Guidance is given here on the referral process through to NHS Specialist Services

Referrals for specialist care - NHS

Lincolnshire NHS Integrated Care Board's guidance on patient referrals:

'NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) oversees Prior Approval Policy for all referral activity from primary care providers through to secondary care. This was introduced in 1995 to ensure that the NHS only commissioned evidence-based and clinically effective services'

Strict criteria and thresholds apply, which a provider must adhere to when making a referral, otherwise it will be rejected.

Many referrals are forwarded through to a central triage service who review and decide if a patient meets the threshold to progress the referral to further specialist intervention; for some more specialist services, they will decide where the patient will be seen. On occasion, it may be rejected, and this decision is not one that is made by the GP practice. You can view further information on Lincolnshire ICB website:

Lincolnshire ‘EACH’ - patient referrals to community services and hospitals - Lincolnshire ICB

We understand that this can of course be frustrating to a patient; there are many treatments across a broad range of specialities, that are simply no longer available through NHS funded care pathways.

The maximum waiting time for non-urgent, consultant-led treatments is 18 weeks from the day your appointment is booked through the NHS e-Referral Service, or when the hospital or service receives your referral letter. More urgent referrals will be forwarded through a separate process.

Waiting Times:

You can checks the NHS guidance here.

Guide to NHS waiting times in England - NHS

Current NHS Waiting Times are here:

My Planned Care NHS