Outpatient appointments

You will be referred to us either:

• after an electronic booking has been made by your GP surgery, via the e-referral service (e-RS)
• after a referral letter has been received from your GP surgery

You may be offered an in-person, video or telephone appointment.

We will send you appointment reminders via text, 7 days and 1 day before your scheduled appointment. If you don't have a mobile phone, a voice message will be left for you on your landline.

You can confirm if you are able to attend. If not, you can change the date of, or cancel your appointment.

From Monday 2 October 2023, all patients will receive a digital copy of their outpatient clinic outcome letter, which has been dictated and typed on Digital Dictation. This will be instead of the default paper version previously issued.

Letters will be made available securely through our Patient Portal system.

If a patient does not access the letter within 24 hours the system will send the letter through the post as well.

Unfortunately, you may have to wait some time for your first appointment.

If you're waiting for a hospital appointment or treatment, you can use the My Planned Care website to check the waiting times at your hospital. Check hospital waiting times on the My Planned Care website.

We are working hard to ensure that patients come to their appointments by looking at reasons for missed appointments such as:

• the patient has forgotten about the appointment
• the patient had not attended because they felt they no longer needed the appointment
• the patient was not aware of the appointment
• unclear, inaccessible or incorrect appointment information was given to the patient
• the patient has difficulties cancelling or re-arranging their appointment
• difficulty taking time off work (particularly when face-to-face appointments are offered as the only option)
• transport issues
• difficulty arranging carers at the time of the appointment (either for the patient or for people they care for)
• cost issues of getting to and from an appointment 
• limited clinic hours making it challenging to find a suitable time to attend
• the patient has not been brought to the appointment by a carer or guardian responsible for their care ("was not brought")

Please do attend your appointment - it's valuable to you, and us.

Cancelling and re-booking appointments

Please do let us know if you are unable to attend your appointment - this could free up a slot for someone else. You can confirm or cancel your appointment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, using our patient portal and text reminder service; apart from the departments listed to the right.

Most outpatient appointments can be cancelled or changed by calling our contact centre on 01226 434343, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You can also use our cancellation and re-booking form.

Patient Initiated Follow-up (PIFU)

Did you know that you do not always have to have a follow-up appointment?

Some areas are now offering select patients PIFU; which puts the patient in control of when they are seen by a specialist for a specific condition.

Students 

We play a part in training many students in healthcare. Students, supervised by qualified staff, may observe or be involved in your care.  

If you do not want to be seen by students, please tell a staff member at the clinic – it won’t affect your care in any way.  

Involving you in your care  

We want to make sure you fully understand your condition and the options available to you.  

Before you receive any treatment, the healthcare professional will explain what they are recommending. Please do ask if you are unsure about anything. No treatment is carried out without your consent (unless it is an emergency and you are unconscious).  

Before you leave your appointment 

Make sure you know: 

• what might be wrong 
• whether you need any tests 
• what treatment is best for you 
• what happens next and who to contact