***Important Info for anyone who is waiting on a NHS Referral Appointment - Please read this and share 🙌***

[Weaver281]

I’ve just found this out after chasing up my own Gynae Referral with my GP which had been referred urgently across to NHS at the start of Oct 2020. I assumed you just sit and wait to receive an appt through the post. I had thought it was taking a long time due to the pressures on hospitals and staff due to COVID. This is not the case!!

You need to be registered with Patient Access- patientaccess.com/ This website is where you can access your GP medical record online. On the menu you’ll see Consultations - if you have been referred there will be a record of the 12 digit number and a password - this is the info you need to access your referral on the nhs referral website. You also need to put in the year of your birth.

Once you have logged into the referral website - refer.nhs.uk/login - you will see your referrals there, you can then choose to book your own appointment and even choose the clinic or hospital you want to go to! I’ve just booked my own appointment for 13 days time and I can’t quite believe it!!

So please don’t wait, thinking you’ll get an appointment in the post, it may never come and that’s not because of COVID-19! I’m still a bit stunned I wasn’t given this information sooner and I really hope it helps someone else who is waiting for a referral too 🤞

(You can ask your GP receptionist for the referral info too, if you don’t want to register for the Patient Access.)

[wobblybee Administrator Pioneer]

🙂 I’m waiting for a Registration Letter from my GP to complete the application.

[Lucky87]

Interesting actually as I’ve been referred for xray ultrasound scans ct scans and gynaecologist and I rang about X-ray and gave me an appointment over phone then I never heard in 8 weeks for ultrasound so I rang and was given an appointment straight away, then I had ct scan referral rang up and asked was giving it over the phone told me had a cancellation so I could have it... then gynaecologist rang up and she said oh well get to you and then low and behold she rang 3 hours later with an appointment!

[Weaver281 in reply to Lucky87]

If you have contact telephone numbers for the departments then it’s probably easier to ring them and speak to a human - I haven’t got contact details so I used my referral reference numbers and passwords and looked at the nhs e-referral website (once I knew it existed!) It’s worrying that you have to chase them, my GP didnt even know what I was on about when I told her I’d booked it myself through the nhs e-referrals! I think they are hoping we will just wait and wait, but there are plenty of free appointments sitting there, they just don’t want you in the hospitals because of COVID, and that is not right! We deserve treatment when we need it, pandemic or no pandemic! Glad you’ve got your appointments sorted, good luck with everything.

[Lucky87 in reply to Weaver281]

Thanks yes nothing has been found besides a fluid filled Fallopian tube which is being removed but who knows when haha

[Asamhuma]

Hi. I am registered on patient access website but can’t see consultations on the menu .. I hv been referred for Ultrasound scan but am still waiting ..

[Weaver281 in reply to Asamhuma]

Hi, If you click on Medical Record a drop down menu appears and Consultations is on that menu. It is for mine, but it may be different for other GP records like yours???If you can’t find the info, ask your GP reception/admin team about it and ask them to chase the appointment for you.

The thing is every area is different and hospitals work differently, both ultrasounds appts I’ve had came via a letter in the post, so it may be requested in a different way to say a referral for a Consultant or Specialist Doctor - these are the ones I’ve been able to check on and book appts on the nhs e-referral website. I’ve not had any of my ultrasound appts listed on the nhs e-referral website.

[Asamhuma in reply to Weaver281]

Ok, I will .. although I did ask my doctor a while ago and she said you can phone direct to the concerned department and they will help and guide you according to the request sent by GPs ; urgent within 2 weeks or normal routine 6 weeks time ...

Thanks a lot though.. I will contact my surgery .. x

[Weaver281 in reply to Asamhuma]

The lady above in this thread rang direct to the department at the hospital and got an appt over the phone. This seems to be an easier option if you have the number - I’m sure tho if you rang the main hospital number they’d be able to put you through to the relevant person might be quicker than going through your GP