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Information for outpatients

Outpatient clinics are held at Macclesfield District General Hospital, Congleton War Memorial Hospital and Knutsford and District Community Hospital during the week - Monday to Friday. All of our clinics are run by a consultant-led team of trained doctors and nurses.

New patients will be seen in the outpatient department for their first visit to the Centre, before any investigations or treatment, to discuss treatment options and other issues.

Once any treatment or investigations have been completed, your follow-up appointments will be held in the relevant outpatient department.

The outpatient’s department team take responsibility for liaising with GPs, hospitals, hospices and all relevant agencies, during your treatment, and can also arrange for access to clinical nurse specialists and external services such as benefits advisors and social workers, if required.

Please check your appointment card or letter for the correct location at either:

Macclesfield District General Hospital
Congleton War Memorial Hospital
Knutsford and District Community Hospital

What to bring with you to your appointment:

  • Your appointment card or letter
  • Details of any medicines or tablets you are taking
  • Any samples that have been requested e.g. urine
  • Any questionnaires you have been asked to fill in prior to your appointment
  • Money for prescriptions, refreshments and car parking
  • Proof of exemption from prescription charges
  • A list of any questions
  • Proof of UK Residency e.g. medical card, passport, UK driving licence

Arriving for your Outpatient Appointment
Your outpatient appointment letter will detail which suite you need to report to. Please book in at the reception desk on this suite where your details like name and address, GP and next of kin will be checked.You will be asked to sit in the waiting room until you are called by a nurse or volunteer for your appointment.

The hospital has an appointment system, so arriving early may not mean that you will be seen sooner. There are usually several doctors and clinics running in the same area so other patients may appear to have the same appointment time as you.

We always try to make sure that you are seen by the doctor as near to the time of your appointment as possible. A notice board will display which clinics are running on this suite and will indicate any delays, please make staff aware if you have been in the waiting room for an unreasonable length of time.

At your appointment, you may need to have blood tests or X-Rays. This means that you may have to spend longer at the Outpatient Centre.

Have your details changed?
If you personal details have changed in any way since your last visit, please inform the Patient Administration Staff when you attend for your next appointment. Please also ensure you inform your GP.

When you see the Doctor
You may be seen by the named consultant on your appointment letter or another clinician who works on the consultant’s team. Please ask the doctor to explain anything that you don’t understand, and discuss anything that is worrying you. Any proposed treatment, including any risks involved in that treatment and any alternatives should be clearly explained to you before you decide whether to agree to it.

If you are asked to make another appointment, please book this with the clinic receptionist before you leave handing any outcome forms the nurse may have given you in clinic.

Training and Research
Student Doctors or other clinical staff in training are sometimes present in the clinic. You may be asked to talk about your condition with students and allow them to examine you. You may also be asked to take part in research. If you do not want to take part in any training or research please tell a member of staff. You do have the right to refuse.

Cancelling Your Appointment
If, for any reason, you are not able to keep your appointment, please tell us as soon as possible so that your appointment can be given to another patient.

Please call us on 01625 663333 between 8.00am and 5.00pm, Monday to Friday if you wish to cancel your appointment.

If you have not called to cancel your appointment and do not attend, you will not automatically be issued with another appointment.

Cancellations by us
We endeavour to make sure appointments are not cancelled but this may sometimes occur because of medical emergencies and unforeseen circumstances. If this happens, we will arrange a new appointment for you as soon as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

The doctor may prescribe new or different medication, they will write to your GP to let them know and give you a prescription to take to the centre’s pharmacy. You will be expected to pay the standard NHS prescription fee unless you are exempt from charges. If you are, you will need to provide proof of your exemption.

Smoke Free Trust

East Cheshire NHS Trust is a smoke-free Trust. Smoking is not permitted in any of our buildings or vehicles. We ask that patients observe the new Smoke Free legislation and also refrain from smoking in building entrances.

Complaints

It may help to talk to somebody straight away. If you are not happy or think that something is wrong, the quickest way to sort things out is to speak to the person in charge of the ward, clinic or department you are using at the time, or contact the Customer Care Service.