Skin cancer referral frustration

[FlamingoFlock]

Hi, I'm posting to try and hopefully understand what I am supposed to do in this situation.

I saw my GP last Monday about an itchy mole which has become much darker over the past few months, he did an urgent referral to a local dermatology clinic under suspected cancer risk. I haven't heard anything yet so my GP surgery advised me to contact them directly, so I did this today.

They don't have my referral, and said it needs to be done by the ERS system. All I can get out of the doctors is that the referral was done by letter and email.
Despite me telling the GP's receptionists that the referral needs to be done on this ERS system, they have told me that secretaries have done another referral, this afternoon, by email, and requested an email receipt.

I spoke to the clinic a second time this afternoon just before they closed, and they were very adamant that they have NOT received my referral, and it needs to be done by the ERS system, and referred me back to my GP.

How long am I supposed to be stuck going in circles? Does anyone know what this ERS system is that my GPs surgery seems to be incurable of using?

I'm getting so frustrated, and worried as it doesn't seem like anyone will ever see me to get it properly checked at this rate.

Hi, it's Choose and Book. Most GPs refer through this system, the referrals get passed to the consultant on call to triage then appointments are sent out as fast track, urgent or routine if the referral is accepted. The problem with GPs emailing referrals is that they sometimes end up in out of date email accounts. However if someone called me (as a medical secretary) in your situation I would ring the GP for you and ask they forward it to my email address so I could pass directly to consultant to save you waiting any longer. Unfortunately all departments and hospitals do things differently. I really hope you get your appointment soon x

Thanks for your response @Firstshoes, I am just stuck in an endless loop of being passed back and forth between the GP and the clinic, the GP's secretaries (who I can only speak to through a receptionist) keep saying they've sent another email, and the clinic just tell me they need to do the ERS (which I now know is choose and book, which I have actually heard of) and can't/won't contact the GP directly about my case as they need a referral first - I can't understand why the surgery just isn't taking this on board.
Is there anything I can actually do about this? I can't afford to go private but I can't see any other way around this

Also a hospital medical secretary: our new referrals team would not accept an email from a GP, but if you contact the dermatology team secretaries someone might be able to ring the GP surgery directly to help them understand the issue. (I would do this to help, if it was me). ERS is used widely by GPs in our area, I'm surprised that they're unfamiliar with it. Maybe it's new to your area?

Thanks for your responses both.

The issue I'm having is that I only have one contact number for the clinic I've been referred to (it's not a hospital, according to their website its a community dermatology service amongst other things, that carries out NHS work).

I don't have any secretaries to contact, just a call centre number who I've now spoken to several times and they tell me no, they haven't received anything as they don't accept referrals by email, and I then tell this to the GP surgery who seem unwilling to do an ERS referral.

It's not a new thing to them, as they've used it for other referrals for me and I'm familiar with it as the 'choose and book' system. I just don't know why they repeatedly can't grasp this and tell me they'll send another email. It's like talking to a brick wall honestly. If I could talk to a medical secretary at the dermatology clinic I would but I never get past the call centre as they can't find my referral.

Can you go into either doctors or derm clinic in person and politely refuse to leave until sorted?

@ModeWeasel I'm seriously considering doing this on Monday at the GP.

I think it's a bit like Chinese whispers, the receptionists aren't taking on board what I'm saying but I can't speak directly to the secretaries myself.

I did think about making another GP appointment and trying to get the GP to understand the issue, but they receptionists will ask what it's for and not let me see them again as they'll see from the system that an email has already been sent.

I would be asking to speak to the GP practice manager as a matter of urgency and explain the situation to them

Your GP factice should surely know about the process. They must make referrals like this weekly. ERS is the standard system for appts especially 2 weeks wait. They tick boxes that are relevant to the triaging body.

How much more incompetent can your surgery be! Did you see a practice GP or a locum?

Whenever I mentioned the ERS to the receptionist over the phone they just kept saying they didn't know what that was, and that they could see from the system that a letter/email has been sent. It's honestly like talking to a brick wall, they just want you off the phone as soon as possible.

I saw a GP that's been there as long as I've lived here so not a locum.

I've used other services through the choose and book system which is the most frustrating thing, they clearly have the ability to do the referral via this method but for some reason this falls on deaf ears to the receptionists.

I'm debating whether to go in and ask to speak to the practise manager on Monday or just make another GP appointment to try and explain to someone in person. The receptionists just want rid of you asap and I don't feel they're taking on board what I'm saying to them at all.

The other option I'm considering is to lodge a formal complaint on the basis I don't think the reception staff are passing messages on to the secretaries about the ERS which is causing unnecessary delay.

See the practice manager. I totally understand your frustration but there's no need to take up a GP appointment for an admin issue before you've even tried the practice manager - it will also probably be quicker to see them than a GP.

Practice Manager has a role closer to God (than the GP). Even GPs cower at PMs. IF you can speak to practice manager, they can get it sorted.

Update: I have actually managed to speak to a secretary this morning and tried to explain.

She's going to send a message through to the doctor, I specifically stressed the importance of following the E-referral procedure and asked if they can update me by email once it's been done.

Fingers crossed but we shall see.