This page provides information that will help you to prepare for an out patient appointment. It tells you what you can expect from your local NHS and how you can help to ensure your care is managed as promptly and safely as possible.

Click the link to view or download the Ready, Willing, and Able leaflet.

If your GP wishes to access further advice and care for you then DART is the local service for patients which will manage this process as quickly and efficiently as possible.

It will help you to choose the most appropriate service for you and explain what choices are available.

DART will be able to advise you on all the choices available to progress your specific care needs. This may include choosing your hospital, booking your appointment or updating you on what is happening with your referral.

Your GP will pass your details to DART and will generate a unique booking reference number for you. Your GP will give you a leaflet with your unique booking reference number and a DART contact telephone number for your area of Devon written on it.

Click the link to view or download a sample DART leaftlet.

In order to give your GP time to pass all of the relevant information to DART, you should then wait a minimum of 3 working days from your GP appointment to ring DART on the telephone number provided.

The DART opening hours are Mon - Fri 8am - 5pm

When you contact DART you may need to be seen for an appointment or test.

The NHS Constitution establishes your right to start treatment within a maximum of 18 weeks from the time your GP refers you. In many cases your appointment will be within the next 6 weeks.

It is important that you plan ahead before contacting DART. In particular:

• Consider family commitments or, if appropriate, ensure you have spoken to carers or anyone who may need to assist you in attending an appointment, for instance by assisting with transport.

• Talk to your GP or healthcare professional about your treatment so that you understand what to expect and when.

• Remember you have a choice of hospital. Be aware that you can consider hospitals or healthcare providers other than your local one.

• Look after yourself ahead of your appointment so that you are well enough to be treated.

• Think about how you might improve your lifestyle, for example stopping smoking or losing weight.

• Your local NHS Stop Smoking Service has highly trained Stop Smoking Advisors. In Devon you can contact them on 01884 836024 for Torbay please ring 01803 299160

Taking basic steps to improve your lifestyle can hopefully reduce the number of hospital visits you have to make and enable earlier diagnosis and treatment.

DART - Your questions answered

• What information will DART need when I call?
  You will be asked for your unique booking reference number which your practice will either have written on this leaflet or supplied separately. You will also be asked to confirm your name, date of birth and address where you live.

• Is choice offered for all conditions?
  A choice of hospital is available for most medical conditions. However, not all hospitals treat every medical condition. You may need to see a specialist GP or have a test, in which case you will not be offered a choice of hospital.

• What happens if I change my choice of healthcare provider?
  If you decide, after making an appointment, that you want to change your choice of hospital, please contact DART, who can advise you on your options.

• What if I need to change my appointment?
  Your provider may have confirmed your appointment in writing and supplied a contact number in their letter. If you need to change or cancel your appointment please use these details. If you have not received a confirmation letter, please ring DART for assistance.

Choosing your hospital
Most patients now have the right to choose which hospital provider they are referred to. This legal right, which was introduced in April 2009, lets patients choose from any hospital provider in England offering a suitable treatment that meets NHS standards and costs.

Patients can choose which hospital they are seen in according to what matters most to them, whether it's location, waiting times, reputation, clinical performance, visiting policies, parking facilities or other patients' comments.

A choice of hospital is available for most patients and in most circumstances. Exceptions include emergency and urgent services, cancer, maternity and mental health services. If you need to be seen urgently by a specialist (for example, if you have severe chest pain), you will be sent where you'll be seen most quickly.

Links to more information regarding your choice of hospital:

• More about hospital choice (Opens NHS Choices website)
• Compare hospitals (Opens NHS Choices website)
• More about patient choice in the NHS (Opens NHS Choices website)
• More about your patient rights (Opens NHS Choices website)

Please note that the links provided above are for use regarding information about your choice of hospital - but NOT for booking an appointment. DART (the local booking team) should be used by Devon patients to book an appointment - see all the information on this page.

Your contact details
It is important that the contact details held by your GP practice are up to date. Please ensure that you notify them of your most up to date telephone numbers.

Further information

For patients:
For any other general help or queries about choice or for large print, Braille, audio tape or other language versions, please ring:

• Patient Choice Help line: 01626 883888 (Opening hours: Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm) - Please do not use this number to book.

For GPs and practice staff:
Click the link for further information about DART that can be found on the NHS Devon staff and healthcare professionals website InfoPoint. Please note that you need to register to use this website - the log on page provides details of how to register for a username and password.

Feedback
Your feedback is important to us:

Please let us know about your experience of booking your appointment. You can do this in one of two ways:

• Web: Visit www.patientopinion.org.uk and click on “Tell people what happened”

• Phone: 0845 113 0012 (local rate) during working hours and tell your story to someone at Patient Opinion, who will put it on the web for you.

Patient Advice and Liaison Service

What do PALS do?
Each health trust in England has a PALS service. The Patient Advice and Liaison Service is completely confidential and endeavours to offer impartial advice and support for patients, carers and relatives on any health and social care related issue. Click the link to go to the NHS Devon PALS page.