Referral Information

NHS e-Referral Service

This is the nationally recognised electronic service for referring patients for first time hospital and clinic appointments. By the end of September 2018 all such appointments will be made electronically. This guide will help you to understand the system and how to get the most from it. The e-Referral system is designed to give patients more flexibility and choice over their healthcare choices and to be able to choose appointment dates and times that are convenient to them.

During your consultation with your GP it will be discussed with you whether you need referring to a consultant/hospital clinic for further advice or management. Your GP will advise what speciality you need to be referred to i.e. orthopaedics, ophthalmology, ENT etc. The GP will then start the referral process.

Making your appointment

Your appointment can be made in two ways:

• Your GP can look up the service you require during your consultation and in some cases may be able to book the appointment for you. This does depend on time available and also ease of use the e-Referral system. In this instance the GP will give you paperwork to take away which will either have your appointment date and time on it or the information you need to make the appointment when you get home.
• The paperwork will be sent to you in the post for you to make your own appointment at home.

Booking your appointment

Once you have your paperwork (either handed to you by your GP or sent to you in the post) you can book your appointment. The paperwork will contain all the information you need to make your appointment either on line or over the telephone. You will be shown or told all the appointments available to you for that specialty at all available hospitals.

Where can I be seen?

Our two local NHS hospitals are:

• The Royal Berkshire Hospital
• West Berkshire Community Hospital

NHS services are also available at :

• Townlands Hospital Henley
• Bracknell Healthspace

Currently there are three private hospitals in Reading:

• Circle
• Dunedin
• Berkshire Independent Hospital

who provide NHS services for certain specialties. You will always be given an option for a private hospital if you meet their criteria for referral and the speciality you require is available there.

They will not currently accept patients :

• who are under 18
• who have a BMI of more than 40
• with life threatening conditions
• with unstable psychiatric conditions

What happens next?

Once booked the referral letter is sent electronically to the hospital of your choice (along with any scan results or any other useful information). The hospital will then vet your referral, accept it and send you confirmation in the post. This confirmation will confirm your appointment date, time and consultant whose care you will be under.

Any queries about your appointment should be directed to the hospital where you are going to be seen.

Anything I need to know?

• Not all specialities are bookable online – some you will need to ring and make the appointment.
• It can take about a week to send a referral letter to the hospital. Please bear this in mind when booking your appointment as the consultant won’t see you without a referral letter.
• If there are no appointments available on the system when you try to book, you will be what’s called ‘Defer to Provider’. This means that the department are waiting for more appointments to be released and they will be in touch
  with you when they have some available. You may be told to ring the GP surgery to chase this but unfortunately there is nothing we can do. You will need to ring the hospital where you are going to be seen to chase this referral. This usually happens at the Royal Berkshire Hospital rather than the private hospitals. You will need to ring the admin team for that department.

Royal Berkshire Hospital Switchboard: 0118 322111

Private Healthcare Referrals

With the increasing demands on the NHS many people are using private healthcare in order to be seen more quickly or at a place/time that is more convenient to them.

There is no charge for referring you to see a private healthcare practitioner. There are two types of private healthcare.

• Self funding
• Insured

Self Funding

This is when all the appointments, tests and any treatments, medicines or appliances are paid for by the patient.

In this case the patient can choose who and where they want to be seen. Before seeing the GP it is a good idea to have done some research about who you might possibly want to go and see and the costs involved. Although the GP may be able to suggest a consultant or practitioner the ultimate decision is up to the patient.

Insured

When you are insured your provider will pay for some or all of your treatment. This varies between providers.

Not all insurance companies cover all consultants at all hospitals so, if possible, before you see the GP it will be worth checking with your insurance provider to see who they cover and at which hospital. If you are unsure as to what type of specialist you need to see, then once you have seen the GP and discussed this,you can check with your insurance company and contact us so we can send the referral letter.

It does take about a week to dictate, type up and send the referral letter so please be aware of this when booking your appointment. Most consultants will not allow you to book an appointment until they are in receipt of a referral.

If you have any further queries then please feel free to ring the secretary on 0118 9303081 and ask to be put through to her.

Local Private Hospitals

The main providers of private healthcare locally are:

Spire Dunedin
16 Bath Road
Reading RG1 6NB
Tel: 0118 9117287
https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-dunedin-hospital

Circle Reading
100 Drake Way
Reading RG2 0NE
Tel: 0118 9226888
http://www.circlehealth.co.uk/locations/reading

The Berkshire Independent Hospital
(Ramsay Health)
Swallows Croft
Wensley Road
Reading RG1 6UZ
Tel: 0118 9028000

Private Referrals leaflet

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Referrals

Referral Criteria

See below for the criteria for an ADHD referral (you can also find out more by visiting the Berkshire Healthcare Website):

• Referral must be made by a professional that knows the child or young person well (such as teacher, SENCO, educational psychologist).
• Child must be over six years old.
• If the school refuse to make a referral please call the CYPF Hub to discuss further.

Before seeking a referral, please take the following steps:

• Observe the child’s behaviour for 10 weeks and make notes including any changes and patterns in their behaviour (this must include difficulties with their concentration, impulsiveness and activity levels)
• Refer parents and carers to a training/education programme if available (advisable, but not compulsory)
• If the child’s behaviour is still having a negative impact on themselves and their family/school life, please make a referral

How to refer

Please read the ADHD referral criteria document for more in depth information.

For more information please see our ADHD Support and Advice pages and our ADHD Team page.

You can also read about the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on the NHS website.