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Outpatient Services

At East Kent Hospitals we aim to do everything we can to make your outpatient visit as easy and stress free as possible.

We will endeavour to provide you with a choice of appointments that are convenient for you.  However, it is important to remember that we have hospitals across East Kent and some appointments are only held at a particular hospital and you may have to travel to that site.  

Your outpatient appointment and Coronavirus

We are re-opening some hospital services carefully and safely.

As current Government advice is to maintain distance between people wherever possible, we will not be able to re-open every service straight away and we need to make sure there are not too many people in the hospital at any one time.

This means your hospital appointment will be very different.

In line with Government advice, we will continue to make sure everyone who can have their appointment over the telephone or video call does not come to the hospital. Please do not come to the hospital unless we call you and ask you to do so. Instead of your face to face appointment, a clinician will contact you on the date of your appointment via your given telephone number between 9am and 5pm.

Please see our Coronavirus advice page for information about what to do if you need to attend hospital for an appointment. 

Video Appointments

We are now holding video appointments for some services. If you are offered a video appointment we will let you know in your appointment correspondence.

You can access video appointments here


NHS e-Referral Service

If you have been referred by your GP for an appointment with a healthcare provider, you should be able to book your appointment using the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS).

Most services are available via NHS e-Referral Service. You can choose the date and time of your appointment and your GP may be able to book your appointment there and then. However, you have the right to think about your choices, compare different options and book your appointment at a later stage. If so, you’ll be given an appointment request letter, which includes your unique booking reference number (UBRN), NHS Number and a list of hospitals or clinics to choose from. In addition you’ll be given a password, which allows you to book your appointment via NHS e-Referral Service either over the phone using the Telephone Appointments Line (TAL) 0345 608 8888 or online at  https://www.ebs.ncrs.nhs.uk/login

NHS e-Referral Service will also give you the ability to:

• plan and manage your appointments around any existing appointments, if you are currently undergoing treatment
• fit your treatment in with your other commitments, at home and at work
• choose appointments that fit with your carer’s schedule
• check the status of your referral and change or cancel your appointments easily, either over the phone or online

If you choose one of our hospitals for your appointment, please ensure you read the service details for any special instructions that are necessary for you to prepare for your appointment.

Cancelling or changing your appointment

We understand there may be times when you are unable to attend your appointment. If you are unable to attend, please let us know as soon as possible so that your appointment can be given to another patient. You can call our dedicated appointment cancellation lines listed below following instructions A. or B. depending on how your appointment was made.

Patients failing to attend an appointment will mean other patients have to wait longer to be seen. 

A.)  To cancel or change appointments you booked yourself or with your GP through the e-Referral Service by telephone or online:

B.)  To cancel or change appointments that the hospital arranged with you:

Please use our online service at https://www.ekhuft.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/services/outpatient-services/cancel-rebook-outpatient-appointment/

Or alternatively you can contact us on the below numbers;

  • Main Team (Outpatient Appointment Enquiries):  01227 868686.

  • Surgery Team (Colorectal, General Surgery, Urology, Orthopaedics, Vascular): 01227 866440.

  • Urgent Long Term Condition Team (Neurology, Physiotherapy, Gastroenterology, Dermatology, Gynaecology, Diabetes, Respiratory, Rheumatology, Endocrinology, Paediatrics): 01227 864202.

  • Head and Neck Team (Ophthalmology, Ear, Nose & Throat, Maxillo Facial, Dental): 01227 864332.

  • 2 Week Wait Team (suspected cancer referrals): As your GP has referred you very urgently to exclude a potentially serious issue such as cancer. We strongly advise you do not change or cancel your appointment. To discuss further please call 01227 864240.

Outpatient Appointment Booking office opening hours Monday to Friday 8:00 – 18:00, Saturday & Sunday 8:00 - 15:30.

Please note: Calls to our Outpatient Appointments Booking Office are recorded for quality and training purposes.

Appointment reminders

In advance of your outpatient appointment you will be contacted either via a text message to your mobile phone or a voice message to your home phone to remind you of your appointment.  If you can no longer make it let us know so we can use this appointment for another patient.  It’s important to remember that should you fail to attend an appointment or change or cancel more than once we may not be able to offer you a further appointment.

Letters reminding you of your outpatient appointment will no longer be sent unless text or SMS services fail.

Please remember the Outpatient Appointments Booking office manages appointments only and cannot give you medical advice.