Referred by the GP

There are occasions when offering an immediate outpatient appointment may not be the best or quickest way of ensuring you receive treatment at the earliest opportunity.

In some instances the hospital team may send  Advice and Guidance back to the GP  or they might need to arrange for you to have a test before your outpatient appointment.

Once the GP that you have seen has agreed that a referral can be made to the hospital or community service, your referral is sent for that consideration.  They will then be in touch to let you know what the next steps will be.

If you have been referred through the NHS e-referral service you will be able to manage your own referral.  You can book, view, reschedule and cancel your first appointment. To manage your referral, go to nhs.uk/referrals.

To view or manage appointments in the NHS App you will need to be 16 or over.

Please find additional information below that will be able to help you.

 

Booking your appointment

You can book your referral appointment in the NHS App or while logged in through the NHS website:

  1. Either go to the homepage or Your health.
  2. Select Upcoming and past appointments.
  3. Select Hospital and specialist appointments.
  4. Select the referral you need to choose an appointment for.
  5. Select a clinic from the available options.
  6. Select an appointment from the available options.
  7. Check the details are correct and select Book appointment.
Rescheduling your appointment

You can reschedule your referral appointment in the NHS App or while logged in through the NHS website:

  1. Go to the homepage or Your health.
  2. Select Upcoming and past appointments.
  3. Select Hospital and specialist appointments.
  4. Select the appointment you want to reschedule.
  5. Select Ask to reschedule appointment.
  6. Choose a new date and time for your appointment.
  7. Select why you need to reschedule.
  8. Review your request and submit request to reschedule.

You may be able to reschedule mental health appointments. You can follow the steps above, but you will not have to include a reason for rescheduling.

 
Cancelling your appointment

If you request to cancel an appointment you may not be able to change your mind. Depending on your healthcare provider they may remove you from the waiting list for care. If this happens and you then decide you want an appointment. You will need a new referral from your healthcare provider.

You can cancel your referral appointment in the NHS App or while logged in through the NHS website:

  1. Go to the homepage or Your health.
  2. Select Upcoming and past appointments.
  3. Select Hospital and specialist appointments.
  4. Select the appointment you want to cancel.
  5. Select Ask to cancel appointment.
  6. Select why you need to cancel.
  7. Review your request and request cancellation.

You may be able to cancel mental health appointments. You can follow the steps above, but you will not have to include a reason for cancelling.

 
Managing documents and questionnaires

You can view and manage documents and questionnaires for your hospital and specialist appointments in the NHS App or while logged in through the NHS website:

  1. Go to Your health.
  2. Select Hospital and specialist documents and questionnaires.
  3. Select the document you want to view or the questionnaire you want to complete.
 

Missing or incorrect information

Cancelled referrals
If you can still see a referral you cancelled in the app. Contact the healthcare provider that referred you.

 

Rescheduled or cancelled appointments

If you request to reschedule or cancel an appointment your healthcare provider may review the request.

While your healthcare provider is reviewing your request the appointment will show as pending.

If they do not accept your request the appointment will stay as booked in your appointments.

If they do accept your request it will either show the rescheduled time or as cancelled in your appointments.

 

Some healthcare providers do not share referral and appointment information in the NHS App.

If your healthcare provider has contacted you about an appointment that is not showing in the app, this appointment is still scheduled and you should attend your upcoming appointment.

It can take a few days for upcoming or past appointments to be visible in the app. For any missing information that is not in the app go to your healthcare provider.

Missing referrals and appointments
Missing waiting lists

Some healthcare providers do not provide their waiting list data.

If your referral is not showing in the app, this could take a few weeks to be visible.

If your treatment date is unavailable, it means the app is currently unable to estimate this data. You are still on a waiting list.

 

Some healthcare providers do not share hospital documents and questionnaires in the app. They can also take some time to be visible in the app.

Contact your healthcare provider if you do not see a document or questionnaire you expect to see in the app.

 

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