A Patient's Guide

If your GP has decided to refer you for further investigation(s) then this will be arranged through the Referral Management Service (RMS). The RMS is a local service managed by a group of GPs from Cornwall & Isles of Scilly. It’s all about making sure you get to see the right person at the right time in the right place. It’s also about ensuring that an advisor from the RMS can talk to you about choice.
 

What happens next?

Your referral will be passed to the RMS confidentially by your GP using the NHS e-Referrals System.
 

Non-Urgent Referrals

Once the staff at the RMS receive your referral they will aim to contact you by telephone over a period of two days. When they speak to you about your referral they will discuss choosing your hospital, choosing a date and time for your appointment and they will then book your appointment. If staff can’t make contact with you by telephone, and your appointment is NOT urgent, they will send you a letter asking you to contact us – that’s why it’s important that the surgery has your correct address and phone number. Once an appointment is made, the hospital you have chosen will send you confirmation details in the post.

 

Urgent referrals

If the referral is urgent, staff will try and speak to you within 24 hours of the referral being received from your GP. We will try several times to reach you by telephone. If we can’t speak to you then we will either book an appointment for you and send you a letter confirming this OR ask the hospital to contact you directly.

 

Helping us to help you

Now that you know we are going to try and contact you, there are some things that you can do before we call:

• In most cases you will have a choice of hospital, therefore, think about where you would like to be treated and at what time.

• Think about what help you might need to attend your appointment, such as help from a family member or a carer. Knowing that they are available might help you chose an appointment date or time.

• Talk to your GP about your treatment so that you understand what to expect and when