How long should it take to receive correspondence from a referral?

Clutchkick

It will be 5 weeks tomorrow since my GP referred me for a sleep study. That's 5 weeks with no letter/confirmation of the referral and I'm starting wonder if I was referred at all. The same GP referred my mother about a complaint almost a year ago and the months started to pass by with no correspondence. In the end she rang the GP surgery, turned out the doc forgot to send the referral. I'm hesitant to ring the surgery as their time is gold dust and, oh Jesus, they wouldn't be long about reminding you. Between the doc and the receptionists they can get very snappy with you.

I know waiting lists are long but shouldn't you receive some confirmation of the referral? Anytime I was referred about other complaints I had a letter after about 2 weeks.

...Also does anyone know what Waiting times are like for a sleep study? I'm as good as sure I have bad sleep apnea which from what I can gather is only a home test these days. I wouldn't of imagined a long wait for a home test?

OP, if you hit my profile you can see my history of comments, especially in the MS in All its Glory thread, it all speaks for itself in the respect of doctors failing in referrals.

I recommend at this stage you make the assumption that the GP has omitted to actually send the referral, some of them are absolutely “hopeless at IT”. If GP confirms they sent the referral, get onto the centre doing the sleep studies to check that they actually received the referral. Then enquire as to what kind of timescale you might expect to be waiting, eg approx 5 months, a year, 18 months etc.

I have heard that in the case of sleep studies one can realistically expect to wait a year or more in the public system, and very likely 6 months or more in the case of private referral. There are very few resources in either public or private systems dedicated to sleep studies, even though poor sleep can reflect in overall poor health.

In the case of neurology, in my experience it is actually speedier to get a public referral than a private one.

apache

Same thing happened to me. I was waiting 4 months and the GP forgot to put the referral in for me. It's frustrating. Took me a month to get an appointment to sort it out with him and two hours waiting in reception. I know they are very busy but that's bad form.

I would definitely ring the sleep clinic to check if they got the referral. I'll be doing the same next week.

Flinty997

Always follow up all referrals. They often get misplaced.

Clutchkick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120920466#Comment_120920466

I don't even know which sleep clinic I was supposedly referred to.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120920560#Comment_120920560

I’d it public or private?

Clutchkick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120920570#Comment_120920570

Public

I think St Vincent’s University Hospital has a sleep clinic in its respiratory dept. Try getting onto them.

Gremlinertia

Limerick also had a clinic.. i would have to give the surgery a buzz for that info tbh.

Clutchkick

I might inquire about going privately, maybe come at it from that angle. If I get a diagnoses I'll be prescribed a Cpap machine, Which costs about €1k but they're covered under the drugs payment scheme. If I get a diagnoses privatly, can I still avail of the drugs payment scheme?

apache

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120920560#Comment_120920560

Get back on to the GP and check which one. Like me it will probably take you ages to get through and get an answer.

grizzcol2

there's ways to ask the GP (or secretaries) if the referral has been sent - just ask for a copy of the referral letter - that way you're asking but not asking

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120920806#Comment_120920806

I got a copy of my referral letter… however when I checked with SVUH neuro clinic they had never got it. Went back to my GP and said it, he said he couldn’t find the link to send it! I ended up asking for a print out and set it to the clinic by registered mail, within two weeks got an appointment for a few weeks time. My experience is you really have to keep on top of most medical people, although an few are extremely efficient.

Btw I aways have to email the GP practice as they have a policy of not answering the phone.

apache

My GP dosen't have an email address and is barely able to use a computer. Dosen't have option of payment by card either. It's dire. But you are right recode, you have to keep on top of things yourself.

See how it costs extra to get a referral letter handed to patient at the practice I attend. They have you every which way.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120921781#Comment_120921781

I “love” this “I can’t use technology” excuse by some doctors. It obstructs an awful lot of essential communication. As for the inability to take card payments, what doesn’t go through the bank bypasses Revenue.

HazeDoll

I had some unfortunate recent experiences with doctors and referrals. The key thing I learned and I have told anybody who will listen ever since is to insist that they include you in the email when they send the referral. If it's an old-fashioned letter, insist on getting a copy. Don't leave the building without it.

When you get home you sit down and find a phone number for as many clinics that provide the service you need. Ring every single one and tell them you have been given a referral and you're checking to see how you should address it so it reaches them quickly. Send the referral to as many as you can, with a cover letter saying how you can be contacted. I also added a line saying that I would gladly accept appointments at short notice if there were cancellations. I followed up after a few days and made sure I got talking to somebody and reiterated my flexibility around an appointment at short notice.

That was at the start of February. My difficulties were time-sensitive. I got a phone call at the end of June offering me an appointment for a scan, in response to the referral the doctor's office had sent. (I had organised all the the scans myself and had had them all done by the end of March.) I asked them when they had received the referral from the doctor and I was told that it had arrived in mid May. The doctor had sent me home to do the best I could in very difficult circumstances but hadn't bothered sending the referral for 14 weeks. I was missing days at work, severely limited in my movements, unable to drive, but they hadn't even put me in the queue to get help for 14 weeks.

I'm afraid you have to be a 'difficult' customer. They know we don't know how the system works so incompetence just looks like a normal delay. You need to make it clear that your not trying to jump any queues but you are going to insist that there's no delay about getting into the queue.

Dempo1

I don't believe 5 weeks for a referral in the public system is unusual & it can no longer be assumed going private is any quicker.

Just as an example in my own case, numerous specialties, some urgent.

Endocrinologist (Graves Disease) 6 months

Rheumatologist (2 years, but have an appointment in 2024)

Nuerologist (1 year 6 months, Now an out patient)

Endocrinologist (Diabetes, even though already a Thyroid patient, 1 year to join same Endocrinologists Diabetic Clinic)

E&T consultant 2 year 6 months, seeing him next week.