Awaiting treatment
There is a lot of information patients and their families will need in advance of receiving planned treatment in hospital. We hope you find the guidance below helpful while you await treatment.
There is a lot of information patients and their families will need in advance of receiving planned treatment in hospital. We hope you find the guidance below helpful while you await treatment.
If you are currently waiting for a hospital appointment, operation or treatment, take a look at NHS My Planned Care which details the latest average wait time information for your treatment, as well as helpful advice and support whilst you wait.
If you’re considering having an operation or your GP has suggested you may need surgery, this NHS guide to having an operation will take you through all the steps in the process so you’re fully prepared and know what questions to ask at each stage.
It’s important to make sure that you are in the best health possible before your operation or procedure. Our preoperative team will assess you before your operation to make sure that you are fit and healthy for an anaesthetic.
Be healthy Bucks offers support to help you achieve your health goals, including support to help you lose weight or stop smoking.
Before a doctor or healthcare professional examines or treats you, they need your consent. Consent to treatment means you must give permission before you receive any type of medical treatment, test or examination.
For your consent to be valid, it must be voluntary and informed, and you must have the capacity to make the decision.
Sometimes you can simply tell the healthcare professional whether you agree with their suggestions. However, sometimes a written record of your decision is helpful – for example if your treatment involves sedation or general anaesthesia. Following a discussion of the risks, benefits and treatment option alternatives you will be asked to sign a consent form. If you later change your mind, you are entitled to withdraw your consent at any time – this includes any time after signing the consent form.
e-Consent (digital consent)
For some procedures you may be able to provide your consent via a secure online system.
Please note: providing consent via a secure online system is currently only available for certain procedures as this system is in a launch phase at the moment.
The electronic consent (e-consent) process is easy, secure and convenient as consent to treatment forms can be completed on mobile phones, tablets or computers rather than via a more traditional paper consent form.
The secure e-consent system we’re using is called Concentric.
Following an appointment with your specialist team, you’ll be sign-posted, via an email or SMS message, to information about the treatment recommended for you and any possible risks, benefits or alternatives.
This is done via a unique link to a web address starting with https://patient.concentric.health/ – You will be asked for your date of birth in order to securely access your information.
The digital e-consent process allows you time to reflect on the information provided and then give your consent to treatment remotely, if appropriate, through a process of shared decision making.