Emailing referrals

GPs must refer via NHS e-Referral to consultant-led clinics.

Other healthcare professionals, and GPs when a service isn’t available on NHS e-Referral, should:

• check the service A to Z for specific referral information
• or email [email protected]

Please send only one referral per email – emails with multiple referrals attached will delay the process.

All urgent referrals for suspected cancer should be made via the urgent suspected cancer referral pathway.

Address your referral to minimise waiting times

Where possible, address all referrals to ‘Dear Doctor’ and indicate the specialty to which you wish to refer. This maximises opportunities to pool referrals and minimises patient waits. However, you can refer to named consultants, in accordance with specialist interests or patient preferences.

Include mandatory referral information

Your referral must contain the following minimum information. If your referral is incomplete the Appointment Team will need to contact you for further information and it may be rejected.

General

• Specialty referred to
• Referral date

About the patient

• Full name
• NHS number
• King’s hospital number (or whether the patient has attended King’s before)
• Date of birth
• Sex
• Full address, including postcode
• Home and telephone mobile phone numbers indicating the patient’s preferred contact number
• Email address, if they have one
• Reason for referral
• Relevant medical details, such as current and past medical problems, medication, biochemical results

Please tell us if the patient:

• does not have a phone or if there is a carer or advocate we should be liaising with
• needs an interpreter, advocate, or other special assistance

About the general or dental practice

For the referring practice, and the registered practice if different:

• full name
• address
• email address
• phone number

Attach the relevant referral form

Forms for certain services are available to download at GP referral forms or from the individual service pages.

If a relevant referral form is available, complete and email the document with your referral letter.