Dedicated GP phone lines
Lister hospital: 01438 759928
QEII hospital: 01707 328655
Acute Care Hotline
07500 792616 Monday – Friday 08:30 – 16:30 (all other times please call switchboard for on-call acute medicine registrar)
All patients requiring same-day general medicine assessment or ambulatory day services should be managed through the Acute Care Hotline – a single point of access led by a team of senior nurses. The team will triage the patients in order to identify the most appropriate place for patients to be assessed and treated. The senior nurses will have immediate access to a senior consultant or registrar for advice and guidance.
Criteria is as follows:
Inclusion
- Patients for referral to general medicine – frailty patients should continue to be referred through the usual pathway via the frailty hotline between 09.00 and 16.00 on 07500 092322
- Patients for referral to Ambulatory Day Services
Exclusion
- Patients for referral to specialty – please call the switchboard on 01438 314333 and ask to be put through to the on-call registrar
- Patients for referral to General Surgery – please call the switchboard on 01438 314333 and ask to be put through to the on-call registrar
When referring a patient, GPs are asked to ensure:
- Baseline observations (blood pressure, pulse, temperature and oxygen saturation levels as a minimum) have been taken and details are ready to be handed over to the Acute Care Hotline. Further observations made be needed for specific conditions (e.g. urinalysis or blood sugars)
- Should the patient have chest pain, an ECG has been performed
- Patients requiring same-day assessments for general medical are only sent to the Emergency Department once discussed with the Acute Care Hotline
GP Heralded Patients – Paediatrics
07500 882733 Monday – Friday 12:00 – 16:00 (all other times please call switchboard for on-call paediatric registrar)
The East & North Hertfordshire NHS Trust Paediatric GP Heralded service is designed for GPs to discuss referral to the Trust alongside advice and the possible alternatives for the patient other than hospital admission. This Hotline is to be used for: CAU (Children’s Ambulatory Unit) vs. outpatient appointment referral queries, referrals to rapid access clinic and general advice for semi-urgent issues
For all URGENT CAU and ED referrals please continue to contact the on-call paediatric registrar by calling the Trust on 01438 314333.
The GP heralded phone is held by an acute paediatric consultant – please be aware that there may be a delay getting through if another call is being taken or there is an emergency within the department. We are grateful for your continued patience.
Department contacts
