Have you been told to speak to your GP about getting your referral expedited by the hospital? If so, please read on.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, millions of outpatient appointments have been cancelled and delayed in the NHS.
When patients contact local hospitals to find out when they might be seen or if their symptoms and condition have worsened, they are often asked to contact their GP and request an ‘expedite letter’.
This is frustrating for you and the surgery as it rarely results in appointments being brought forward and gives patients a false hope that the GP can change the waiting times.
Furthermore, it is very difficult for a GP to measure to what extent your condition has worsened. We take your word for this, and the hospital should do the same. 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 list.
If you would like to request an expedite letter, please submit an admin query to us online using the link below, we will then send you a link to a questionnaire to complete with all of the necessary information.
Our medical secretaries will use this information to create the letter to forward to the hospital departments for their consideration of an expedited appointment.