Referrals
If you have an ongoing medical issue that has not been resolved following investigation or treatment, you may wish to be referred for specialist treatment; this can be requested via your GP surgery. A clinician might refer you to a specialist if they have any concerns that they wish to be further investigated.
NHS referrals
You will be referred by your GP to the appropriate specialist. You’ll get a referral letter through the post offering you an appointment for review. The letter will explain what to do next.
Unfortunately the waiting times can be lengthy and you may be waiting for several weeks, or even months, before receiving an appointment.
If your medical issues worsen, or you require treatment in the interim, a further appointment can be arranged with your GP for medical care.
More information can be found here.
Dermatology referrals and clinical photographs
If you have a skin complaint and need to speak to a clinician, you may be asked to send Photographs of your issue to the practice for review. This will help your clinician to offer the best assessment and appropriate treatment based on the presentation of your skin complaint.
Any photographs, usually to aid in the diagnosis of any skin conditions, may be requested by our reception team or your clinician prior to a telephone consultation. To submit a photograph please email Data.W97611@wales.nhs.uk.
By sending in your photos, you are agreeing to the photos being saved to your GP records, and to the photo being sent on to other healthcare professionals, such as a dermatologist, for expert advice.
Photographs showing intimate areas must NOT be uploaded and sent to the practice.
More information about how take clear medical photographs can be found here.
Self-referrals
After referring yourself directly to a service, they will contact you directly with details on what do next.
For updates on your referral, we recommend contacting the service directly.
Information regarding which agencies you can self refer to and links to either their websites for more information, or their referral forms can be found here.
Private referrals
During your appointment, you can ask the GP for a private referral. A referral letter will be written up for you once you have booked the appointment with the specialist you wish to see, including the details of your appointment and your consultant. You can then take this to an external private hospital.
If you have already received an NHS referral and decide you want to go to a private hospital or specialist after, please contact the surgery. We’ll cancel your NHS referral appointment and issue you a private referral instead.
More information can be found here.
Information about Private Referrals
If a patient has chosen to pay for private healthcare because
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- a) their treatment is not available on the NHS or
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- b) they do not wish to be treated on the NHS
They are responsible for paying for all costs, including tests, and the private provider is responsible for managing every aspect of their healthcare (unless the patient chooses to transfer back to the NHS at a later date to continue treatment).
For that reason, private providers should not be asking GPs to arrange any tests that they deem necessary, and intend to use, to make a diagnosis and recommend a course of treatment with.
It is the private provider’s responsibility to arrange tests for patients whose care they are managing, and the patient’s responsibility to pay for them.