Bendigo Health Women’s Clinics

What we do

There are two types of clinics, medically led clinics and midwife led clinics.

Our medically led clinics include Gynaecology, Obstetric, Family Planning, Choices, Cervical Screening, Colposcopy and Early Pregnancy Assessment.

Our midwife led clinics include our Assessments Centre and clinics for Midwives, Booking In, Mamta Caseload Midwifery, Lactation, Infant Massage classes and Childbirth Parenting Education classes.

How to access this clinic

*For Specialist Clinics appointments, including in Women’s and Children’s Services, only the patient can attend unless a carer is required.

You will need a referral letter from your GP or medical practitioner to access any medically led services in Women’s Clinics.

Your doctor will need to fax your referral letter to the Clinic. When your referral is received it will be reviewed by the consulting team and categorised based on clinical urgency.

We will then notify you of the outcome of the specialist review, what your clinical urgency category is, and the expected waiting time for your appointment.

While every attempt will be made to provide you with the earliest possible appointment time, the most urgent patients are given priority.

What to bring

• Your appointment letter
• Your Medicare card
• A list of medications that you are currently taking
• Any relevant test results or X-ray disks from services outside Bendigo Health
• Any relevant cards (Health Care Card, Aged Pension, DVA)

For all antenatal or pregnancy appointments you must bring your hand held record (Victorian Medical Record or ‘VMR’) and pregnancy care booklet that you will have received at your first ‘booking in’ visit in pregnancy.

Your Appointment

Women’s Health Clinics are located on Level 3 in the Bendigo Hospital.

If you are seeing a midwife you may be seen in  the John Lindell Rehabilitation Unit building.

The Women’s Clinics in the Bendigo Hospital have an automated check-in system. You can either scan your appointment letter or Medicare card at the check-in kiosk to register your arrival. You will be directed to provide a contact mobile phone number. This will enable us to inform you via text message when your appointment is drawing near. Should you not have a mobile phone, buzzers are available from the reception desk.

Patients are seen strictly in order of appointment time, but we have concurrent clinics running at any given time so you may see others that arrive later seen before you. We do our best to run to time, however delays do occur and we therefore recommend that you allow at least two hours for your appointment. We do ask that you present back to reception if you have been waiting for more than one hour.

Support Services for New Parents

Mothers can contact a lactation consultant Monday-Friday (except Public Holidays) for up to six weeks post birth, on 03 5454 7293.

Lactation Hotline and Telehealth service for feeding support and advice is currently under development. Please keep checking the Bendigo Health website and Facebook page for ongoing information regarding the commencement date of these services.

Resources:

Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA)
Chat online 4-10pm daily

ABA Breastfeeding helpline: 1800 686 268

YouTube: Bendigo Health Best Beginnings - information regarding feeding and sleep for infants up to three months of age

Raising Children Network

COVID-19 Information for Parents with Infants and Young Children