Nephrology

Who we are

The PCH Nephrology team provides comprehensive care for babies, children and adolescents with renal (kidney) conditions. 

Conditions we manage

Our inpatient and outpatient care includes management of:

• Suspected kidney abnormalities 
• High blood pressure
• Acute symptoms of kidney disease – including cases where kidney function is recovered, and cases that progress to chronic (longer-term) kidney disease (CKD)
• CKD that progresses to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), in which the kidneys no longer function properly. 

As kidney and urinary tract issues are often linked, our clinicians also work closely with urologists from the General Surgery team.   

Services we provide

• Treatment and investigations across all stages of acute, chronic and end-stage kidney disease
• Renal replacement therapy (RRT) to help children with end-stage kidney disease get rid of extra water and waste products, which their kidneys can no longer remove 
• Dialysis, a type of RRT in which a device replaces the kidneys’ role of ‘cleaning’ the blood. This includes at-home peritoneal dialysis (using a tube in the belly) or haemodialysis at PCH (where the patient is connected to an artificial kidney machine)
• Training to help the child and their family do peritoneal dialysis at home after leaving hospital
• Kidney transplant services 
• Nephrology advice for doctors outside PCH (including in remote areas and close liaison with the PCH Rural Paediatric Service).

Referrals

All Specialist Rooms, GP’s and WACHS referrers are being advised to direct all non-urgent referrals for PCH outpatient services to the Central Referral Service.  

Online

https://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/Articles/A_E/Central-Referral-Service-guide-for-referrers 

• New referrals will be assessed against the eligibility guidelines and prioritised according to medical need.
• Referrals from Nurse Practitioners, other non-medical referrers and private hospitals (including those with a private-public partnership) are to be directed to PCH Referral Office.
• All urgent referrals are to be sent to the PCH Referral Office.
• Urgent referrals must always be discussed with the PCH Consultant / Registrar on call before the referral is sent.
• The referral needs to include the name of the Consultant/ Registrar the referrer spoke to.
• Each referral is to be faxed individually.

PCH switchboard