Requests for information about secondary care referrals. Once a patient has been referred to secondary care, we are unable to chase up appointments on their behalf and ask that patients contact the secondary care provider directly. The most common numbers are as follows:
Radiology – Southmead – Tel: 0300 3000089
Muscular Skeletal (Physio) queries at Cossham Hospital – Tel: 0117 3408448 (Quick dial 7006)
Fast Track Office (2WW) – Southmead Hospital – Tel: 0117 4140538
Emerson’s Green Treatment Centre – Tel: 0117 9061800
Physiotherapy – Southmead Hospital – Tel: 0117 4144413
Appointments Booking Line – Southmead Hospital – Tel: 03005550103
Hospital ‘expedite letters’
Millions of outpatient appointments and treatments have been delayed in NHS hospitals during the pandemic and there are now long waiting lists across most departments. When patients contact the hospital about these delays, they are sometimes told to ask their GP for an ‘expedite letter’.
If your condition is deteriorating, we do advise you to speak to your specialist so that they can assess if they need to see you sooner. We do find that an initial response might well be ‘get a letter from your GP’. However, we are finding that we are merely reporting exactly what you have told us, and it seems more sensible for patient and consultant to have a direct conversation as this will give a fuller presentation of the situation. Should you continue to have difficulty in accessing your consultant, we advise that you contact the PALS department of the hospital for advice and assistance.
Please be aware that simply waiting a longer time than you would wish does not make your request urgent. Unfortunately, in the current situation, everyone is waiting longer. We cannot write letters to expedite your appointment for this reason.
If the hospital is insistent on a letter, we may be able to write a letter for you if it is clear that the clinical situation has changed. However, getting a quicker appointment as a result is not always guaranteed as we have no influence on how the hospital is managing and prioritising their own workloads.
With this in mind, if you want to inform a hospital of a change in your symptoms in order to try and expedite your appointment, please use the templates below to contact the hospital directly.
You should post your letter to either Outpatient Appointments (for first appointments) or your consultant’s secretary (for follow-up care).
Letter for a first appointment with a specialist:
Dear <Consultant Name>
I am awaiting care from you for <Write your original problem here>. I have been referred by my GP at Stoke Gifford Medical Centre.
I await an appointment and / or treatment but report the following change in my condition since my referral was sent to you:
<Explain briefly what has changed since your referral>
I request that you take the following action
- Review my hospital notes alongside this letter to determine whether my care might be expedited
- Contact me directly to inform me of the outcome of that decision, and my likely wait for further care
- File this letter and document your decision in my medical record.
Yours sincerely
Letter for a for a follow-up appointment:
Dear <Consultant Name>
I am receiving care from you for <Write your original problem here>.
I await a follow-up appointment and / or treatment but report the following change in my condition since your last contact with me:
<Explain briefly what has changed since your last contact with the specialist>
I request that you take the following action:
- Review my hospital notes alongside this letter to determine whether my care might be expedited
- Contact me directly to inform me of the outcome of that decision, and me likely wait for further care
- File this letter and document your decision in my medical record.
Yours sincerely
