NHS E-Referral Service

The NHS runs an e-Referral Service that allows GPs to book outpatient and consultant appointments while you are with them.

If you want time to consider your choices, you can take an Appointment Request letter which will contain a booking reference number and password for you to book your appointment via telephone or the internet. 

In many cases, you will have a choice of more than one hospital or clinic, including some independent (private) hospitals that provide NHS services. Patients should not wait longer than 18 weeks for a nonurgent, consultant-led treatments, from the day the hospital or service receive your referral letter. However, your right to an 18 week wait does depend on certain factors, such as you choose to wait longer, you fail to attend appointments, delay to the start of your treatment is your best clinical interests, the treatment is no longer necessary or it is clinically appropriate for your condition to be actively monitored in secondary care without clinical intervention or diagnostic procedures at that stage. 

In most cases you have the legal right to choose the hospital or service you’d like to go to. This will include many private hospitals, as long as they provide services to the NHS. 

Integrated Care Systems (ICSs)

Integrated Care Systems (ICSs), introduced in July 2022, are partnerships of organisations that work together to plan and deliver joined-up health and care services. Their aim is to improve population health, reduce inequalities, and ensure better value for money across the NHS.

There are 42 ICS across England comprising of two components, the Integrated Care Partnership and the Integrated Care Board. The purpose is to all together improve outcomes in population health and healthcare, tackle inequalities in outcomes, experience and access, enhance productivity and value for money and help the NHS support broader social and economic development. 

By collaborating it will help health and care organisations tackle complex challenges, such as supporting people to stay well and independent, acting sooner to help those with preventable conditions, supporting long-term conditions and mental health issues, caring for people with multiple needs due to populations age and getting resources so people get care as quickly as possible.