GP referral/NHS apps - Desperate and no updates

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I had a 2 week hospital stay in early August and was discharged by rheumatology to GP with monitoring, if not better after 1 month I was supposed to get referred back to rheumatology to see them urgently. This wasn't done despite me asking because my symptoms not getting better.

I made another follow up appointment with GP on 7th October and they said they would do the referral, If I don't hear anything within 2 weeks to follow up.

I followed up a week later on 15th (needed more pain meds) and was told the follow up was done a rheumatology had responded and accepted my referral and there was nothing I can do now but wait for a letter..

When I check the NHS app it looks like the referral was only made on 15th.

I was in the GP again on Monday so I asked again, what's the update, and the receptionist said the GP had to look at the response and would be on touch.

Again no updates on NHS website and nothing on patient knows best about any of this. When I've been referred/on waiting lists the apps have updated very quickly.

Am I being impatient to think I should have heard something, I don't have confidence a referral has been done at all.

Anyone else been through rheumatology referrals and found it's taken a while.

This pain btw is completely limiting my life and not just a minor thing, I'm desperate for help as I've become essentially disabled out of nowhere.

Not rheumatology, but I had a non-urgent referral made to radiology in August and just got a phone call yesterday to book an appointment (for November).

Did you get any letters before or was that it?

I had a non urgent referral for my blood pressure and I heard back within a week for that and I've been in and out of hospital & GP on tests for that also, all is updated instantly. That issue is being treated as more seriously but it's not having an impact on me. (Same hospital) I had blood tests done on Monday and I've already got my results back today.

No - nothing. The nurse sent off the referral in mid-August and then I didn't hear a thing until they rang me yesterday. I got a follow up text with a link to a letter today confirming the appt. time.

I also had blood tests in August and got my results the following day.

Different depts have different waiting times and varies from area to area . In my area I had cardiac tests done quickly but I've hopefully been referred to Gastro - no evidence referral has been received on apps and I know it takes up to a year or more to see someone.
Do you have a central booking hub at your hospital? Try and find out where the rheumatology appointments are booked and give them a call.

I have had similar recently- 2 week hospital stay, follow up referrals never materialised. Different specialism though. I managed to get past the central booking hub by calling the main switchboard and asking to speak to my consultant's secretary (I have a long term consultant) and she was helpful - although unable to make me an appointment. I then spoke to the secretary of the consultant named on my discharge letter and explained my frustration to her. She gave me her email address and asked me to email my concerns and she would pass them on. About a week later I got a call to arrange an appointment. If you can speak to consultant secretaries you might get somewhere. Massive sympathies - I was so frustrated and also in pain and felt so abandoned. It's horrible. Hope you can get somewhere

Call the hospital.

I luckily managed to get a face to face GP appointment this morning, and my suspicions were mostly right, a referral had been made on my follow up on 15th but rheumatology have bounced it back to GP for some examinations and no ones been in touch since then.

I basically sat and cried with the GP who wasn't aware of my case, who was incredibly rude, spending more his time complaining about having to read my notes and "starting again"

My appointment ran over, took 30 minutes and I'm still not much closer. I said it's taking 30 minutes because I need someone to set that time aside with me to help which is what the rheumatology said they would do.

I was given the opportunity to go through some more of my symptoms and he's going to speak to the other GPs I've spoken with before.

I've had to take an unpaid sick day today as I feel so unwell with everything.