Back Assessment Clinic

We provide comprehensive assessment, treatment and care for people with low back pain, neck pain and sciatica.

Key points

Assessment, management and care for people with spinal problems.
Collaborative service between Rheumatology, Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics, Pain Management and Physiotherapy.
BAC partners with Merri Health in the community.

Patients need a referral from their GP or healthcare provider. Access referral information

What we do

We are a specialist spinal assessment service formed in collaboration with Rheumatology, Neurosurgery, Orthopaedic Surgery and Pain Management at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. This service also partners with Merri Health in the community.

We offer comprehensive assessment and management advice to people experiencing neck and back pain and associated symptoms such as radiculopathy and neurogenic claudication from spinal canal stenosis.

We can organise further investigations, provide analgesia review, referrals for spinal and peripheral joint injections, allied health services (including physiotherapy, dietetics, psychology) and referrals for spinal surgical, rheumatology and pain management services as required.

Our clinics are staffed by rheumatologists, general medical and rheumatology registrars, and advanced practice physiotherapists at the RMH. All of these staff members have extensive experience in the assessment and treatment of back and neck problems.

Who can use our service

We see people living in the Royal Melbourne Hospital’s catchment referred by their GP or specialist using the RMH Spinal Referral Form for assessment and management of neck or low back pain and associated referred arm and leg symptoms.

We do not see in BAC:

Patients whose spinal pain is caused by a suspected ‘red flag’ condition (for example, spinal tumour, spinal infection, spinal fracture, abdominal aortic aneurysm or ankylosing spondylitis)
Patients with significant spinal deformities
Patients seeking medicolegal assessments (for example, for active/current WorkSafe Victoria or Transport Accident Commission claims).
Adolescents or children

Our clinics

Clinic name	Location	Options
Back Assessment Clinic at Merri Health Coburg	The RMH at Merri Health Coburg
Back Assessment Clinic at the RMH Royal Park	The RMH Royal Park

Our clinics

Back Assessment Clinic at Merri Health Coburg

The RMH at Merri Health Coburg

Back Assessment Clinic at the RMH Royal Park

The RMH Royal Park

For patients

For health professionals

Referrals

Spinal referrals

We accept GP and specialist referrals:

Use The RMH Spinal Referral Form or a template from your own system
Complete and fax your referral to Specialist Clinics (Outpatients) on (03) 9342 4234

You can also import a template into your practice's referral system:

As outlined by the Department of Health, referral requests should include:

Patient demographic information
Referrer demographic information
Reason for referral
Presenting problem
Service(s) requested
Required referral information specified by statewide or local referral criteria
Current patient management
Impact of the problem on the patient
Name of the consultant and provider number (for Medicare clinics)
Investigation reports related to the referral

Referrals are triaged based on priority. In an emergency, patients can go to the Emergency & Trauma Service at any time.

For advice, urgent referrals and out of hours support, call The RMH Switchboard on (03) 9342 7000 to page our registrar on call.

View Dept of Health guidelines

Special referral instructions

HealthPathways Melbourne provides guidance on best practice assessment and management of common medical conditions, including when and where to refer patients.

Parkville Connect is a secure web-based portal providing GPs, specialists and other health professionals with information in the Parkville electronic medical record (EMR).

Links & documents

The RMH Spinal Referral Form

Appointments

To book, change or cancel an appointment, contact the Direct Access Unit on (03) 8387 2333

What to bring

Every time you come

Every time you come in for a test, day procedure, surgery or treatment, you should bring:

Medicare card
Health Care card (if you have one)
Concession card (if you have one)
Adverse drug alert card (if you have one)
Medications you are currently taking, including any that you have bought without a prescription
X-ray films, scans, ultrasounds or any other test results you have which are related to your procedure
Private health insurance card (if you want to use it)
Aids (glasses, hearing aid, walking frame)