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Information for patients attending a hospital appointment or requiring a stay in hospital Changes to Patient Visiting and Appointments |
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COVID-19: Changes to services
Bringing our services back on line
We are working really hard to bring our services back on line. You will, of course, understand that we have to manage our services whilst COVID-19 is still ongoing.
For the safety of patients and staff, we have introduced strict social distancing measures in our hospitals and clinics meaning we have had to remove some beds from bays to create more distance between patients; we are operating even more rigorous cleaning and infection control measures between patients meaning we can offer fewer appointments or treatments in a day as rooms have to be cleaned between patients and where staff have to don and doff PPE, for example, this takes longer. All in all, this reduces the amount of patients we can see and treat in a day or week. We would ask you please to be patient with our staff and reassure you that those patients with greatest clinical need will be prioritised.
We are continuing to use alternatives to face-to-face appointments wherever possible and you may be invited to a telephone or video consultation, where it is appropriate and safe to do this.
Thank you for your understanding.
The #1BigTeam at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
Here is a list of changes to our services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please use the contact details of each service if you have any questions.
Antenatal outpatients services
Breast Services (Primrose Breast Unit)
Hepatology (South West Liver Unit)
Scans and other diagnostic imaging
Minor Injury Unit/Urgent Treatment Centre (MIU/UTC) - South Hams Hospital (Kingsbridge)
Planned Investigation Unit (PIU)
SHiP (Sexual Health in Plymouth)
Acute Assessment Unit (AAU)
From 11 May 2020, the Acute Assessment Unit has relocated from its original department on Level 6 Zone B to the Fracture Clinic, Level 6 Zone A. The unit is open from 0:800 - 20:00 Monday to Friday.
Contact details
01752 435614
Allergy Service
*Update - 2 July 2020: The allergy service has moved back to Derriford Hospital
Although day case admissions are reduced, the service will continue to provide a proportion of desensitisation admissions and patient receiving Omalizumab treatment at present. We are reviewing the service on a weekly basis. The service will temporarily discontinue the provision of challenges, and skin prick testing until the COVID-19 pandemic ends.
Routine telephone consultations will continue at present.
Contact details
01752 431672
Antenatal outpatients services
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Antenatal growth and anomaly scans will now take place at Plymouth Argyle Home Park Stadium. All other antenatal outpatient services will remain normal service at this time. Any further changes to service will be updated as and when they occur. Read more here.
Effective 30 March 2020.
Contact details
01752 439794
Audiology and Newborn Hearing Screening
Audiology Services are open for telephone, video and some limited booked face-to-face appointments for children and adults. These services are now running at Derriford, the Child Development Centre, Mount Gould Local Care Centre, Liskeard Community Hospital and Launceston Community Hospital. Please read the Trust guidance on outpatient appointments, and take note of the details in your appointment phone call and letter.
The hearing aid repair service remains by post or drop-off only.
Newborn hearing screening is on the maternity unit, with clinics at the child development centre where necessary. The Health Visitors will be resuming carrying this out as part of their new birth assessment from 15th June.
Contact details
Newborn hearing screening: 01752 437480
Audiology appointments: 01752 431251 / 431253 / 431254
Audiology technical queries: 01752 430846
Breast Services (Primrose Breast Unit)
We are running a reduced surgery service from Care UK Peninsula Treatment Centre on Brest Road.
Breast imaging: the service restarted at the end of May, operating at a reduce capacity due to social distancing measures.
Contact details
Reception for general queries regarding appointments 01752 432066
Breast Care Nurses for any medical queries 01752 431898
Breast screening
(*updated 30 June 2020) Breast screening has now started at the Guildhall, Plymouth and we are running some sessions at Derriford Hospital at weekends. We also plan to start visiting Tavistock with our screening van soon (early July). Our appointment slots will be longer so the number of patients we will be able to see in a day will be reduced.
Cancer Services
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Cardiology
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A heart attack is a medical emergency. If you or a loved one experience any serious cardiac symptoms, please do not delay in asking for help - call 999 and ask for an ambulance if you suspect a heart attack. The common symptoms of a heart attack can include:
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Inpatient procedures: We are recommencing urgent procedures for Cardiology in the cath labs. Patients are being booked in order of urgency.
Cardiology outpatients: we have temporarily suspended face-to-face consultations for both newly-referred patients and those under follow-up review, and are instead booking telephone consultations.
Contact details
Paul Smith, Cardiology Clinical Administration Manager – (01752) 432908
Chantelle Lea, Cardiology Cluster Administrator – (01752) 439234
Transoesophageal echocardiogram and Stress Echos
These services will resume from mid-July. You will be contacted about your appointments.
Cardiothoracic Surgery
Elective cardiac/thoracic surgery was largely suspended during the escalation phase of the pandemic, because of the extra risk of surgery if you catch the virus around the time of your operation. Some surgery has now restarted and we are operating on those patients with the greatest clinical need. If you are on a waiting list for surgery, you should have been contacted to assess how you are and if necessary how to get further help. Outpatient appointments have either been via telephone or video calls with the surgeon, to avoid the risk of travelling and exposure to the virus. Pre-assessment is still face to face, as you will need to have blood tests and x-rays. Some face to face outpatients will resume in the near future. If you are admitted or transferred for surgery, you should have been isolated for 14 days prior to admission, you will be telephoned the day/48 hours before to ask about your symptoms and contacts, you will be tested on admission, and some patients may have a scan to look for signs of the virus.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Cardiac Surgery: 01752 439253
Thoracic Surgery: 01752 431855
Dentistry
A letter published on 28 May 2020, confirmed that all dental practices will commence opening from Monday 8 June for all face to face care, where the necessary infection prevention and control (IPC) and personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements are in place.
Dentistry - Orthodontics
Dentists in practice are allowed to start working again if they have the correct PPE and can do so safely from 8th June. Due to the complexities of working within a hospital we are not in a situation where we can open as quickly as some dental practices. As we welcome patients back into the department it is important that we do this in a way that is safe for everyone. We are working hard to make arrangements and provide information for patients before we re-open our doors. Please check back here for further updates.
Any patients with an emergency should telephone us. A clinician will then phone them back to assess the situation and provide advice where appropriate. Please DO NOT come into the department unless you have an appointment as we will not be able to see you. Patients can use the link to the British Orthodontic Society website for helpful videos and factsheets.
Contact details
01752 432743
01752 432983
Dentistry - Restorative
The Chief Dental Officer of England is allowing dentists to start working again if they have the correct PPE and can do so safely from 8th June. Due to the complexities of working within a Hospital we are not in a situation where we can open as quickly as a dental practice. There will have to be a staggered and controlled approach to bringing patients back in for treatment. As we welcome patients back into the department it is important that we do this in a way that is safe for everyone. We are working hard to make arrangements and provide information for patients before we re-open our doors. Please check back here for further updates.
If you have an emergency please do not come into the Hospital without a pre-arranged appointment. If you are already mid treatment within the hospital and have an emergency please use numbers below and telephone triage will be arranged.
Contact details
01752 432743
01752 432983
Dentistry - Urgent Care
Please note this is not a UHP-provided service but is included here to help our local population. An urgent dental centre has been set up in Plymouth and another in Bodmin for those needing treatment. To get access, people should phone their own dentist to be assessed. Those without a dentist or who cannot get through to their usual surgery should call the helpline below. Patients will only be seen after a referral via the triage system. There is no drop-in access.
Devon - Call 03330 063300
Email accessdentalhelpline@nhs.net
Cornwall - Call 0333 405 0290
Email westcountrydental.care@nhs.net
Dermatology
All routine outpatient appointments and routine elective surgery has restarted. Outpatient appointments where possible will be non face to face. We are now open for emergencies Monday to Friday (08:30 to 16:00).
For patients taking medication who are due a prescription please call or email: plh-tr.dermatologyreception@nhs.net with the following information:
- Your full name and hospital number.
- The name of the medication you are taking.
- The dose of medication you are taking.
- Confirm the date of your recent blood test.
Contact details
Outpatient appointments:01752 439936
Elective admissions: 01752 437039
Dermatology Secretaries 01752 437026 or 01752 437109
Dermatology Reception 01752 439712
Advice and Guidance for vulnerable Dermatology patients is available on this link: http://www.bad.org.uk/shared/get-file.ashx?itemtype=document&id=6648
For GPs: Please direct as many urgent referrals (as are suitable) through teledermatology. This is the advice and guidance part of e-rs. For this we need a detailed history as well as a photo. For urgent advice (acute patients), please contact Switchboard on 01752 202082 and ask for the on-call dermatology. The Specialist Registrar answers this.
Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT)
At present, due to COVID-19, no routine patients are being seen in the department. However, the service will continue to see patients who are on a two week wait pathway, and emergency cases. After reviewing your referral a consultant will decide if you will have a telephone appointment, or if you need a face to face appointment, or if your appointment will be deferred.
Contact
- Outpatient appointments - 01752 439703
- Admin - 01752 439391 / 01752 439389
- Inpatient/Day Case Admissions - 01752 439889
- Emergency Ear’s Sister Sargent - 01752 430426 (unmanned – leave voice message)
Healthcare of the elderly
Most follow up appointments will be offered by telephone, rather than face-to-face. All new appointments are being reviewed by a consultant and will be offered by telephone if appropriate but face to face will be offered if that is possible.
Contact details:
HCE Secretaries - 01752 43693
Emergency Department
The Emergency Department is here for you. If you have prolonged chest pain, breathlessness, symptoms of a stroke, abnormal bleeding, severe abdominal pain, or any significant injury please attend the Emergency Department at Derriford. If you have a minor injury, please attend the Minors Unit at Nuffield Hospital.
The Minors Unit at Nuffield is open 08:00 - 22:000. If you have a life-theatening emergency, call 999.
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Stroke or Heart Attack:
Parents of young children:
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Endoscopy
All Endoscopy appointments have been triaged according to risk and will be booked in this order. There has been an increased wait for the time taken to deliver procedures due to Covid but the service is working through the backlog over the coming months. You will be contacted when you are due your appointment.
Contact details
Telephone: 01752 438407
Fracture Clinic
Fracture Clinic has moved to Orthopaedic Outpatients in Car Park F. Where possible, we are changing all appointments to telephone calls. This may not always be appropriate but we will advise you.
Contact details
Fracture Clinic Appointments 01752 439808
Gastroenterology
We have changed all appointments to telephone contact, excluding very urgent IBD patients who will be seen face to face.
IBD Infusions are now delivered on the Derriford site again.
Contact details
Email gastro med secs inbox: plh-tr.Gastro-secretarial@nhs.net
Gynaecology
Resumed service for Gynae / Urogynae surgery, extended waiting times for surgery due to large number of patients currently on the waiting list.
Contact details
Queries relating to outpatient appointments please contact 01752 431598
For queries regarding elective admissions please contact 01752 431396
Hepatology (South West Liver Unit)
A letter with advice for liver patients can be found here.
A phlebotomy clinic has been set up at the Territorial Army Centre for the most vulnerable Hepatology patients to ensure safe taking of bloods away from an acute setting.
Contact details
Email hepatology med secs inbox: plh-tr.HepatologySecretaries@nhs.net
Scans and other diagnostic imaging
If you have an appointment with us please do attend unless notified otherwise.
Our Imaging Team are continuing to provide diagnostic scans for those patients referred under the 2 week-wait pathway by GPs (suspected cancer) and clinically urgent cases, where possible.
Due to the need to response to the COVID-19 pandemic, for the foreseeable future , we are not currently able to provide routine outpatient appointments. Patients referred for routine scans will be added to a waiting list and contacted as soon as possible when our services are able to return to normal.
Immunology Service
*Update - 2 July 2020: The allergy service has moved back to Derriford Hospital
- Delivery of IVIg infusions
- Urgent face-to-face outpatient appointments
- Home therapy training
The service will continue to provide nurse home visits for technique review for those patients treating themselves at home.
In order to still provide treatment to the most vulnerable group of patients within the service, the nurse specialist will visit patients home to deliver IVIg/SCIg infusions. This is a change to our service in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Routine telephone consultations will continue at present, which is reviewed on a weekly basis.
Contact details
01752 431672
Maternity
All scans are now being undertaken on the UHP site. It is intended that once sonography establishment increases, UHP will resume growth scan schedules in accordance with Saving Babies Lives. In order to continue to keep footfall to a minimum and to allow for social distancing in the waiting areas, women are still being asked to attend for scans and clinic appointments alone (with the exception of the 20 week anomaly scan).
Maxillofacial Surgery
At present, all routine outpatient appointments and operations have been postponed. However, patients referred on a two week wait pathway, and cancer patients will be offered face-to-face appointments when necessary. Please note, if you are coming in for an urgent case, we will ask you some questions and take your temperature as part of our Covid-19 screening.
Urgent outpatient biopsies and oral surgery will continue, along with outpatient department reviews.
Contact details
If you have any questions about your appointment or condition, please call 01752 01752 432743 or 01752 432983
Urgent outpatient biopsies and oral surgery will continue, along with outpatient department reviews.
Minor Injury Units
Opening Times
MIU - Cumberland Centre (Plymouth)
Damerel Close
Plymouth
PL1 4JZ (Directions)
Tel: (01752) 434390
Opening times: 08:30 - 22:00 (09:00 - 22:00 Thursdays)
Opening days: 7 days per week
X-ray available: 09:00 - 20:45 (7 days)
University Hospitals Plymouth Minors Unit (Nuffield)
Derriford Rd, Plymouth PL6 8BG
Opening times: 08:00 – 22:00
Opening days: 7 days per week
MIU - Tavistock Hospital
Spring Hill
Tavistock
PL19 8LD (Directions)
Tel: (01822) 612233
Opening times: 08:30 - 17:30
Opening days: Monday - Sunday
X-ray available: 09:00 - 17:00 (Mon-Fri)
Please note: there is no x-ray available during weekends and bank holidays.
MIU - South Hams Hospital (Kingsbridge)
Plymouth Road
Kingsbridge
Devon
TQ7 1AT (Directions)
Tel: (01548) 852349
Opening times: 09:00 - 17:00
Opening days: Monday to Friday
X-ray available: 09:00 - 17:00 (Mon-Fri)
Neurology
Most follow up appointments will be offered by telephone, rather than face-to-face. All new appointments are being reviewed by a consultant and will be offered by telephone if appropriate but face to face will be offered if that is possible.
Contact details:
Neurology Secretaries - 01752 437698
Neurosurgery
We are starting to see and operate on patients needing neurosurgery. Our consultants are using 'Attend Anywhere' for video consultations, where possible.
Please don't hesitate to contact the team if you have any questions.
Contact details
01752 431832 – Service Line Support
Oncology
Your Oncology service is moving to the Nuffield Hospital site (which is across the road from Derriford) from 06 April 2020. Patient care will remain the same high quality and you will be treated by your specialist UHP staff who will work jointly with the Nuffield nursing teams and their Resident Medical Officer (RMO).
Now at Nuffield:
- Oncology Clinics
- Brent Ward
- Lyd Chemotherapy Unit
- Phlebotomy Service
- Subcutaneous Injections
Remains at Derriford:
- Outpatient appointments on Level 2 take place Monday - Thursdays from the 06 April 2020 until further notice
- Dr Dubey’s Oncology Clinic - weeks 2 and 4 (on Tuesdays)
- Haematology
- Chest Clinics
Contact:
You will be contacted about changes to your appointments, but if you need any advice or more information please don’t hesitate to contact us.
- Oncology Outpatient appointments - 01752 430428
- Lyd Ward 01752 430290
- Brent Ward 01752 432593
Orthodontics
Routine orthodontic outpatient appointments have been postponed until further notice, this includes surgery for removing and uncovering buried teeth. The medical notes for all patients are being reviewed by the clinical team and we are phoning patients to provide advice when needed.
Any patients with an emergency should telephone us. A clinician will then phone them back to assess the situation and provide advice where appropriate. Please note, during exceptional emergencies and treatment, staff will be wearing appropriate PPE due to the risk of Covid-19 droplet spread from the oral cavity and nose.
Patients can use the following link to the British Orthodontic Society website for helpful videos and factsheets. https://www.bos.org.uk/News-and-Events/COVID19-BOS-Advice
Contact details
01752 432743
01752 432983
Orthopaedics
From 3 August 2020, University Hospitals Plymouth will be working with Nuffield Plymouth Hospital to recommence elective orthopaedic operating. Patients will be clinically assessed for suitability against a set of criteria that is designed to ensure patient safety. Patients with more complex clinical needs will still need to receive their operation at Derriford. This is because the operating team may need access to other resources at Derriford, such as enhanced recovery, which are not available at the Nuffield. We have continued to operate on those people who have undergone orthopaedic trauma as emergencies.
Where possible, we are continuing to use telephone consultations for patients instead of face to face appointments. If a face to face appointment is deemed more appropriate, we may postpone your appointment to a more suitable safer time.
Contact details
Please contact your Consultant’s Secretary for further details.
Outpatients appoitments and service changes
Where possible, remote appointments are being offered using video or telephone. If you have a video consultation appointment, you can read more about the system here. We are asking patients to attend face-to-face services only when it is really necessary. If we do ask you to attend for a face-to-face outpatient appointment, it is because the healthcare professional treating you feels it is important to see you in person.
- Please only attend an outpatient appointment if you have no symptoms of COVID-19. If you are worried you may have symptoms, please call NHS 111 for advice. You can find out more about coronavirus at http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ ?
- The main symptoms of COVID-19 or coronavirus are:
- high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
- new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
- loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
- Most people with coronavirus have at least one of these symptoms.
- Regularly and thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub
- Maintain at least 2m distance between yourself and others outside of your household.
- Please attend alone if you can, to help us reduce the number of people coming into the hospital. If you have a carer or need someone to come with you, please call the number on your appointment letter to discuss this
- Please try to arrive as close to your appointment time as you can
Pain Management
Due to COVID-19, the service will continue to see patients who are on a week wait pathway and urgent. After reviewing your referral a consultant or Allied Health Care Professional will decide if you will have a telephone appointment, video consultation, or if you need a face to face appointment, or if your appointment will be deferred. We are currently not able to offer any procedure appointments.
Contact details
Pain Contact Number – 01752 437706
OAC Contact Number – 01752 439936
Paediatrics - Acute
All safeguarding clinics have moved to the Child Development Centre, from 30 March 2020.
Contact details
Rachel Deakin 01752 431397
Anita Dykes 01752 439887
Sam Rafferty 01752 439433
Paediatrics - Community (Child Development Centre and Children’s Community Nursing)
The majority of our appointments will now be taking place by phone - we are contacting young people and families to inform them of this. If there is a clear need for us to see a young person face-to-face then we can arrange an appointment at the Child Development Centre. In this circumstance, we would ask that only the young person and one adult attend.
Our Children's Community Nursing Team remain in contact by phone with young people who have complex care needs and their families in order to offer advice and support. If required, they are making essential home visits. The Community Nursing team will talk to you about how they can complete any home visits as safely as possible.
We are able to offer alternative arrangements where a prescription is required, reducing the need for families to make multiple journeys. We will discuss this with parents & carers if we need to provide a prescription.
Contact details
Young people and families can continue to contact us by phone, either using direct numbers or via reception on 01742 439400.
However, all new or non-urgent queries can be directed to plh-tr.CDCPlymouth@nhs.net and we will respond as soon as possible.
Phlebotomy Community Clinics
Community Phlebotomy clinics have been moved to Home Park but remain scheduled as normal. Read more here
Contact details
01752 763035
Planned Investigation Unit (PIU)
Chief Operating Officer Kevin Baber opened our Planned Investigation Unit in its new home on Level 5 of Derriford Hospital on Wednesday 10 June. The opening included a little surprise for Sister Angie Newton. Watch the video below to find out what the surprise was.
Some interesting facts about the new Planned Investigation Unit:
- Staff there will see and treat around 70 patients per week
- There are 8 beds in the unit
- The team care for patients from most specialties across the hospital
- The unit will be instrumental in helping see patients who have had to wait while planned appointments have been on hold during COVID-19
- The nurse-led outpatient clinics have received some great feedback from patients who really appreciate the care provided
Contact details
01752 439984
01752 439982
Plastic Surgery
Plastic Trauma Services, along with the dressing clinic, has been relocated to Lyd ward as from Monday 15 June 2020.
Patients will continue to receive telephone consultations by the plastic surgeon unless they feel a face-to-face appointment is required.
All routine outpatient appointments and routine elective surgery have been restarted. (Excluding peripheral clinics in Truro.).
All local anaesthetic surgery may be relocated to Tavistock Hospital.
Contact details
Outpatient appointments: 01752 439936
Elective admissions: 01752 432215 (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday or 01752 431519 )
Plastic Trauma Appointments: 01752 432105
Tavistock Appointments: 01752 436105
Critical Care Psychology
Most people from Critical Care Psychology have been discharged, but we have written to patients individually to say that this does not mean they cannot access a service. We will be offering telephone drop in appointments – initially on Monday and Friday morning.
We have been running a monthly expert by experience group and this will be held online and offered to all our previous and new out-patients. In addition we were facilitating a monthly Intensive Care Multi-Disciplinary Follow Up clinic. We have written to all the people currently on the waiting list to advise that we have taken the decision to put the clinic on hold and will be in contact when the situation alters. They have all also been offered the option of the telephone drop in clinic. We will continue to send out screening questions to people discharged from ICU who will also be offered the option of telephone drop in appointments and going on the waiting list for the follow up clinic when it resumes.
Contact details
REI (Royal Eye Infirmary)
Some routine outpatient appointments and routine elective surgery has restarted. Outpatient appointments, where possible will be non face-to-face, however, you will be asked to attend your appointment face to face if deemed clinically appropriate. Please follow guidance provided on attending your appointment / surgery.
New opening hours:
Open 8-6 Monday-Friday.
Open 8.30-13.00 Saturday.
Closed Sunday. Please ring Derriford Hospital 01752 202082 and switchboard will take your number and they will get the triage nurse to ring you.
Renal and Transplantation
Many renal and transplantation clinics are being moved to telephone clinics. However due to the nature of renal conditions and the need for patients to have regular blood tests, consultants are reviewing their clinic lists on a weekly basis to decide if a patient needs to be seen face-to-face or offered a telephone appointment.
If a patient is required to have bloods taken before their telephone consultation they will be informed about this by phone and will receive blood forms in the post to get these done at either their GP surgery (if practice willing) or the phlebotomy department at Derriford Hospital.
The appointments team will inform patients of their clinic appointment date and time. This is subject to change and processes are being reviewed daily.
Contact details
Patients to continue ringing their consultants secretary:
Dr Connor, Dr Herbert, Dr Tse, Dr Kiani and Dr Rowe – 01752 431308
Dr Cramp, Dr Houlberg, Dr Saif – 01752 439753
Transplant patients – 01752 439957
Rheumatology
Rheumatology is providing face to face consultations for all new appointments and some follow up appointments where clinically appropriate. All other follow-up appointments will continue to be provided by telephone or video consultation.
Urgent injections are continuing for those patients in need of them. Likewise, infusions which are deemed clinically necessary by the specialist nurses and consultants, are continuing.
Rheumatology is currently providing same day/next day urgent care and advice for new and existing patients presenting to acute services.
Contact details
Nurse advice line – 01752 439688 or email plh-tr.rheumatologypatientsadvice@nhs.net
(please only contact via one of these methods)
Please note calls to secretaries will be diverted to one telephone and these will be answered within 24 hours.
Scans and Diagnostics
Cardiac CT
We are aware there is a considerable waiting time for this investigation; we are doing our best with restricted capacity. If you have concerns about your symptoms, please contact the doctor who referred you for the test.
Patients referred for imaging under the 2 week wait possible cancer pathway
We are running a normal service for 2WW requests.
Urgent scans
We are scanning all urgent cases in a timely fashion, for patients who are willing to attend. If you are referred urgently, please do attend your appointment. If you are at all concerned, please see the information here.
Routine imaging requests
We have very limited capacity for routine investigations, except ultrasound. Waiting times will be much longer than pre-COVID. If you have concerns about your symptoms, please contact the doctor who referred you for the investigation.
Routine Ultrasound
We are running a near normal service for most routine ultrasound.
MSK Joint Injections
We are re-starting this service for patients who are still symptomatic and have agreed to the test, understanding that it carries a risk of supressing their immune system.
CT Colonography
We are re-starting this service for patients who are still symptomatic and have agreed to the test, understanding that it carries a risk of supressing their immune system
SHiP (Sexual Health in Plymouth)
Face-to-face appointments have been replaced with telephone consultations/online testing/medication pick ups. If it's necessary to see a patient in person, appointments are being arranged to ensure staggered attendance with no waits.
Clinics based away from Derriford Hospital are on hold with centralised delivery from SHiP at Derriford Hospital for patients who are given a face to face appointment.
Pregnancy Advisory Clinic service is continuing but with telephone consultation preparation calls and a single one-stop appointment in SHiP. For detailed information regarding services available please visit the SHiP website www.yourship.uk
Contact details
Phone number: 01752 431124
Thoracic Medicine
The Thoracic Medicine Chest clinic is largely switching to telephone clinics with the introduction of ‘attend anywhere’ clinics for some of our clinicians. Patients may be asked to attend for a face to face appointment and this will be because the consultants think it is important that patients are seen in person or need to have tests. We will continue to contact patients to inform them of the type of appointment they will have and ensure they are happy with this.
The number of clinics we offer continues to be reduced but is increasing with the use of telephone and ‘attend anywhere’ clinics.
We are continuing running clinics for TB, Cancer and asthma biologics.
We are doing lung function tests for essential cases determined by your consultant.
Contact details
Main Helpline – 01752 432332
COVID queries - 01752 437918
Email – respiratoryguidance@nhs.net