When did everyone get referred to the antenatal clinic and how long of a wait was it ? My GP told me to wait until after 20 weeks to go to the antenatal clinic and just gave me the referal this week at 22 weeks . I needed to call them ( Westmead NSW ) to tell them I will be away for a month and I am actually in shock and concerned by the response I got. The lady on the phone was so rude and unhelpful . Her actual words to me were “ the clinic is in chaos at the moment due to short staffing and it will be a week before your referal is triaged and at least a month before you get an appointment. The October referrals have not gotten their appointments yet. A friend of mine who is 14 weeks preg was referred last week by her gp t a different public clinic and already has an appointment today. Do we need to stay in our catchment areas ? I don’t have privet health insurance ? I’m wondering if there is a rush at all to get to the clinic if everything is going ok so far , I guess I’m just a concerned at timer who doesn’t know what is normal and what is not .