How to refer your patients to our services

All available outpatient clinics are listed on the NHS e-Referral system (eRS). To refer your patients to any of our services, please use the NHS e-Referral system (or Bexley Health Limited Referral Management System) where your patient will be offered the next available appointment within a day of your referral. 

In the case that the Trust cannot provide an immediate appointment, 'Defer to Provider' can be selected and the patient will be contacted within 48 hours for an appointment.

Dartford

The NHS Kent and Medway (prev DXS Dartford Gravesham and Swanley (DGS) CCG) Professional Guidelines & Pathways and Medicines Best Traffic Light areas have the latest clinical guidance and referral pathways for the Trust. We work closely with NHS Kent and Medway to ensure these are routinely reviewed and updated where necessary.

Surrounding areas

Referral criteria can be found on the GP zone on your Kent and Medway website or your DXS system if you have this in your area.

Ambulatory Emergency Care (AEC) Referrals

The Trust's AEC at Darent Valley Hospital offers a streamlined diagnosis and treatment for appropriate patients on the same day. In most cases, patients will not require a hospital admission and will be sent home with ongoing clinical care. To make a referral please call the AEC Coordinator on 07925 173747.

Cancer Referrals

Suspected cancers should be referred using the E-referral Service (eRS). If you have any questions, concerns or your required service is not available on eRS, please email dgn-tr.cancerreferral-dvh@nhs.net or call 01322 428216.

Childhood Constipation Service

For Healthcare Professionals:

If you are a Bexley or DGS GP then ALL referrals will now be via E-RS and will not be accepted via email. You will need to complete a referral form and your referral will be triaged to a Paediatric Consultant or the nurse led childhood constipation team.

  • Service Name: Paediatric - Childhood Constipation & Soiling Service (RAS)  - Dartford & Gravesham NHS Trust-RN7
  • Speciality: Children & Adolescent Services
  • Clinic Type: Gastroenterology

For areas outside of the above ICB’s, any email referral will be placed into a triage system

Early Pregnancy Unit (EPU) Referrals

Details on how to refer a patient to EPU and the referal form are available HERE.  

Echocardiography

For Healthcare Professionals:

ALL referrals will now be via E-RS and will not be accepted via email. You will need to complete the referral form template on the link below and your referral will be triaged.

You can find our service as follows:

·         Service Name: ECHO Diagnostic Test (RAS) Service - Dartford & Gravesham NHS Trust-RN7

·         Speciality: Diagnostic Physiological Measurement

·         Clinic Type: Cardiac Physiology - Echocardiogram

Click HERE for the Echocardiography Request Form.

Paediatric Orthopaedic Department – Dartford & Gravesham NHS Trust RNY e-RS Service

Radiology Referrals

As of 5th March 2021, Darent Valley Hospital will be able to accept GP patients Requests opening times are  Monday to Fridays 08:30 – 19:00 .  Please note that due to ongoing social distancing measures and continuing restrictions for other services there is a security presence on the door.

Can you ensure that if a patient referred Darent Valley Hospital that they attend with a signed paper copy of their request to ensure entry.   This allows the hospital to ensure that we can kept patient footfall to a minimum.  If the patient does not have a physical copy of their request they may be denied access to Darent Valley hospital.

Radiology would like to reinforce the following:

  • It is not acceptable for any patient to have their radiology request emailed directly to them.  This is a radiation protection risk and should be avoided. 
  • If the patient cannot collect a physical copy of their request then they can still attend either Gravesend community hospital or Queen Marys Sidcup hospital providing the GP has emailed the request. ​​​​​

Information on GP referral procedure to the Radiology Department at Darent Valley Hospital

The legal responsibility of the GP as the Referrer is to provide sufficient clinical details in order for the practitioner to justify whether an examination can proceed or not. This is requirement of regulation 4 of the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposures) Regulations 2017.

As a referrer, you must ensure:-

  • The correct patient is referred by ensuring the patient’s identification details are accurate.
  • Sufficient legible clinical information is provided to enable the request to be justified (abbreviations should not be used). This must include the background information regarding clinical state and the condition/pathology about which information is sought (e.g. query fracture)
  • Appropriate referral criteria are followed. See https://www.irefer.org.uk/
  • Abbreviations should not be used.
  • Contraindications to the imaging procedure have been considered
  • Any additional information or particular requirements are given that would help with the imaging examination which the referrer deems appropriate including specific needs to be addressed e.g. disability, cultural/religious, patient is pregnant. 
  • Your name and contact details are correct as it is a legal requirement that referrers are correctly identified. In addition the imaging department may need to contact the referrer urgently with critical or urgent unexpected findings. 
  • E-signatures are accepted

dgn-TR.radiologydvh@nhs.net

  • That referrals must be made on the appropriate Trust referral form and be emailed to the following email address; 
  • If the referral is urgent, it must be clearly marked on the request form.

Referrals which do not meet justification criteria or which contain inadequate/illegible information will be declined. The referrer will be informed of this decision either verbally by phone or by email. 

Dose and Risk information for x-ray and CT examinations can be accessed at https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/ionising-radiation/ionising-radiation-medical-exposure-regulations-irmer

The Referrers pause and check poster can also be accessed https://www.sor.org/sites/default/files/pause_check_irmer_referrers_a4.pdf

Information to be returned to the Trust as part of the IR(ME)R audit process.

Please provide names and GMC numbers of all GPs at this practice