How long to wait for referral letter?

[SpongeBobSquarePantaloons]

Hi all. I saw the GP a few months ago for something and a referral was put in for me to be seen by orthopaedics at the hospital. Does anyone know how long it should take for a letter to arrive? This isn't for treatment - just the initial consultation with a specialist. I'm getting really desperate and everything I can find online is about the English system. Check the app that we don’t have and the like.

Also, at what point should I start chasing it up?

Any info welcome.

It will depend on what health board you come under and how busy their orthopedics are. You would be best to go back to your GP for an indication of how long the waiting list is, im surprised they didnt give you this when advising they would send a letter. Once you have had your consultation and are 'in the system' so to speak, things tend to move slightly quicker but for the initial appt, you could be months or over a year depending on what its for.

Thank you. That's helpful. No, they didn’t give me any information on a wait which is quite frustrating as I have no idea what to expect. I'll see if I can get more info from the GP.

There is info on the NHS inform website about wait times but it's unclear if that's waiting for treatment after consultation or waiting for consultation. Maybe I'm just dense but it's all a bit confusing.

Depending on health board referrals go electronically these days. For an idea of waiting times call the orthopaedic secretary or the referral management team you should be able to find a number online.