The department of Metabolic Medicine provides diagnostic and therapeutic services to children with genetic metabolic disorders, and their families, from all over Victoria and Tasmania. This includes the provision of results and the management of newborn babies diagnosed through the Victorian and Tasmanian expanded newborn screening program.
We currently care for over 1000 patients, from day one of life into adulthood. These patients are regularly reviewed in clinic by a multidisciplinary team, and we are responsible for their medical management when they are admitted to hospital because of a metabolic decompensation or other medical reasons. Patients are diagnosed with a large variety of genetic metabolic disorders, including disorders of fat metabolism, protein metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, transport defects, lysosomal and peroxisomal disorders etc.
Our clinical team consists of Physicians, Dietitians, Metabolic Nurses, a Social Worker, a Neuropsychologist and an Administrative Assistant. We provide consultations regarding patients who are referred by Paediatricians, Neurologists and other physicians in the community or hospitals. We also provide consultation regarding patients who are admitted to the Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) under other departments.
We focus on the integration of Metabolic Medicine within general Paediatrics as well as other Paediatric sub-specialties and we encourage 'shared care' of patients and we participate in the care of patients known to us but under other hospital units. We also emphasise joined care management with Paediatricians in the community, particularly for those patients who live far from Melbourne, to ensure quick assessment and therapeutic intervention and to minimise morbidity.
How to access our service
A referral letter from a medical practitioner is required for new consultations. Referral letters from other health professionals may also be accepted.
For any general enquiries, referrals, prescriptions, travel forms, dietary food allowance approval or any other non-urgent requests please contact us at: metabolic@rch.org.au
There is a Metabolic Fellow and a Metabolic Consultant on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to deal with problems arising with currently managed patients as well as to provide consultative support to Paediatricians and other physicians in the community or other hospitals (call RCH (03) 9345 5522 and ask to speak with the metabolic physician on call).