Expediting Hospital Appointments
Due to the COVID19 pandemic millions of outpatient appointments have been cancelled and delayed in the NHS. Unfortunately this means that most patients are having extended waits for appointments.
When patients contact local hospitals to find out when they might be seen or if their symptoms and condition has worsened, they are often asked to contact their GP and request an ‘expedite’ letter. This is frustrating for you and the surgery and it rarely results in appointments being brought forward. When making decisions about who to prioritise it is only possible for the hospital to compare your condition and needs against all the other patients on their waiting lists. Clinicians at Malmesbury Primary Care Centre are given strict guidance on what level of urgency to assign to referrals and prioritisation of patients is not influenced or controlled by the surgery.
If you have general queries about waiting times or concerns about ongoing predictable worsening of your condition whilst you wait, please contact the hospital directly.
If you are told to ask for a letter to expedite your appointment, or feel that you condition has significantly changed, please email the surgery on [email protected]. Please reference the following guidance to see if your request is appropriate.
Appropriate reasons:
- Development of new but related symptoms/conditions
- Results of new investigations which change the urgency of your request, e.g. worsening blood tests, new x-ray results etc
- You have been advised by a health professional that your urgency has changed
In the absence of these criteria you will be directed to contact the hospital directly.
To see wait the average wait time is at your hospital please visit the My Planned Care website.