to be epileptic seizures (for example, staring events with no epileptic features, stereotypies, infant shuddering attacks, self-gratification episodes, sleep myoclonus, features of the episode that are inconsistent with seizure-like behaviours/movements) or for “possible” seizure episodes
- psychiatric symptoms or episodic behaviour disturbance/aggression
- to exclude epilepsy.
We also do not provide EEGs with sedation due to the low yield of the results and safety risks to the patient.
We do not routinely accept:
- referrals from GPs
- patients from outside the Western Sydney Local Health District (LHD), where local public neurophysiology services exist and can be accessed.
Patients from the Southwest Sydney LHD are to be directed to the Neurophysiology service at Sydney Children's Hospital Randwick or Prince of Wales Hospital.
Patients from the Hunter New England LHD are to be referred to John Hunter Hospital's Neurophysiology service.
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 paediatrician, specialist or emergency department.
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. This process may take up to 8 weeks.
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.
Confirm your appointment
If your referral is approved, we will call you from a private number to book the appointment. We will make 3 attempts to contact you.
If your referral is declined, we will contact you to discuss alternative care pathways for your child.
No-show and cancellation policy
If you fail to attend your appointment, you will not be rebooked until we receive a new referral unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Cancellations will be reconsidered for one additional appointment booking, depending on the circumstance.
If the appointment is cancelled, we will return the referral to the referring clinician for follow-up and discussion.
Need support?
If you need help or have questions about the referral and appointment process, please contact us on (02) 7825 2657.
