Hospital referrals

[accymel]

Following on from discussion Doctors appointments I've just rang again & now they have changed the system yet again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now i have to go in to pick up a pre printed letter with a password on & details of hospital/consultants etc & u ring the number & you can book over the phone your appointment & choose where & who with also you'll know the waiting lists etc, rather than the old way, now is this true or am i being really fobbed off this time & are all doctors following this practice ??? Cos if its a load of bolony then im changing doctors asap!


Lettie could u shed some light on it please

[silvermain]

From the reports ive seen on the new system you can see alot of info such as what you have said.

[lettie]

This sounds like it stems from the patient choice agenda. All patients now have a right to choose where they will be treated and which consultant they wish to be treated by. It is probably your surgery's way of letting you choose. It seems a bit of a rigmarole to go through when all you want is an appointment to see a consultant. My advice would be that if you have seen a consultant before and are happy with that consultant, also if your problem is one that the consultant is aware of then just ring the hospital switchboard and ask to speak to his/her secretary. You can always tell the secretary that you were told to ring if there were any further problems. This won't get you any further up the waiting list but it will get you an appointment. Bear in mind that waiting lists for an outpatient appointment are nowhere near as long as they used to be due to having to reach targets.

[WillowTheWhisp]

When I get referred by my doctor I subsequently get a phone call from some patient services or something which offers me a choice of different hospitals most of which are totally impractical so I choose Blackburn cos it's the nearest.

[accymel]

Originally Posted by lettie

This sounds like it stems from the patient choice agenda. All patients now have a right to choose where they will be treated and which consultant they wish to be treated by. It is probably your surgery's way of letting you choose. It seems a bit of a rigmarole to go through when all you want is an appointment to see a consultant. My advice would be that if you have seen a consultant before and are happy with that consultant, also if your problem is one that the consultant is aware of then just ring the hospital switchboard and ask to speak to his/her secretary. You can always tell the secretary that you were told to ring if there were any further problems. This won't get you any further up the waiting list but it will get you an appointment. Bear in mind that waiting lists for an outpatient appointment are nowhere near as long as they used to be due to having to reach targets.

Cheers Lettie for explaining it to me it mashed my head when i rung - cos last time i saw the consultant it was under the old system, im probably better going with the consultant thats dealt with him before since birth so would be as easy just to ring up to speak to the consultants secretary as they are expecting this referral soon anyway.

I just wish they told me this a couple of days ago so seems the receptionists dont communicate rather than peeing me about

[grannyclaret]

If you want to book a ambulance to take you to hospital for an out patient appointment you now have to ring a number with a reference number,,and they dont half keep you hanging on that phone... once upon a time we just asked the receptionist at the doctors to book you one..

[accymel]

Right more to the sagar & difficulty of getting a referal.

Just done as Lettie suggested, rang main line & got thro to the consultants secretary only to be told i cant do it that way & that i need a GP letter, only prob is getting a GP letter when the gp surgery changes its protocols that dont match anywhere else ie going down for a letter with p/word details of consultants blah blah, the secretary hasn't heard of this ventre certainly not for referals - so what is my GP surgery playing at

The only other way is letter from school doc or going to casualty, - how mental is that for a congential condition i shouldnt be taking up their time this should be my GP's job but yet im being fobbed off by my surgeries receptionists who each tell me a different rule. I cant change GP's yet if the the referal has gone thro as interchange between consultant & GP will be messed up So awaiting school to get back to me if they can do it - feel so bad having to put this on them, sat here bloody annoyed & upset that a basic request is causing this chaos!!

Please tell me i dont have to interupt Mr Pope yet again

[Ianto.W.]

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

When I get referred by my doctor I subsequently get a phone call from some patient services or something which offers me a choice of different hospitals most of which are totally impractical so I choose Blackburn cos it's the nearest.

That's ok if they have the equipment to treat your complaint, if you need special 'scans' etc or heart lung tratment you have to go to Preston or Blackpool, believe me it is a real pain in the kneck.

[accymel]

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

When I get referred by my doctor I subsequently get a phone call from some patient services or something which offers me a choice of different hospitals most of which are totally impractical so I choose Blackburn cos it's the nearest.

So really it doesn't really benefit patients anyway - certainly those that dont drive or have commitments at home

So your GP did a referal? so it wasn't like what i was told about getting a letter & me ring patient services asking for what i wnat etc???

All this fandangles are confusing me completely after getting told one thing or another, so really is it making it easier or like me blaming harder certainly for a re-ocurring condition that one consultant locally deals with anyway

[jimmi5bellies]

My doc last night has ordered more xrays on my back, neck and heart .... he never asked me which hospital id like them to be done at.

[WillowTheWhisp]

It sounds like you are really being messed bout Mel. It would be driving me up the wall.

Ianto, they only give options obviously of hospitals which are able to do the necessary proceedure. Until recently I would have had to go to Blackpool but fortunately some new things have been transferred to Blackburn now.

[WillowTheWhisp]

Originally Posted by jimmi5bellies

My doc last night has ordered more xrays on my back, neck and heart .... he never asked me which hospital id like them to be done at.

You'll probably get a phone call from "patient services" unless it's a continuation of previous treatment.

[accymel]

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

It sounds like you are really being messed bout Mel. It would be driving me up the wall.

Yeh its driving me round the bend i really dont understand the need for this messing cos really do you get much of a choice when limited?? I have to go down to gp receptionist tommoz am thats if my shopping comes cant change at such short notice!! panalty for havign no transport again Im feeling really peed off with the world atm, least the school nurse managed to sort another referal [not connected] but not the hospital one yet i have to do this new system thats in place which im really not at all happy about - why couldnt they of left it as it was

[Ianto.W.]

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

It sounds like you are really being messed bout Mel. It would be driving me up the wall.

Ianto, they only give options obviously of hospitals which are able to do the necessary proceedure. Until recently I would have had to go to Blackpool but fortunately some new things have been transferred to Blackburn now.

I must admit, the 'PET' scans can only be done in certain places, they made me radio active, the nurse said"stay away from pegnant ladies" not much effort needed there., even the non preggers type do that.

[WillowTheWhisp]

I could have gone to some far distant place if I'd fancied it but what would have been the point when they have the same facilities closer to home? My GP informed me that the funding would follow me wherever I chose to go.

Maybe they'll get PET scans at Blackburn too eventually.