I need a referral to the hospital/ I am waiting for an appointment, what will happen?

The local hospital(s) and indeed every hospital in the country is under a lot of pressure at present and they a running a greatly reduced service. It is very likely that most if not all routine care will no longer take place or if it does so, it may be done remotely by phone or video in much the same way that we are having to work at present. If your referral has already been sent, then it is likely there will be a delay in processing it. It is impossible to predict what will happen and when normal service will resume. It would not be unreasonable to say that the next 3 to 6 months will cause a huge disruption to routine care.

If you would like a new referral, only very serious conditions will be referred, but there is still likely to be a significant delay. Most routine referrals will not be sent at present and you will need to speak to a GP when services have returned to normal if your problems persist.

 I need to have a scan and/or x-ray

As with hospital appointments all imaging such as routine scans and x-rays has been heavily reduced. In many cases, it is no longer happening. Urgent scans are still taking place in some instances but the system is experiencing delays and scans are being prioritised for people who are sick in the hospital rather than for those in the community.

I/My relative has an appointment at the hospital?

The hospital is still open, but people are advised to attend the hospital only if it is absolutely necessary and if they have been told to do so. Where it is possible, you may be contacted by the hospital and have a telephone appointment instead. This is for your own safety and to reduce the spread of the virus.  

You may be contacted by the hospital and informed that your appointment has been postponed or cancelled. We apologise if this is the case and you can be re-referred when services return to normal. If you are unable to attend your appointment, please inform the hospital beforehand.

The following information covers some other questions and queries we have been receiving from patients.