Referrals, waiting lists and chasing the hospital
Get referred, chase the hospital and know your options.
The GP's referring me, so I'm waiting for the hospital to call.
Computer voice · not a real clip
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All 15 phrases
Getting referred3
- The GP's referring meOn the NHS you usually can't book a hospital specialist yourself.
- Which hospital would you like to be referred to?In England you usually have the right to choose where you're referred for a first outpatient appointment, and the NHS App can show options.
- They've done an urgent referralA fast-track referral, often for suspected cancer.
Waiting and chasing4
- I'm on the waiting listWaiting for an appointment, test or operation.
- Have you heard anything about my referral?How you chase it with the surgery or the hospital's booking team.
- My appointment letter's come throughHospital letters arrive by post, text or the NHS App.
- Is there any way I can be seen sooner?Polite way to push.
At the hospital4
- It's an outpatient appointmentYou go in for a clinic appointment and leave the same day.
- Who's my consultant?The senior specialist doctor in charge of your care.
- My op's been cancelled'Op' is everyday British for operation.
- Can I have a copy of the clinic letter?After clinic the consultant writes to your GP.
Complaints and going private4
- I'd like to speak to PALSThe Patient Advice and Liaison Service in English hospitals helps with problems, lost referrals and complaints.
- I'm thinking of going privatePaying for private treatment to skip NHS waits.
- I've got private health through workPrivate medical insurance as a job perk (people often name the insurer, e.g.
- I want to make a formal complaintGoes through the trust's complaints process.
Check yourself15 questions
Question 1 of 15
On the NHS, how do you usually see a specialist?
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Picked by Talk, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Phrases
- Picked by Talk.
- How Talk picked them
- Part of Talk's themed British life packs. Talk wrote each phrase with what it really means, when to say it, what not to say instead and one quiz question. A phrase gets a moment only if Talk's spoken videos say it with the same meaning. One review picked each moment, and a second tried to reject it. This pack holds 15 phrases.
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- Talk shares this list under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Meanings and examples
- Written by Talk in plain English.
- Dictionary details
- From Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Princeton WordNet, used under the WordNet licence. WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
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