Due to increased waiting times for outpatient appointments GPs have been increasingly asked by patients to “expedite” their appointments. Lincolnshire GPs have discussed this with the Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group and and ULHT.

It has been agreed that patients who are already under the care of a specialist or are waiting for a first appointment should first contact the hospital appointments team to identify when the next appointment will be. They can be contacted on 01522 573200 and select the appropriate option. If the hospital cannot provide you with this information, or you consider that the wait is too long, you should contact the specialist secretary. You should then explain any change in symptoms to the secretary, and to request that the specialist reviews the referral in light of your symptoms.

The specialist will then decide if you require an appointment sooner than planned.

October 2020