Most specialists, including private services, will require a letter of referral from a GP. That is because GP practices hold patient records with all of your medical history. There are some services you self-refer to, including sexual health clinics and some mental health services. You can read more about self-referral services here.
This will depend on the service and hospital. You may need to book your appointment online or over the phone, or the hospital may contact you with a date for you to confirm. In some cases, we can book an appointment for you. You can read more about booking a referred specialist appointment here.
In most cases, you will need a GP to refer you to a specialist. You can ask a GP to refer you, but they will only do so if clinically appropriate. The Doctor will discuss the reasons for referring you and send you a copy of the letter sent to the specialist. You can read … Continued
A referral is when your GP wants the help of a medical specialist to decide how best to treat you. You can read more about referrals.
From the 2nd February 2026 we are moving to a Total Triage model.
Total triage is how we manage appointments at our practice.
You will fill out a e-consult rather than calling the surgery and tell us about your problem.
Ideally, patients will submit their own request however we appreciate that this may not be possible for some patients. If you are unable to use or access the online form then please contact the surgery by telephone and we will complete the request for you, which will be added to the triage list to be reviewed by the GP.
A clinician will review your information and decide the best way to help you, which may be advice, a phone call, or an appointment.
We will have three types of appointments:
• Same day – for emergencies (A member of staff will contact you to book the appointment)
• Within 5 days – for patients that need to see or speak to a healthcare professional soon, but not urgently.
• Within 10 days – for routine appointments.
The main purpose of total triage is to make sure you receive high-quality care by getting the right advice or appointment for your needs as quickly as possible.
Please ensure you have completed the e-consult in full with as much information as possible.
To fill out a e-consult please click here
for more help on filling out a e-consult on the NHS app please visit the e-consult NHS app guide.
