Arriving at your appointment
Your appointment will be at one of our outpatient departments or clinics. If you can’t find the location then ask at the hospital main reception and they will guide you.
Once you arrive at your appointment, check in with reception staff to let them know you’re there. They’ll ask you for your name, date of birth and address, and may ask to see a copy of your letter.
We’ll try not to keep you waiting but our clinics can be busy and people may not be seen in the order they arrive in. We’ll always keep you updated about any delays, but please do speak to the staff if you have any questions.
Once you’re ready to be seen you’ll be called into the consulting room and your name, date of birth and address details will be checked again.
You might need to have some tests or examinations as part of your consultation, our staff will let you know where you need to go for those, what to expect and where to go after.
Keeping you safe
Please use the hand sanitisers at our entrances or the hand washing facilities available.
We ask people who are feeling unwell to rearrange their appointment so they don’t bring infection into our hospitals.
Read more about how we are keeping you safe on our infection prevention and control page.
Your medical team and what to ask
Depending on your appointment and condition you might be seen by a consultant (a senior doctor), one of their medical team, or another member of staff such as a nurse or a therapist.
They’ll be wearing a name badge so you know who they are and they’ll introduce themselves at the start.
The healthcare professional you see will talk you through your condition and any recommendations for your treatment. They’ll involve you in your care and answer any questions you might have.
Student health professionals
We’re proud to be a teaching trust and so you might meet student doctors, nurses and other health professionals at your appointment. If for any reason you’d rather not see a student health professional then just let the reception or clinic staff know.
What happens next
Following your appointment you might be given a prescription, need further tests or be referred to see another medical professional in another department. This will be explained to you.
We may also write to your GP to update them. If you’d like a copy of your clinic letter please ask at reception to send this to you. If you’re signed up to My Health and Care Record and the department you are seeing offer this service, then you can view the letter there too.
Your feedback
We value your feedback and want to make our services as good as possible for you.
If you’re unhappy about any aspect of your care you can speak to someone in charge of the clinic who will try to help you there and then, or you can contact us with your feedback later.
We’ll also follow up your appointment with a simple question about your care asking you how likely you are to recommend our service to friends and family if they needed similar care or treatment. Find out more about the Friends and Family test.