Urgent problems
If you have an urgent problem you are referred to the Women's Assessment Unit. At first you will be seen by the junior medical staff who will decide whether you need to be admitted to hospital. We will take a look at your condition and run tests if needed, and senior members of the team will be involved if needed.
Non-urgent problems
If the problem is not urgent, you will need to visit your GP. You GP will write a letter to Women's Health Services to request an appointment in the outpatient clinic. These letters are reviewed to decide who should be seen first, based on the information given by the GP. Very urgent cases are usually seen within a couple of weeks, but other cases may have to wait a longer time.
Maternity Outpatient department
When you come to the Maternity Outpatient Department, you will be seen by a member of the team who will ask questions about your illness and examine you to try to work out or confirm the diagnosis. We may also need to do a number of tests (e.g. blood tests, x-rays, scans etc). Sometimes this can all be done during one clinic visit, but for some conditions this will take several follow-up appointments. Occasionally some tests are arranged even before you are seen at the hospital to try to speed up the process.
Once a diagnosis has been made, the medical staff will discuss treatment with you. In order to reduce the amount of time that you have to spend in hospital, Women's Health run a preadmission process. This is usually done through a clinic where you are seen just prior to hospital admission. The aim of this clinic is to confirm that you still need to have the planned surgery and that you are currently fit and well enough to undergo the operation. This process usually involves the junior medical staff working in consultation with the anaesthetists, pharmacists, physiotherapists etc. Often the consultant will also take this opportunity to review your condition.
