Referring to Secondary Care

South Street Surgery has an excellent variation of clinical experience and expertise within our Doctors and Nurses. Sometimes it may be more appropriate to manage some cases in primary care without needing a referral to the hospital.  This may require a discussion or a second opinion from another clinician in the practice. When this triage process happens there might be a slight delay in processing the referral without jeopardising our patient’s clinical care and safety.

When you and your GP agree that you need to see a specialist, you will be able to choose the hospital or clinic you attend. You will also be able to choose the date and time of your appointment depending on availability.

Waiting times for secondary care may vary and routine appointments may take up to 18 weeks. At the moment hospitals are also changing how they deal with patients and you may be offered a telephone call first. Physiotherapy tends to have a wait time of around 12-14 weeks and for a scan, MRI etc usual wait times are 6-8 weeks.

If you have not received your appointment you should contact the relevant hospital:

• Princess Alexandra Hospital appointments office on 01279 827391 for general outpatient appointments
• Physiotherapy at Herts and Essex Hospital on 01279 827498
• Radiology Appointments (for scans, MRI etc.) on 01279 827179

You can also self refer for The Wellbeing Service which provides provides psychological interventions for people with mild to moderate depression and anxiety disorders including Panic, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Generalised Anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress and Health Anxiety. Find out more…