Department of Medicine

We provide outpatients consultations for the following services:

• Cardiology
• Gastroenterology
• General Medicine
• Hepatology
• Neurology
• Respiratory
• Rheumatology
• Sleep and Lung Function

Confirming your appointment

Once you have received your appointment letter you may be asked to confirm your attendance. This is an opportunity for you to change your appointment date if it is not convenient for you.

You may also receive a telephone call within a week of your appointment just to check you are planning to attend. We greatly appreciate your co-operation with this. We do this to ensure that clinics are fully booked and patient care resources are not wasted.

Arriving for your appointment

Our Reception team will check a few details with you when you arrive in the department.

Our nursing team will need to record your height/weight/blood pressure and urine sample if requested.

Your feedback

Your nurse will inform you of any delays in the clinic and we will give you a feedback card. We would be very grateful if you would take a minute to fill the card in, providing us with some words on your experience in the clinic. We hope that you will be satisfied with the care and service you receive but if you are not your feedback is very important to us to help us make improvements.

Your completed card can be posted in the red box on the reception desk or handed to one of our staff.

Waiting to see the doctor

We aim to keep our wait times in the clinic as short as possible and you will normally be seen within 30-40 minutes. Sometimes delays are unavoidable due to unforeseen circumstances or medical emergencies. We will always aim to keep you informed. Please ask one of our nursing or reception team if you have any concerns about delays.

How can I get a referral?

You can be referred to the Department of Medicine either by your GP or through a hospital discharge request. It sometimes takes a few days for the GP request to reach us and once it has been prioritised by one of our consultants you will receive an appointment offer by letter or through the NHS e-Referral system.

How can I contact the department?

If you wish to speak with a receptionist in the Department of Medicine you can call 01493 452451 between 9am to 5.30pm. The reception staff are happy to deal with any queries or if you wish to cancel an appointment.

How do I recognise who's who?

Staff in the Department of Medicine wear slightly different uniforms to staff throughout the rest of the Trust. 

Receptionists: Dark blue patterned blouse on Reception

Managers: No Uniform

Sister: Navy Blue

Staff Nurse: Pale Blue

Outpatient Assistants: White Uniforms

(Please note our Outpatient Assistants are fully trained as Healthcare Assistants and Receptionists so you could see them around in the clinic or on the Reception desk).

All our staff have name badges and ID.