To confirm or cancel an appointment please call the Central Appointments Team.
The department is available to take calls between 8am - 8pm, Monday - Friday and 9am - 1pm, Saturday.
Please note: the team do not have access to information about admitted patients.
- If you are a friend or relative of an inpatient please call the ward directly.
- If you are unsure on which ward the patient is being cared for, please call the Patient Advisory Liaison Officer on 01279 827211. Information can only be given to the patient's next of kin to protect patient confidentiality.
Inpatients
When you receive your appointment letter you should call us to confirm the date of your appointment and inform us of any special requirements.
We advise on the day of your appointment that you telephone the hospital to check that your bed is available for you.
The correct telephone number will be given on the appointment letter.
Outpatients
You will be advised if you need to confirm you appointment.
Cancelling Your Appointment
Did you know that every year thousands of patients fail to attend their booked appointment? If we do not receive 24 hours notice, we cannot give that appointment slot to someone else who requires it.
This vastly impacts on staff time and is very costly for the hospital. It may also mean that your referral letter is returned to your GP.
DNA’s have a huge adverse affect on the Trust in as much as it could be the difference between patients being seen within 5 weeks (the current target for new patients) in a regular clinic or the Trust having to arrange extra clinics which are very costly and instead of which the money could have been used for more operations or medical equipment etc.
If you cannot attend your appointment but would still like to be seen in the future, or if you no longer need it because you are better or leaving the district etc. then please, please let us know and give someone else the chance to be seen.
Changing or cancelling your appointment.
There are a number of ways in which you can inform the Hospital about changing or cancelling your appointment.
For a ‘new’ appointment on any site or department:
Telephone the Central Appointments department on 01279 827391
For a Follow Up appointment:
If you cannot attend a follow up appointment at any of the following Hospital Outpatient departments please ring the relevant departments telephone number as written on your appointment card or letter.
Or telephone our main switchboard on 01279 444455 and ask for the Outpatient department your appointment is to be held at.
- Main Outpatients at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow
- The Eye Unit, Princess Alexandra Hospital
- The Oral Surgery department at Princess Alexandra Hospital
- The Herts and Essex Hospital, Bishops Stortford
- St. Margarets Hospital, Epping
- The Tower Centre clinic, Hoddesdon
- Rectory Lane clinic, Loughton.
Thank you for your assistance in helping with this very serious problem.
