Making Referrals

To create an appointment at the Trust the following steps should be taken:

• GP decides to refer patient for treatment
• The E-Referrals system offers a choice of locations and the GP chooses appropriate services
• Patient selects location, time and date. Appointment is made at practice, Healthspace or CABAL
• The E-Referrals system links directly with hospital PAS to book appointment
• Referral details sent via E-Referrals to be reviewed by clinician
• Patient attends appointment

GP Liaison Nurse - for GP and Primary Care staff only

The GP Liaison Service was established by University Hospital in 2006. The service offers a single point of contact for emergency referrals and ensures that GPs are provided with the most appropriate pathway for their patients.

Following recent consultations with local GPs, improvements have been made to the service which aims to provide efficient and effective communication with all GPs.

The benefits of the service include:

• A dedicated single point of contact for GP emergency referrals
• An improved direct phone line for communicating patient details
• Email referral facility
• Time saving in establishing contact with the on-call doctor
• Redirection to appropriate specialist services and fast-track clinics

Admission to the hospital’s Emergency Department / Medical Decisions Unit (MDU) may not always be the most direct route for patients to receive the care they need. The hospital is continually striving to improve access to its services and have created some fast-track clinics to enable patients to be seen as soon as possible by the most relevant specialty.

The GP Liaison Nurse can advise on, and facilitate admission to the most appropriate specialist service according to individual patient needs.

In this way the GP Liaison service aims to reduce inappropriate emergency admissions and ensures that GPs have access to specialist services and fast track clinics, in addition to the hospital’s Emergency Department /MDU.

The service is available Monday till Friday 10am-6pm. Please contact Paula Dodgson GP Liaison Nurse:

Telephone 024 7696 6223

GP Hotline via Switchboard 02476 965012

Bleep 1424 via switchboard (024 7696 4000)

Email: gpliaison@uhcw.nhs.uk

Please find attached the compliment slip.

Patients and relatives are not able to use these contact details to request information.

Top tips to follow when using the GP Liaison Service

There are alterative pathways and clinics within the Trust and the community to send your patients other than the Emergency Department / Medical Decisions Unit.

Please use the GP Liaison Service as designed. There is no need to call the Speciality on call, once you have spoken to the GP Liaison Nurse. I also give out advice (if I am unable to help I will contact the relevant team).

• Please give NHS Number, GP name, phone number and a brief history when calling.
• The service takes all referrals apart from Neurosurgery and Children.
• Please do not give out the GP Liaison phone number to patients.
• Always send a letter addressed to the speciality you wish the patient to see.
• The direct GP Liaison Service number is: 024 7696 6223*

* All contact details are not for use by patients.

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