Colorectal Surgery
We care for people requiring bowel and pelvic surgical procedures.
What we do
The Colorectal Unit is one of the largest tertiary referral colorectal surgical units in South Australia, performing approximately 300 major colorectal (bowel) surgical procedures and 600 colonoscopic procedures per year.
Services include:
- major open and laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery
- complex pelvic malignancy and inflammatory bowel disease cases
- interventional colonoscopy
- trans-anal endoscopic microsurgery.
Robotic surgery is offered in highly selected cases, utilising facilities in the private sector. We support pelvic floor and continence surgery, with a full anorectal physiology service and a dedicated continence clinic.
Where to find us
Outpatient Clinic, Level 3 (ground floor), Royal Adelaide Hospital.
Check appointment information and screens on arrival at the RAH, for the specific location
Who we are
Consultants
- Dr Mark Lewis – Head of Unit
You need a referral from a GP or medical practitioner to access this service.
Once your referral has been received it will be triaged according to clinical urgency.
If your referral is accepted, you will either:
- receive a letter, phone call or text message confirming your appointment time, date and location
- receive a letter confirming you have been waitlisted for an appointment.
If the referral is declined, your GP or referring medical practitioner will be notified.
Outpatient services
Find out information about specialist outpatient appointments, how to be referred, plus information when attending an outpatient clinic.
Your outpatient appointment
Contact us to:
- change your appointment time
- cancel your appointment
- find out triage status
- general outpatient enquiries.
If you need to cancel or change your appointment time, let us know as soon as possible.
Preparing for surgery
The healthier you are going into surgery, the stronger you will be coming out. Find tips and resources to help you get ready for surgery.
We accept GP and specialist referrals to this service.
eReferrals are preferred.
Use the Clinical Prioritisation Criteria (CPC) as a referral guide.
To ensure timely triage, include all demographic and clinical details.
The service triages referrals according to clinical urgency.
Urgent and serious referrals
If you are concerned about the appointment being delayed or if the patient's condition is deteriorating, contact the registrar to discuss.
Registrars are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Patients requiring immediate assessment should be sent directly to the Emergency Department.
Discharge guidelines
Patients whose medical condition has stabilised or resolved, and where no further appointment has been made, will be formally discharged.
If medical assessment is required again, a new referral should be made explaining the reason.
Research is an important part of the unit and has recently undergone significant expansion.
Details about current research activity can be viewed here: www.colorectalresearch.org