Outpatients Department
Our outpatient department is the busiest part of the hospital, with more than 10,000 clinics each week, where patients see doctors or specialist nurses for assessment, diagnosis, advice or treatment. The Trust has a centralised Patient Access Service which manages appointments on behalf of the majority of the Trust’s clinical services.
When a GP or other Health Professional refers you to the hospital, either directly or via the eReferral Service (where you choose your own appointment), this request is received by the Central Booking Office who ensure all the necessary information is there for the clinical services to review with you at your appointment. Prior to your appointment, the clinician will triage your referral to decide the most appropriate clinic or to arrange diagnostic tests in advance of your appointment.
If your GP or another Health Professional has referred you directly, the Central Booking Office will log the referral and ensure that all the necessary information is there for the clinical services to decide which clinic a patient should attend.
You will receive an appointment letter, or alternatively, if the appointment is within three weeks, you will receive a phone call offering a choice of at least two different appointments, followed by a letter confirming the appointment date & time you choose. Letters are sent out by the Patient Access Team and will include a link to the relevant patient information leaflet on our website.
Should you require a paper copy of the leaflet, please contact the Central Booking Office on 01908 997 050 or email [email protected].
The Outpatient Clinic Service also coordinates the provision of nurses to support the clinics and ensures that a patient’s medical records, referral letter, test results and other relevant information are at the clinic.
Last Modified: 9:48am 21/04/2022