Referrals
Referrals to specialist services
When your GP and you decide that you need to be referred to a specialist team, at the hospital or local health centre, the referral assessment service will review your referral and assign it a priority.
Your referral will then be subject to waiting times for these services which, unfortunately, we have no control over. As you will have read in the media, for some of these services waiting times may be frustratingly slow but please be assured everyone is trying their best to help. You can find approximate waiting times on this website North East and Yorkshire – My Planned Care NHS.
In the meantime should your symptoms become worse then you should contact us to book an appointment with the GP.
When you are contacted by the specialist team please make sure that you respond as requested otherwise you risk the referral being cancelled and needing a new referral. To help prevent this, if any of your contact details change whilst awaiting your appointment please contact the specialist team concerned to avoid missing any texts, calls, letters etc.
Learn about your Right to Choose here
Expediting a hospital appointment
If you are asked to provide an expedite letter by the consultant's team, we have been told that these have no effect on the priority the service have set on your referral.
It is very difficult for a GP to measure to what extent your condition has worsened. We take your word for this, and the hospital should do the same. When making decisions about who to prioritise it is only possible for the hospital to compare your condition and needs against all the other patients on their waiting list.
We have created two letters for you to use if you want to inform the hospital of a change in your symptoms. Letter one is for patient waiting for a first appointment with a specialist. The second letter is for people waiting for a follow-up appointment, treatment, or operation.
Please download the template letter below, completing your details and explaining the change in your symptoms. The letters are in Word format and only the areas highlighted in yellow can be edited:
1st appointment expedite letter
Once completed, you can email it to us at rosemedicalpractice.huddersfield@nhs.net and we will send it on to the referral assessment team for you, or you can send it directly to the hospital department.
Check if you qualify for Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS)
If you're referred to hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostic tests by a doctor, dentist or another primary care health professional, you may be able to claim a refund of reasonable travel costs under the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS).
This sheet explains who's eligible for the scheme and how to make a claim.
Who can claim for help with travel costs?
To qualify for help with travel costs under the HTCS, you must meet 3 criteria:
- At the time of your appointment, you or your partner (including civil partners) must receive one of the qualifying benefits or allowances listed on this page, or meet the eligibility criteria for the NHS Low Income Scheme.
- You must have a referral to specialist care from a healthcare professional to a specialist or a hospital for further NHS treatment or tests (often referred to as secondary care).
- Your appointment must be on a separate visit to when the referral was made. This applies whether your treatment is provided at a different location (hospital or clinic) or on the same premises as where the GP or another health professional issued the referral.
What are the qualifying benefits and allowances?
You can claim help with travel costs if you or your partner (including civil partner) receive any of the following benefits:
- Income Support
- income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
- you receive Universal Credit and meet the criteria
You can also claim for help with travel costs if:
- you're named on, or entitled to, an NHS tax credit exemption certificate (if you do not have a certificate, you can show your award notice) – you qualify if you get child tax credits, working tax credits with a disability element (or both), and have income for tax credit purposes of £15,276 or less
- you have a low income and are named on certificate HC2 (full help) or HC3 (limited help) – you can apply for these certificates through the NHS Low Income Scheme
Visit www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-low-income-scheme or ask for a form at reception.
If you have questions about help with health costs, contact the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) online or call 0300 330 1343. They will respond to your queries Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm and Saturday, 9am to 3pm.