Tell us about your GP referral
Why your referral matters
It's been two years since Healthwatch England last conducted research on referrals, with evidence showing a referrals 'black hole'. Patients had been left facing long waiting times without updates on how their referral was progressing. Many patients even expressed how their referral had failed, forcing them to resort to emergency care such as the busy A&E departments or revisit their GP.
However now, two years forward there are still many concerns about access to specialist care through referrals.
This new project, set out by Healtwatch England aims to understand more about what you are experiencing with referrals today. By sharing your story you can help highlight what's working well and what isn't, allowing Healthwatch England to call for changes that are still needed to get people get the care they need.
What we need from you
If you’ve had a GP referral in the last 12 months, please take a few minutes to share your experience. The survey asks questions about things like:
- How many appointments it took for you to get your referral
- How long you were waiting between your referral and starting your specialist assessment or treatment
- What kind of support you had while you were waiting
- If there were any resources that would have been helpful to you
The survey is completely confidential, but you will have the option to say if you’d be interested in sharing your story with the media.
Most of the questions have free text answers where you can share your experiences in your own words, in as much or as little detail as you like
Take part
Share your experiences in the survey below!