The s10.ai Generic NHS Hospital Referral Letter template is a vital resource for healthcare providers, especially nurses, to enhance the efficiency of the referral process to specialists. This template guarantees that all critical information is conveyed effectively to both the patient and the hospital, detailing the hospital's role in patient care management. It underscores the significance of seamless coordination between primary and secondary care services, thereby alleviating administrative tasks for GPs. Perfectly suited for NHS environments, this template ensures adherence to NHS England's standards and boosts the overall efficiency of patient care.
Organized sections for comprehensive clinical documentation
Example of completed documentation using this template
Greenfield Health Centre123 Health Street, London, SW1A 1AA020 7946 0958greenfieldhc@nhs.net1 November 2024Re: Hospital ReferralDear John Smith,Your GP at Greenfield Health Centre has referred you to consult a specialist at St. Mary's Hospital, Cardiology Department concerning your recent episodes of chest pain and breathlessness. While you await your appointment, your GP has scheduled an ECG and blood tests to aid the specialist’s evaluation.As you may know, general practice is currently facing increased workload pressures due to administrative tasks that should be handled by other NHS services. To address this and ensure enhanced patient care, NHS England has implemented measures clarifying the responsibilities of hospitals when a GP refers a patient.When a referral is made, it is the responsibility of the hospital and specialist team to:- Arrange any necessary onward referrals to another specialty if required for a problem related to the initial referral.- Arrange and conduct any recommended blood tests, scans, or other investigations.- Communicate the results of such tests or investigations directly with you, rather than directing you back to your GP for results.- Provide any prescriptions needed for treatment, including for infections identified during their investigations, instead of advising you to contact your GP for prescriptions.- Offer a direct point of contact for any queries related to your treatment, referrals, or investigations, rather than advising you to contact your GP.- Issue a fit note (sick note) if required, covering the full period of time you are advised to remain off work.- Address any concerns regarding appointment wait times directly with you. If you feel your wait is too long, the hospital team should manage this, rather than directing you to ask your GP to intervene.- Avoid automatically discharging you for unintentional missed appointments and instead offer a rescheduled appointment where appropriate.At Greenfield Health Centre, we fully support this approach to improving the coordination of care between primary and secondary services. If we determine that your specialist is not fulfilling these obligations, you will be advised to contact their team directly.We appreciate your understanding and support, as this will allow us to dedicate more time to direct patient care.If you have any further questions regarding your referral, please contact 020 7946 0958.Yours sincerely,Nurse Jane DoeGreenfield Health Centre123 Health Street, London, SW1A 1AA020 7946 0958
Key advantages of using this template in clinical practice
Common questions about this template and its usage