Far West services
Our diverse range of allied health teams are usually based in Broken Hill, with regular outreach clinics or visits as needed in other towns.
Far West LHD provides a range of health services for children, young people and families, with a focus on early intervention and prevention.
Dietitians are health professionals trained in food and nutrition. They can offer support and motivation to achieve your health goals, whatever they are, as well as practical advice.
They can suggest recipes and menus to help you make good decisions about what to eat.
Dietitians in Far West work in the community as well as hospitals and community health clinics. They work closely with others including nurses, social workers and pharmacists.
They can help anyone, including people of all ages, including those with weight issues, allergies, heart conditions, diabetes or pregnancy.
You do not need a referral to see a dietitian, but it is recommended to have a referral from your GP or other health professional if you have a medical condition.
- Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm
- Phone: (08) 8080 1411
Occupational Therapists (OTs) help people to develop, recover or maintain a person's ability to complete daily life routines and roles.
Occupational Therapists can help people of all ages with:
- Strategies to complete everyday activities with increased ease, independence and safety.
- Overcoming physical, mental, developmental, social and/or emotional challenges.
- Reaching their goals in many areas, including helping you to stay in your home or leave hospital as soon as possible.
- Completing necessary interventions, assessing daily activities and developing a plan to make these tasks easier.
Occupational Therapists can:
- Support people in the community, home, schools and hospitals.
- Prescribe aids and equipment to facilitate a safe level of function in the home and community.
- Advise on recommendations for home modifications to assist with daily tasks.
- Improve fine motor skills to assist in areas like eating, writing, and upper limb rehabilitation.
- Link with other services that work well with occupational therapy, such as physiotherapists, nurses, social workers, dietitians and pharmacists.
Our Occupational Therapists are based at Broken Hill Hospital, with outreach services to Wilcannia, White Cliffs, Menindee, Tibooburra and Ivanhoe as needed.
Our team accepts referrals for clients who are not eligible for alternative funding options.
You need a referral to access this service.
- Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8am to 4:30pm
- Phone: (08) 8080 1411
For general information on Occupational Therapy go to healthdirect and Occupational Therapy Australia.
Physiotherapists assess and treat people of all ages who need help to improve their physical movement and function. This might be because of age, illness or injury, surgery or other reasons.
Physiotherapy often involves exercises, manual therapy and education.
Our physiotherapy department is based at Broken Hill Hospital, with outreach services to Wilcannia, Menindee, Tibooburra and Ivanhoe as needed.
You need a referral from a doctor or other health professional to access this service.
- Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm
- Phone: (08) 8080 1411
Social workers provide counselling and support, information and referrals to community counselling, housing, financial, legal and other service providers.
Social workers are available to support patients in Broken Hill Hospital, and children 0-5 and their families through the Broken Hill Child and Family Health team.
Contact information:
- Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm
- Phone: (08) 8080 1100
The support of a social worker can also be accessed by contacting the Dareton and Wentworth health services and Far West Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol team.
Speech pathologists assess and treat people of all ages who have difficulty with:
swallowing food and drink
speaking clearly or fluently (e.g. stuttering)
language skills, (understanding others and expressing themselves, which may also include reading and writing difficulties).
This may be due to illness or injury, or other reasons. Treatment often includes exercises and other strategies.
Our speech pathologists are based at Broken Hill Hospital, with outreach services to other communities as needed.
You do not need a referral to arrange an appointment with this service.
- Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm
- Phone: (08) 8080 1411
Medical imaging has become an indispensable part of modern healthcare that involves the production of high quality images for the purpose of diagnosis of injury or disease. A patient's diagnosis and ultimate treatment is often dependent on the images produced.
Medical imaging services have continued to grow over the last twenty years, outpacing growth in total Medicare services and the population. There is now on average over one X-ray or scan performed for every Australian each year. The growth reflects the increasing clinical use of medical imaging in patient management; driven by increased patient access, the ageing population and technological advancements allowing for a wider range of targeted diagnosis. Medical Imaging uses both ionising and non-ionising radiation in the imaging process. The equipment (or modalities) used is at the high end of technology and computerisation within medicine.
Medical imaging available in Broken Hill includes:
- General X-ray
- Ultrasound
- Computed tomography (CT)
- Mammography (breast screen)
- Orthopantomogram (OPG)
- Fluoroscopy
- Interventional radiology
Our service caters to Hospital Inpatients and Emergency Department patients 7 days a week, and Outpatients Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4pm.
A referral is required from your Doctor for all outpatient examinations, and bookings are essential for CT and Ultrasound.
Contact our Medical Imaging reception on (08) 8080 1376 for bookings and inquiries.
The Far West LHD provides a number of Integrated Care Programs and Services. These services are run in partnership with other health and social organisations within the community, including General Practitioner practices.
For more information please visit our Integrated Care Page here.”