Forum Topic

NHS Referral Facilitation Service for Hospital Appointments

Has anyone else used the new NHS Referral Facilitation Service for Hospital Appointments?You can contact them three ways, by Phone, Text phone and the Internet by going to www.chooseandbook.nhs.uk I tried the Internet to arrange an appointment at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and it came up that there were no appointments.I then phoned and gave the relevant details to the gentleman at the NHS RFS, who said sorry it shows there are no appointments available at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.What we will do, is to forward your details onto the Hospital and they will contact you on the 17th July 2011 to arrange an appointment through the hospital directly.If they haven’t contacted by that date please inform you GP so they can refer to another HospitalIs this the new and improved system that the Government are trying to implement? So now we have a service in-between the GP and The Hospitals arranging appointments.What was wrong with a GP referral and an appointment sent to you from the hospital itself?  I though they were trying to streamline the NHS not add another layer, someone has got it very wrong somewhere along the line.      

Paul Allen ● 5179d5 Comments

Yep! Trying to contact the living at West Mid. today in an attempt to get an earlier appointment now they've seen fit to 'reorganise' the original clinic appointment I should have gone to for six months hence. The number to ring on the letter they sent say it isn't them and the two extensions they give to try never answer, apparently "these people are away from their desks a lot", which begs the question why haven't they got someone there to answer the 'phones? A letter to the Chief Exec. is next, three times I've had appointments changed due to 'reorganisation' of this clinic, but never for six months later.

Vanessa Smith ● 5177d

I think certain hospitals are bucking against this system and saying they have no appointments to give you when you ring on go on the internet.This means your details are forwarded to the Hospital as your GP would have done before this system came into force The only problem is it will be 3 to 4 weeks before I can arrange an appointment, so in my case this new system is delaying me in getting to see someone Ever get the feeling that the people that run the Hounslow NHS have lost the plot completely

Paul Allen ● 5178d

This was in 'Private Eye'about 3 months ago - why GPs need any sort of 'referral service' when they can write to, e-mail, 'phone or FAX the hospital themselves is beyond me. Similarly the hospital consultants can and do refer you to another consultant if required. This seems to border on the three Bs principal to me, and just causes even more inconvenience to patients.

Vanessa Smith ● 5178d

OK the fist step to privatise the Health Service in Hounslow Part of an Article from the BMJBMJ 2011; 342:c7470 doi: 10.1136/bmj.c7470 (Published 4 January 2011) Cite this as: BMJ 2011; 342:c7470 GP consortium agrees partnership with private firm to run referral service Concerns have been raised over an early deal signed between one of the new pathfinder GP commissioning consortiums and the private firm UnitedHealth UK. The referral management deal with UnitedHealth UK has been jointly agreed by the NHS Hounslow primary care trust and the London based Great West Commissioning Consortium. The trust said that this was an innovative new service to support GPs in their new role as commissioners and to improve the quality of referrals. But the BMA said that it was disappointed at this early partnership between a consortium and the private sector. NHS Hounslow said that the “referral facilitation service” had been developed with local GPs—with the blessing of all the area’s 57 general practices—and would handle all referrals, including consultant-to-consultant referrals, from February 2011. It will act as a first port … (continues) if you pay for it

Paul Allen ● 5178d

Don't even go there! The West Mid, are dire with appointments, I would stress the clinical staff are wonderful but the admin is pants. I have, or should say had, an appointment made in early February to go back to see a consultant and to have various tests before seeing her. The appointment was for the week after next. Yesterday I got a letter 'reorganising' the clinic and my appointment is now 23 December! By which time the tests will be useless I imagine, I called the number given for the clinic to complain only to be referred to another number whio then said it wasn't them responsible but the lady who was wasn't in so I will have to 'phone when she puts in an appearance! My son actually had two wrong appointments in one day only to then find the comedians at the W. Mid. then dischaged him for not turning up! The well known phrase booze ups and breweries springs to mind. And then they have the brass nerve to say that people who don't turn up for appointments are costing the NHS a fortune every year, that would be funny if it wasn't such a bloody cheek.

Vanessa Smith ● 5179d