Your appointment
Our outpatient department provides clinical care with an average of 8,000 appointments each month in the form of consultations, assessments, tests and treatments.
Your first appointment
To book an appointment for one of our outpatient clinics, you need to be referred to the hospital by your GP or another healthcare provider. You can find your GP here.
About waiting times
Every effort is being made to reduce waiting times for patients. Our teams work together to find ways to reduce waiting times with the aim of getting to you as soon as possible.
Find information about waiting times for specific procedures on the My Planned Care website
Cancelling your appointment and 'Did Not Attend' appointment
If you need to cancel or re-arrange your appointment, please contact the clinic listed on your appointment letter as soon as possible. This is so that the appointment can be reallocated to another patient. If you have received an SMS reminder about your appointment, most of the time you can tell us if you can’t attend by replying to the message.
If you miss your appointment, or repeatedly cancel or decline appointments, you may be discharged back to the care of your GP. This is subject to clinical review/approval.
Before your appointment
Before your outpatient appointment there are a few items, we suggest you bring with you:
- Your appointment letter or appointment card
- Information about you. This includes your address, your GP’s address and for children, their school address.
- You will be asked various demographic related questions upon your arrival as we are required to collect certain information at each appointment
- You will be asked about your previous medical history. It’s a good idea to make short notes on information you think is helpful before you come to clinic. This includes a list of the medicines and allergy treatments, the names of the medication, what you’re taking it for and how often you take it. Include those prescribed by your GP, bought over the counter at a pharmacy, and herbal and homeopathic remedies. You may also find it useful to make a note of questions you want to ask.
- It may be useful for you to make notes or make an audio recording about anything the doctor says in the clinic, so you can be clear about what has been discussed later.
Remember to leave plenty of time to travel to the hospital and find your clinic. If you are not sure where to go, please ask at the reception desk.
When you arrive
Your appointment letter or appointment card should tell you where to go when you arrive.
If not, please call the number on your appointment letter or appointment card. If you misplace your appointment letter or card you can find clinic contact details on our clinic information.
If you need information, a wheelchair or any other help when you arrive, please ask at the reception desk.
If you have any questions or are unsure about what to do or what is happening, please ask – our staff are there to help you.
Please tell the clinic receptionist if you have any hearing or sight impairment.
If for any reason you feel vulnerable or uncomfortable in the waiting room, please let the receptionists know.
Delays can happen. For example, when doctors are called away on an emergency, consultations take longer than expected or emergency cases are referred. Please bear with us in these circumstances – we will be working to see you as soon as possible. The clinic staff will keep you informed about what is happening.
At your appointment
When you see the doctor
At your appointment, you may be seen by the consultant in charge of your care, or by a member of the consultant’s team. If they decide that you need to be seen again, you will be asked to book another appointment with the receptionist.
Patient Initiated Follow-up Appointments
Some clinical services offer patients something called patient initiated follow-up appointments (PIFU). These can be used in a number of different scenarios. They can reduce the need for attending appointments. The idea is that you only send an appointment when you feel there is a clinical necessity to do so. If you would like to know further details or would like to see if you are eligible, please speak to your clinician.
Ask us questions
We want you to be involved in your healthcare and play an active part in decision-making. We will always make time to listen, so please speak up if you have any queries or concerns.
How to identify our staff
All staff in our hospitals wear identity badges, which should be visible at all times. Ask any member of staff to show you their badge, and they’ll be happy to do so. Staff such as nurses, healthcare support workers and domestics all wear uniforms. Doctors and consultants don’t have uniforms.
Clinic appointments
The majority of outpatient appointments are held during normal working hours.
There are some clinics where appointments are arranged for weekends or early evening. This is to accommodate particular individuals/family commitments. In these cases you can expect to have the same access to chaperoning as during usual clinic times.
Concerns, comments and complaints
If you are unhappy with any aspect of your care or the service you receive in your outpatient clinic, please speak to a member of clinic staff as soon as possible.
If you are still not satisfied, please contact PALS (Patient Liaison and Advice Service). The PALS team are situated in the main foyer, opposite Costa Coffee.
Feedback
If you have visited outpatients recently, for any reason, please take the time to complete our friends and family survey. This will take no longer than 5 minutes to complete.
Complete our outpatients – friends and family survey
AccessAble
AccessAble helps inform you about the accessible facilities that are available at QEH, featuring relevant information about our hospital to help you make an informed decision when deciding to visit the area.
