Specialty - ENT - Otorhinolaryngology
Overview
Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery (ENT) is also known as Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. This area of medicine is concerned with disorders of the ear, nose, throat, the head and the neck. ENT Surgeons (or otorhinolaryngologists) are specialist doctors who deal with medical and surgical treatment of conditions of the ears, nose, throat and structures of the head and neck.
Referral Expectations
If you have an urgent problem requiring immediate surgical assessment you are referred
acutely to the Accident & Emergency Department where you will initially be seen by a Medical Officer of Special Scale (MOSS) who will decide whether you need to be admitted to hospital. Investigations will be performed as required and the more senior members of the team involved where necessary.
If the problem is not urgent, the GP will write a letter to the ORL Department requesting an appointment in the outpatient clinic. Each month the Department receives more new referrals than can be seen in clinic. One of the consultant surgeons working in the Department reviews the referral letters to determine who should be seen first, based on the information provided by the GP. Very urgent cases are usually seen within a couple of weeks, but other cases may have to wait a much longer time. Routine cases are often returned to the GP with some management advice.
When you come to the ORL Outpatient Department you will be seen by a member of the ORL team who will ask questions about your illness and examine you to try to determine or confirm the diagnosis. This process may also require a number of tests (e.g. blood tests, x-rays, scans etc). Sometimes this can all be done during one clinic visit, but for some conditions this will take several follow-up appointments. Occasionally some tests are arranged even before you are seen at the hospital to try to speed up the process.
Once a diagnosis has been made, the medical staff will discuss treatment with you. In some instances this will mean surgery, while other cases can be managed with medication and advice. If surgery is advised you will be put on the
elective surgical waiting list. Again these waiting lists are ordered according to the urgency and severity of the condition. The steps involved in the surgical process and the likely outcome are usually discussed with you at this time.
Consultants | MOSS |
| Mr W Ten Cate |
Mr P Sherwen |
Dr D Irani |
| Mr B Hitchcock |
Mr T Mathews |
|
Referral / First Specialist Assessment
A threshold for FSA referral acceptance has been set to assist with MOH waiting time compliance.
- The National Access Criteria (Bay of Plenty version) for First Assessment (ACA) are available to view:
ENT ACA Tool
- Bay of Plenty Waiting times for First Specialist Assessment are available to view:
ENT Waiting Times
Treatment List
A threshold for treatment list acceptance has been set to assist with MOH waiting time compliance.
Contact Details
Postal: Referral Receipt Centre, BOPDHB, Private Bag 12024, Tauranga 3142
Fax: 07 578 1247
Phone: 0800 333 477