ENT Specialists & Hearing Clinics

What ENT specialists treat

Common reasons for an ENT referral include recurring ear infections or hearing loss, chronic sinusitis that hasn’t responded to standard treatment, tonsil or adenoid problems (particularly in children), voice changes lasting more than a few weeks, and suspected obstructive sleep apnoea. Some conditions are managed with medication alone; others need surgery — grommets, tonsillectomy, sinus surgery — performed by the ENT specialist.

Referral and Medicare

A GP referral to an ENT specialist lasts 12 months by default, longer for an ongoing condition. Hearing tests are usually performed by an audiologist, either independently or working alongside the ENT practice, and are billed separately from the specialist consultation. Where surgery is recommended, the same private/public split applies as other specialties: private surgery is faster but carries surgeon, anaesthetist and hospital costs each with a Medicare/insurance gap, while public hospital surgery is free but has a wait, prioritised by clinical urgency.

Children and ENT

ENT is one of the more common paediatric surgical referrals, particularly for grommets (for recurring ear infections affecting hearing) and tonsil or adenoid removal (for recurring infections or sleep-disordered breathing). A GP or paediatrician will usually try medical management first and refer for surgical opinion if the problem persists or is affecting a child’s hearing, sleep or development.

What to bring

Bring your referral, any previous hearing test results, and a clear history — how long the problem has been present, how often it recurs, and what treatment has already been tried. For hearing concerns, bring a description of specific situations where hearing is difficult (background noise, phone calls, one ear versus both).

Questions worth asking

• Is surgery the only option, or is there a non-surgical approach worth trying first?
• What is the out-of-pocket cost, including any hearing tests?
• If surgery is recommended, what is the combined cost across surgeon, anaesthetist and hospital?
• How long is the public waiting list as an alternative?
• What follow-up is needed after treatment?