If you need advice from someone in a hospital, your GP or nurse will discuss with you which hospital you wish to be referred to. This is referred to in the NHS as choices. You may, at a later date, be contacted by representatives of the Department of Health to participate in a survey to see whether you have been offered choices.

In choosing where to have your outpatient appointment, you will be choosing where to receive your full treatment, if you need it. This will include your initial outpatient appointment and any other appointments for treatment (for example, inpatient care) or aftercare.

However, if you are not happy with your chosen hospital after your outpatient appointment, your GP can make you an appointment at another hospital.

If you need very specialised care, you may need to be referred by your consultant to another hospital. You may also be transferred to another specialty if the hospital doctor and your GP feel that this is more appropriate for your condition.

Your GP or nurse will ensure any agreed choice on a specific hospital doctor and/or hospital, is included in your referral letter. On the other hand, if you have no particular preference or several choices, the letter will make this clear.

Please keep your appointment and give as much advance notice as possible if you are unable to attend.

Any communication from the hospital will be sent to the Practice. It may be copied to you as well.

Please feel free to discuss any aspect of your referral that you do not understand with your GP at any point during the process.

As a Practice, we monitor the quality of the services we use both in the practice, in the community and at hospitals

If your doctor has referred you to a specialist for further care you will be asked to book your appointment using the ‘NHS e-Referral’ system.

You will receive a letter from us within 2 weeks giving details of how to book your appointment and any passwords you may need.

To track your e-Referral you will need the following details to log into the e-Referral website:

• Your date of birth
• Reference number – this will be on the first page of your letter
• Password – this will be on the second page of your letter

To track an e-Referral, click here.