The Trust’s main Outpatients department is based at Blackpool Victoria Hospital. It has a number of different coloured reception areas and it is important that you attend the one stated in your appointment letter or card.
If you have no appointment letter or card, or are unsure of where to go when you arrive, look out for the hospital navigators, who are based at the main entrance of the department and can be easily recognised by their orange T- shirts. Please inform the receptionist if any of your personal, contact or GP details have changed and try not to arrive too early.
For patients who are not referred to Blackpool Victoria Hospital, please click on the links below to find out more information about the hospital you will be visiting:
Wherever possible, tests will be completed during your visit to the hospital. This may mean a longer stay, but will avoid us asking you to come back on another day.
Please note that you may not necessarily be seen by the consultant in charge of the clinic, although he or she will be monitoring your care.
Prescriptions issued by the Trust can be taken to any outside pharmacy unless the nursing staff instruct you differently.
Self Check-In:
To avoid queuing, we now have a self-check in service which is available within the hospital. This allows you to check-in for your outpatient appointment by simply following the instructions on screen and confirming your details. Once you have successfully booked in you can then proceed to the appropriate clinic waiting area and take a seat until your name is called.
The kiosks are designed to allow patients to self-check in for their outpatient appointment and to avoid queuing at the reception. These are located at the main Outpatients department entrance (Reception A) or at the orthopaedic clinic.
Simply follow the instructions displayed on the screen. You will be asked to enter your gender, date of birth and postcode. Then you will be asked to confirm that your details are correct by pressing the ‘yes’ or ‘no’ buttons which are displayed next to each box. It will allow you to change your title, telephone and mobile number details and ethnicity only.
All other changes will have to be updated by the Receptionist as it is very important that we keep our records up to date. Once you have successfully checked in, your appointment details show and you will be directed to the relevant clinic area and asked to take a seat.
Waiting Times:
Whilst every effort is made to ensure that you are seen as near as possible to your appointment time, it is not always possible to guarantee this exact time as the time the doctor takes to examine each patient may vary. There are also factors that influence waiting times, e.g the Doctor may be called away to an emergency on the ward or in the operating theatre. You will be kept informed by the staff of any delays and will be seen as.
If you are anxious about having to wait, please mention this to a nurse or receptionist. Patients are seen in appointment time order not in order in which they arrive. Please report to no more than 10 minutes prior to your appointment.
Consultation:
A consultation is an appointment with the doctor where you will be examined and then have a discussion about treatment required, advised or indeed explaining your options.
The consultation may not be with the consultant named on your appointment letter or card, however you will be seen by an appropriate member of the team. Nursing staff may also be present during your consultation.
It is sometimes useful to write down any questions you may wish to ask the doctor before you attend the clinic, as it is easy to forget once you are in an unfamiliar and perhaps anxious situation.
In some cases there may be a need for additional tests which could lengthen the time you spend in the clinic, such as an eye test, urine test, X-ray or blood test.
Admission to Hospital:
If the Doctor decides that you need to be admitted to hospital, they will inform you of this and your name will be put on the waiting list. You will then be contacted in due course about your admission or in some instances an admission date may be discussed with you during consultation.
Before you leave the department:
When your appointment is complete you will be handed a clinic slip, which you should take back to the clinic receptionist who will then note the outcome of your visit and book any follow-up appointment that may be necessary.
Failure to attend:
If for any reason you are unable to attend to keep your appointment, please inform the hospital as soon as possible. The telephone number is on your letter/appointment card. Doing this means less appointments are wasted and will help us keep waiting times to a minimum.