Greenfield Health Centre
123 Health Street, London, SW1A 1AA
020 7946 0958
greenfieldhc@nhs.net
1 November 2024
Re: Hospital Referral
Dear John Smith,
Your GP at Greenfield Health Centre has referred you to see a specialist at St. Mary's Hospital, Cardiology Department regarding your recent episodes of chest pain and shortness of breath. While awaiting your appointment, your GP has arranged for an ECG and blood tests that may assist with the specialist’s assessment.
As you may be aware, general practice is currently experiencing increasing workload pressures due to administrative tasks that should be managed by other NHS services. To improve this situation and ensure better patient care, NHS England has introduced measures clarifying the responsibilities of hospitals when a GP refers a patient.
When a referral is made, it is the responsibility of the hospital and specialist team to:
- Arrange any necessary onward referrals to another specialty if required for a problem related to the initial referral.
- Arrange and carry out any recommended blood tests, scans, or other investigations.
- Communicate the results of such tests or investigations directly with you, rather than directing you back to your GP for results.
- Provide any prescriptions needed for treatment, including for infections identified during their investigations, instead of advising you to contact your GP for prescriptions.
- Offer a direct point of contact for any queries related to your treatment, referrals, or investigations, rather than advising you to contact your GP.
- Issue a fit note (sick note) if required, covering the full period of time you are advised to remain off work.
- Address any concerns regarding appointment wait times directly with you. If you feel your wait is too long, the hospital team should manage this, rather than directing you to ask your GP to intervene.
- Avoid automatically discharging you for unintentional missed appointments and instead offer a rescheduled appointment where appropriate.
At Greenfield Health Centre, we fully support this approach to improving the coordination of care between primary and secondary services. If we determine that your specialist is not fulfilling these obligations, you will be advised to contact their team directly.
We appreciate your understanding and support, as this will allow us to dedicate more time to direct patient care.
If you have any further questions regarding your referral, please contact 020 7946 0958.
Yours sincerely,
Nurse Jane Doe
Greenfield Health Centre
123 Health Street, London, SW1A 1AA
020 7946 0958
[GP Practice Name]
[GP Practice Address]
[GP Practice Contact Number]
[GP Practice Email]
[Date]
Re: Hospital Referral
Dear [Patient Name],
Your GP at [GP Practice Name] has referred you to see a specialist at [Hospital Name / Department] regarding [Briefly describe the reason for referral]. While awaiting your appointment, your GP has arranged [List any tests, scans, or investigations that have been ordered] that may assist with the specialist’s assessment.
As you may be aware, general practice is currently experiencing increasing workload pressures due to administrative tasks that should be managed by other NHS services. To improve this situation and ensure better patient care, NHS England has introduced measures clarifying the responsibilities of hospitals when a GP refers a patient.
When a referral is made, it is the responsibility of the hospital and specialist team to:
- Arrange any necessary onward referrals to another specialty if required for a problem related to the initial referral.
- Arrange and carry out any recommended blood tests, scans, or other investigations.
- Communicate the results of such tests or investigations directly with you, rather than directing you back to your GP for results.
- Provide any prescriptions needed for treatment, including for infections identified during their investigations, instead of advising you to contact your GP for prescriptions.
- Offer a direct point of contact for any queries related to your treatment, referrals, or investigations, rather than advising you to contact your GP.
- Issue a fit note (sick note) if required, covering the full period of time you are advised to remain off work.
- Address any concerns regarding appointment wait times directly with you. If you feel your wait is too long, the hospital team should manage this, rather than directing you to ask your GP to intervene.
- Avoid automatically discharging you for unintentional missed appointments and instead offer a rescheduled appointment where appropriate.
At [GP Practice Name], we fully support this approach to improving the coordination of care between primary and secondary services. If we determine that your specialist is not fulfilling these obligations, you will be advised to contact their team directly.
We appreciate your understanding and support, as this will allow us to dedicate more time to direct patient care.
If you have any further questions regarding your referral, please contact [GP Practice Contact Details].
Yours sincerely,
[GP Name]
[GP Practice Name]
[GP Practice Contact Information]
