What to do if a GP refuses to refer you to an endo specialist or a BSGE certified centre

[StefaniaJW]

POST ORIGINALLY WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED BY ANNIE ROSE BARBER. I am sharing to spread awareness and help each other.

I’ve been there! Even after an MRI showed that my pelvic organs were all stuck together, my GP refused a referral to an actual Specialist because they were ‘out of area’. But I fought them hard & got it on the end.

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Here are the options (for UK folks - specifically England as things are sadly so much harder in Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales 😢):

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1. Appeal to your local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). I tried this & don’t recommend. It’s slow, frustrating & often the CCG is completely ignorant of #endo so “computer says NO”. It was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life.

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2. Pay to see the Specialist you want privately first. This costs between £180-£290 for a 30-60 minute consultation. The consultation can be worth the money in itself, but the Specialist will often write to your GP & request the referral on your behalf. I did this, & still got refused my referral - but was successful with a different GP.

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3. CHANGE YOUR GP. There are so many GP surgeries in most local areas - so use them! I lived on the border of 2 London boroughs & I tried 6 different GPs. The difference between them was astounding!

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4. If nowhere locally will process your referral, can you register anywhere else? I ended up registering with the GP near my Mum & Dad’s house - 5 hours away from where I live in London. They granted my referral INSTANTLY & they did it over a phone consultation! Regional differences are HUGE.

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5. If all the above fails, contact PALS. Some people have had success & a really quick turnaround with PALS (see @myendometriosisvoyage in comments below). Also, use the recently introduced NICE guidelines to support your case. These guidelines have been updated & support referrals to Specialists even if imaging (e.g MRI, Ultrasound) comes back negative. You can find them with a quick Google.

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With this disease, we often know much more than our GPs do, & we have to fight. It’s frustrating, exhausting & completely unfair, but we can never give up. 💪🏼

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[LCI1]

What have people experienced in terms of waiting times after referral to a BSGE centre?