Once a referral has been sent by your GP, you will be under the care of the relevant hospital. Any issues or queries should be raised directly with the hospital in question. The doctors at Newtons Practice are aware that the waiting times for outpatients is very high in the Mid Sussex area.
What to do if your condition has deteriorated, and you are waiting for a hospital appointment about this.
Unfortunately, following the pandemic, hospital waiting times for procedures and appointments have increased. If you are waiting for a procedure or appointment at the hospital, please do not contact the surgery about this, as we do not have access to the hospital appointment or waiting list system.
If your condition has worsened, please contact the outpatient department to enquire when your appointment will be. The details of the outpatient department should be on any correspondence that you have received from the hospital. If you feel that your symptoms are more severe and that the appointment time is too long, then please contact the specialist secretary to ask them to request that the specialist review your referral in light of your new symptoms. The number and email for the specialist secretary should be on the correspondence you have received from them.
If you are unable to contact outpatients or the specialist secretary, then please contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). If you are concerned that your new symptoms may not be related to your original condition then you should let us know, and we can assess, advise, and manage your new condition.
It is appropriate to see a GP if your condition worsens and you need advice in relation to pain control etc.
Suspected cancer referrals will be managed within the 2 weeks time scale
Some outpatient first appointments for Digestive Diseases, oral and spinal surgery are in excess of 18 weeks. The Local CCG are working with Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals to reduce the waiting list.