Making referrals

A female receptionist speaking on the phone

 

 

Information for GPs and healthcare professionals 

  1. image-digital.jpg
    Referral forms
  2. Midwife and pregnant woman at Whipps Cross
    Antenatal self-referral form

Access Issues Resolution Service (aIRS)

Access Issues Resolution Service (aIRS)

Access Issues Resolution Service (aIRS)

A dedicated helpline for patients and GPs

The Access Issues Resolution Service (aIRS) is our dedicated helpline for patients and GPs experiencing difficulties accessing our services. aIRS offers a fast and effective route for resolving booking and scheduling issues. The team aims to acknowledge raised issues within 24 hours and to resolve them within ten working days.

The service is available Monday to Friday 8:30-17:00 and can be contacted on 0207 767 3205 or BHNT.AIRS@nhs.net.

Please do NOT use aIRS for emergency care queries.

eRS advice and referral service

Advice and referral (A&R) is for GPs and other referrers only. Please refer to the  GP Handbook for guidance on how to make an A&R request and for answers to some frequently asked questions.  

Patients should use the contact details in their hospital appointment letter or information leaflet, or call the Trust switchboard.  

The following services have switched to using A&R:  

  • Allergy (all Trust sites)  

  • Cardiac arrhythmia  

  • Cardiac surgery (all Trust sites)  

  • Cardio risk and lipids (all Trust sites)  

  • Cardiology (Whipps Cross Hospital) 

  • Complex blood pressure and autonomic cardiovascular disorders (all Trust sites)  

  • Dermatology (The Royal London Hospital and Newham Hospital)

  • Diabetes (Whipps Cross Hospital)  

  • Diabetes and Metabolism - Obesity (St Bartholomew's Hospital)  

  • Difficult asthma (St Bartholomew's Hospital)  

  • Elderly care (The Royal London, Newham and Whipps Cross Hospitals)  

  • Endocrine (Newham, St Bartholomew's and Whipps Cross hospitals)  

  • Gastroenterology (The Royal London Hospital and Newham Hospital)  

  • General Cardiology (St Bartholomew's Hospital and Newham Hospital)  

  • General paediatrics (Newham, The Royal London and Whipps Cross hospitals)  

  • General respiratory (to include general asthma) (St Bartholomew’s, The Royal London and Mile End Hospitals)  

  • Haematology (all Trust sites)  

  • Haemostasis & thrombosis (all Trust sites)  

  • Infectious diseases (all Trust sites)  

  • Interstitial lung disease (St Bartholomew's, The Royal London and Mile End Hospitals)  

  • Memory (Newham hospital)  

  • Neurology (Whipps Cross Hospital)  

  • Obesity (St Bartholomew’s Hospital)  

  • Ophthalmology Adults - Cornea and anterior segment, Glaucoma, Lids/Lacrimal/Oculoplastic and Orbit, Retina only (The Royal London Hospital)  

  • Ophthalmology Paediatrics (Royal London, Newham and Whipps Cross Hospitals)  

  • Ophthalmology Neuro (The Royal London Hospital) 

  • Paediatric trauma and orthopaedics  

  • Paediatric allergy (The Royal London Hospital)  

  • Paediatric Haematology (The Royal London Hospital)  

  • Plastics (all Trust sites)  

  • Rheumatology (Mile End, The Royal London, Newham and Whipps Cross hospitals)  

  • Sleep (St Bartholomew's and The Royal London hospitals)  

  • Specialist breathlessness (Mile End Hospital)  

  • Thoracic surgery (all Trust sites)  

  • Tuberculosis (Mile End Hospital)  

  • Urology (The Royal London, Newham and Whipps Cross hospitals)  

GPs using A&R must select ‘advice’ on eRS. Before submitting the request, please give permission to the provider to allow for the request to be converted into a referral. Click ‘yes’ when prompted to do this.  

The following services, separated by site, can all be accessed via eRS using advice and guidance (A&G), the directly bookable service (DBS) or the referral assessment services (RAS).  

If the service you require is not listed above, please contact them directly via the hospital switchboard.  

Clinical consortia are being established for each speciality to evaluate the effectiveness of A&R. If you would like to take part, please contact Outpatient queries.  

Newham Hospital  

  • Cardiology    

  • Diabetic medicine  

  • General medicine  

  • Geriatric medicine  

  • GI and liver (medicine and surgery)  

  • Gynaecology  

  • Neurology  

  • Ophthalmology  

  • Respiratory medicine  

  • Surgery - breast  

  • Surgery - not otherwise specified  

St Bartholomew’s Hospital    

  • Cardiology  

  • Diabetic medicine   

  • Gynaecology   

  • Pain management   

  • Surgery - vascular   

The Royal London and Mile End hospitals    

  • Cardiology  

  • Dermatology    

  • Diabetic medicine  

  • Ear, nose and throat   

  • Geriatric medicine    

  • GI and liver (medicine and surgery)    

  • Gynaecology    

  • Immunology    

  • Neurology    

  • Oral and maxillofacial surgery   

  • Orthopaedics    

  • Surgery - not otherwise specified  

  • Surgery - plastic    

  • Surgery - vascular    

Whipps Cross Hospital  

  • Cardiology    

  • Dermatology   

  • Ear, nose and throat    

  • GI and liver (medicine and surgery)  

  • Gynaecology  

  • Nephrology    

  • Neurology   

  • Ophthalmology   

  • Orthopaedics    

  • Pain management    

  • Respiratory medicine    

  • Sleep medicine  

  • Surgery - vascular    

 

 

Contacting services not on eRS

Alternative contact details for services not using advice and refer are listed below. The details below should only be used for non-urgent queries where services are not using eRS. If the service you require is not listed above please contact the department directly via the switchboard.

Services not on eRS advice and guidance

Specialty

Contact

Breast surgery

A&R provided by Newham Hospital for urgent cases only. Email advice provided by St Bartholomew's Hospital (SBH)

Chronic Kidney Disease

 For urgent clinical questions, call the service on 0203 5945 751, Monday-Friday, 8.30am to 5pm

Geriatric

Hotline at Whipps Cross Hospital (WXH) available 9am-5pm: 0208 5356 644

HIV

Email the service
Imaging Email the service

Maternity at Whipps Cross Hospital

 

 Email the service

Musculoskeletal services

 Email the service

Nephrology

Advice available via virtual CKD services, accessed through GP clinical systems

Neurosurgery

Please use 'Refer a Patient' to seek advice

Paediatric rheumatology

Please direct A&R requests to the paediatric general service

Paediatric respiratory

 Please direct A&R requests to the paediatric general service

Sexual health

Email the service. Urgent sexual health including emergency contraception and HIV post-exposure prophylaxis can book a telephone appointment via All East.

Urgent advice

  The numbers below are direct contact numbers for specific services or appointment booking lines.

If the service you need is not detailed below or you are unable to get through, please contact the hospital’s switchboard.

Newham Hospital

  • Acute medicine (Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Neurology, Care of the Elderly, Memory, Tia /Stroke):  0207 363 9012

  • E ndoscopy:  0207 363 8042

  • Gynaecology:  02073639015, e mergency gynaecology unit:  02073638691

  • Haematology - a nticoagulation: 02073638730, g eneral haematology 02073639413, h aemoglobinopathy (Sickle cell and thalassaemia): 020 35941877 

  • Maternity: 0207 3639302/8011

  • Oncology: 07930220095

  • Paediatric (children’s services): 02073639019

  • Specialist Medicine (endocrinology, diabetes, infectious disease, respiratory medicine, nephrology, infectious disease):  0207 3639013

  • Surgery (general surgery, colorectal, breast, sascular, ear, nose and throat, ophthalmology, paediatric ophthalmology, urology): 02073639021

  • Trauma and orthopaedics (and podiatry): 0207 3639022  

Royal London Hospital and Mile End hospitals  

  • Acute medicine: 020 3594 5642

  • Clinical immunology: 0207 377 7039  

  • CWHS: 0207 377 7307 (for women going through EMA use 07720 948394)

  • Endoscopy: 020 3594 5743  

  • Emergency gynaecology unit:  020 3594 1579 ( 8am-6pm, Monday to Friday, 8.30am-1.30pm on Saturdays. Call ward 8B outside of these hours)

  • General Surgery: 020 3594 5690/1

  • Geriatrics: 020 7377 7000 (extension 45799 via switchboard)

  • Gynaecology: 020 3594 5719

  • Gastro, IBS helpline: 0203 5943700, general enquiries: 020 3594 3400

  • Haematology -  Haemophilia:  020 35941769, H aemoglobinopathy (Sickle cell and thalassaemia):  020 35941877,   Anticoagulation:  020 35941885, Haematology Day Unit: 020 35941858

  • Hepatology - medical issues: 0207 377 7090, clinical nurse specialist: 0207 377 7088 between 9am-5pm)

  • HIV: 020 7377 7039  

  • Neurology (on-call): 0203 594 5652

  • Neurosurgery (on-call): 0203 594 5649  

  • Obstetric (on-call): 0203 594 5635

  • Oncology: 07715050735

  • Rheumatology: 0208 223 8859 (7.30am-4.30 pm)

  • Sexual health:  0207  377 7307

  • TIA/Stroke (on-call): 0203 594 5651/0203 594 5672  

St Bartholomew’s Hospital  

  • Cardiology - Arrhythmia: 0203 765 8646, General Cardiology: 0203 765 8715, Grown up congenital heart disease: 0203 765 8765, inherited cardiovascular disease:  0203 765 8611

  • Diabetes: 020 3594 6058

  • Fertility: 020 346 56093 / 55098

  • Oncology  -  07940499062

  • All other  services:  0203 765 8000  

Whipps Cross Hospital  

  • Appointment call centre (for all queries unless outlined below): 0208 535 6768

  • Breast clinic services: 020 8535 6933

  • General  Surgery: 020 8539 5522, bleep number 2900

  • Gynaecology - emergency gynaecology unit: 0208 535 6499, gynaecology SpR: 020 8539 5522, bleep number 2203,  obstetric SHO:  020 8539 5522, bleep number 2429,  obstetric SPR:  020 8539 5522, bleep number 2430, gynaecology secretaries: 020 8539 5522, extensions  5181 and 6591.  

  • Haematology - a nticoagulation:  020 8535 6815, g eneral haematology:  0208 535 6687, h aemoglobinopathy  (sickle cell and thalassaemia):  020 35941877  

  • Maternity: 020 8535 6861

  • Pain: 020 8539 5522, extension 5360

  • Paediatric Services: 020 8539 5522, bleep number   2137

  • Oncology: 07703469211

  • Ophthalmology: 020 8539 5522, extension 6888

    • Eye Casualty Reception, extension 5715

    • Eye Casualty Mobile: 079 7165 5894

  • Urology: 020 8539 5522, bleep number 2500 

Exceptions

Referrals 

Please use the NHS e-Referral Service (eRS) for all GP referrals into Barts Health, including urgent two week waits.

Information and links to referral forms can be found on the dedicated webpage.

Written and exception referrals 

Some specialist or urgent services may be exempt from Paper Switch Off. Please check our website page on a regular basis for details.  

Urgent cancer referrals 

All cancer two week wait services are available on eRS and must be sent this way.

Urgent care centres, out-of-hours primary care providers, hospital clinicians, dentists and optometrists are advised to use the MS Word version of the Pan-London Suspected Cancer Referral Forms to refer patients with a suspected cancer.  When referring a patient, a copy should also be sent to the patient’s GP.  

Dental referrals 

To help dentists refer to our services, we have set out careful guidelines and special referral forms  which must be read carefully and used appropriately. 

Rules for requesting radiology exams in Millennium have changed

Rules for requesting radiology exams in Millennium have changed

If you refer patients for any diagnostic imaging, you must have the appropriate IRMER training in line with regulations. 

From 1 April 2023, non-medical clinical staff need to have completed their training and had their application approved by the radiology team to continue referring patients for imaging services. This includes people who make referrals to our service from outside Barts Health. This change is being made so that we are compliant with the law.

How can I make referrals?

All authorised staff will be granted automatic access to imaging referrals via CRS.

However, non-medical referrers must be registered with a professional healthcare body and successfully completed training. Access will then be granted on an individual basis by the radiology team when you submit your Non-medical imaging referral application form[docx] 24KB.

Some groups of staff are not covered by legislation to make ionising referrals, including physician associates, medical secretaries and admin staff. Teams will need to ensure that there are registered referrers in place to make these referrals following the formalised change on 1 April.

Read more

Non-Medical Staff Imaging Referrals[pdf] 426KB

GP X-rays at Whipps Cross: Faster and more accurate X-rays

GP X-rays at Whipps Cross: Faster and more accurate X-rays

We are delighted to announce the completion of  the GP X-ray refurbishment at Whipps Cross Hospital. The newly upgraded X-ray facility features state-of-the-art technology, enhancing our ability to provide high-quality diagnostic imaging. This improvement will lead to faster, more accurate results and a better overall patient experience.

Key features of the refurbishment include:
  • Advanced imaging technology enables precisie diagnostics
  • A second X-ray room is available to facilitate a walk-in service, specifically for community patients referred for an X-ray by their GP
Walk-In service launch 
  • The walk-in service will be available starting Monday, 15 July 2024 
  • Operating times: 09:00 to 16:00, Monday to Friday
This service is for all X-ray referrals. Please note that we will be operating a walk-in service only. This will allow us to improve patient access to our GP X-ray service and reduce any delays in your care. 
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Important information for GPs 
Compliance and Guidelines: 
Under the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations (IR[ME]R) 2017, Radiographers, as practitioners, have a statutory duty to justify X-ray requests. To ensure compliance, please refer to the iRefer guidelines provided by The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR).
We value our patients' time and aim to provide the best imaging options. Accurate and complete clinical information on the request is essential for vetting by our department and for the reporting clinician to address the clinical question effectively.
If an X-ray referral is rejected due to insufficient clinical information or non-compliance with RCR guidelines, our department will notify the referring GP by providing the patient with a referral rejection letter on the same day of the visit.
Action Required: 
  • Remind patients that there is no appointment system and we operate a full walk in service only from Monday 15 July.
  • Ensure all X-ray requests comply with RCR guidelines.
  • Ensure all referrals are made on tQuest.
  • Provide detailed clinical information to facilitate accurate vetting and reporting.
Please note that GP X-ray requests are only valid for 3 weeeks from the time of requesting. Thank you for your cooperation and support in delivering the best care to our patients. For further information or assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.