What to expect

Before your appointment

Changing or cancelling your appointment

If you wish to cancel or rebook your appointment, please call 020 3313 5000. Please let us know as soon as possible.

Getting to your appointment

Visit our getting to hospital webpage, for information on:

• how to get to our hospitals
• parking
• support to travel either due to your clinical condition or mobility issues
• support with the cost of travelling to hospital

Waiting for your appointment date

We aim to see and treat all patients within 18 weeks of the referral.

Waiting times can vary.You can read more about waiting here.

Waiting times when you arrive for your appointment

Please be aware waiting times can vary from 10 minutes to two to three hours depending on the number of staff we have and the demand on the service. Once called in, your appointment will take 10 to 15 minutes. 

Bringing someone with you to your appointment

You are welcome to bring a relative, close friend or carer to your appointment.

What to bring with you

Please read your appointment letter to see if there is anything specific you need to bring to your appointment.

Please also bring:

• a list of your medications
• If you wear glasses, please bring them with you to the appointment, and a copy of your glasses prescription if available

If you are running late for your appointment

If you arrive more than 10 minutes late for your appointment, we may not be able to see you.

Please call us on 020 3313 5000 if you are running late.

During your appointment

When you arrive at hospital

When you arrive, please go to the reception desk. A member of our team will check you in.

Please arrive 10 minutes before your appointment time.

Who you will see

At your appointment, you will be seen by your consultant, another doctor or a nurse.

Some of our hospitals are teaching hospitals. This means that doctors may be teaching medical students during their clinics. If you would prefer not to have medical students in the room during your consultation, please inform a member of staff.

Consenting to treatment

You must sign a consent form before conducting any treatment. We will provide you with information in the consent form and offer you a copy, and we will discuss the choices of treatment with you. If you change your mind at any stage, you are entitled to withdraw consent, even after signing.

Read more about consenting to treatment

Procedures

Tests are often required prior to seeing the doctor. These can include:

• testing your vision
• measuring the pressure in the eye
• scans of various parts of the eye

Privacy policy

During your appointment, data is recorded about you on paper and electronically. We will need to collect personal information, contact information, health information, diagnoses, and other information which allows us to provide healthcare.

Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi will be available at your appointment. To connect, select ‘NHS Wi-Fi’ from the list of network names on your device. Read and accept the terms and conditions of use on the next screen, and then automatically join the network.

After your appointment

Before leaving

We encourage you to ask questions at your appointment.

You and your healthcare professional will work together to make decisions about your care.

Before you leave your appointment, please make sure that you understand:

• What your diagnosis is or what might be wrong
• Which treatment is best for you
• Whether you need any further tests
• Whether you need to book a follow up appointment at reception
• What will happen next

Prescriptions

If you have been given an outpatient prescription at your hospital appointment, you will need to take it to the outpatient’s dispensary within the hospital.

Prescriptions issued by our hospital clinics will usually provide a four weeks’ supply of medication.

Booking a follow up appointment

The next steps are different depending on what we are helping you with. Ask the clinician before you leave if you need to arrange a follow up.