Expedite Letter

Hospital Appointments – Waiting Lists

The COVID Pandemic has meant that many hospital appointments and procedures have had to be

postponed or rescheduled. We understand that this may cause considerable anxiety, and we are finding large numbers of people contacting their GP practice to chase up where their referral is up to. Unfortunately, GP practices have no access or influence over hospital waiting lists.  Some people are being advised by administrative staff at hospitals to get a letter from their GP to expedite their appointment. In the vast majority of cases, we have been advised that this rarely results in the hospital being able to bring this forward. Hospital specialists have asked that patients and GP practices avoid contacting them to try and expedite appointments. We have been advised that each department has a robust process in place to prioritise their waiting lists, and hospital colleagues are working as hard as they can to get through the backlog. If you are waiting for an appointment or procedure, our local hospitals have advised that they will contact you as soon as they can. GP practices have been specifically advised not to submit additional or duplicate referrals, even if patients request this, as this is causing additional delays and confusion in processing all referrals.

Only if there has been a significant change in your symptoms should you contact the hospital to inform them of this change. We have provided a template below that you can complete and return to the surgery to be forwarded to the hospital.

In the event of a sudden change in clinical condition that is potentially life threatening, please

contact the practice or NHS 111 in the first instance.

We can expedite your appointment if necessary by submitting the expedite letter to reception.