Access to diagnostics during COVID-19

Cardiology (ECHO and ECG)

• We are accepting GP referrals for cardiology diagnostics, and will continue to book ECHOs within six weeks of referral.

• ECGs are still a walk-in service at Clinic G, main outpatients.

• Times are Tuesday: 13:30 - 16:45, Wednesday: 09:00-16:45 and Thursday: 13:30-16:45

• Urgent GP requests for ECHO will be booked as normal

• Planned low risk surveillance cases for ECHO are being postponed during the surge.

Endoscopy   

• We are keen that all OPA slots available are used for urgent patients

• Urgent booking priorities are defined as therapeutic interventions for upper GI/panc-bil patients, early cancer treatments, patients on a two week wait pathway, bowel cancer screening patients

• An ‘urgency endoscopy booking team’ have been assigning to manage urgent OPA slots

• Surveillance procedures are currently limited. However the booking criteria is constantly being reviewed and we will increase capacity as soon as possible.

Imaging         

• We continue to accept GP requests for CT, MRI, X-ray & ultrasound

• All patients for CT, MRI, DEXA, X-ray & ultrasound will be offered an appointment
• For patients requiring URGENT same or next day X-ray, our opening hours are 09.00-17.00, Monday – Friday. The URGENT walk-in service is only for suspected trauma/injury that may require urgent treatment.
• All CT, MRI, DEXA, X-ray & ultrasound requests must be RAG rated to support our COVID response.

Gynae

• Everything  that was previously available continues to be available via ERS although waiting times for some parts of our services are being impacted.

To keep abreast of changes, please visit the home page of the UCLH website, where there is a link to COVID-19 (Coronavirus): Information for patients and visitors. This contains a regularly updated section on service updates.