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WHAT IS THE ENT CLINICAL ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT SERVICE?

This is a service for patients in St Albans and Harpenden. It is based at The Elms Medical Practice, 5 Stewart Road, Harpenden, AL5 4QA.

The service assesses and treats patients with ear, nose and throat problems.

Your GP will refer you to this service when you require a specialist opinion, test or treatment.

A team of professionals led by a five ENT Consultants and several GPs with special interest in ENT, supported by nurses, provide this service.  The aim is to ensure that you will be seen by the right person in the right place first time for management of your problem.

WHAT SERVICES DO WE OFFER?

After referral by your doctor, an initial assessment of the referral will ensure the most appropriate care, including:

• Further advice to your GP with ideas of different treatments
• Rapid referral to secondary care if appropriate
• An appointment in a specialist clinic such as audiology
• Assessment in a clinic with a Consultant or GP with a special interest in ENT.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Your GP will contact the assessment service directly and your referral letter will be looked at by the consultant very quickly. We will then contact you with the details of your appointment.

Or, if the consultant feels that you need to be seen in secondary care you will be contacted and offered a choice of where you would like to be seen and by whom.

CLINICS

Clinics are held Mondays to Thursdays.
Patients will be seen at:

The Elms Medical Practice,
5 Stewart Road
Harpenden AL5 4QA

MAKING YOUR APPOINTMENT

If it is decided that you can be seen in the clinic you will be sent an appointment. If you cannot keep your appointment please contact the booking
service on:

01582 716673 10am-5pm Monday to Friday

• Please arrive promptly for your appointment
• On arrival report to reception and you will be seen as soon as possible.

If you fail to attend your appointment without letting us know beforehand, you will be discharged and your GP will be notified. You will not automatically be offered a new appointment, but within four weeks if you still need an appointment you can request your GP practice to arrange this for you.

INTERPRETER SERVICES

If your understanding of English is limited we can arrange for an interpreter to be present. Please notify us within 48 hours of your appointment if you require this service, specifying which language you require.

OBJECTIVES

• Develop and improve patient care pathways
• Provide alternatives to hospital based specialist treatment
• Provide timely assessment of patients
• Reduce the secondary care waiting lists
• Help manage patients in primary care through specialist advice and feedback
• Ensure excellent communication with referring doctor, patient and the CATS.

THE TEAM

Mr Om Chawla, Consultant
MBBS MS (ENT) MNAMS FRCS (ENT)

Mr David Johnston, Consultant
BSc MB ChB FRCS(ORL) Ed FRCS(ORL) Eng

Ms Jaan Panesar, Consultant
BSc MD FRCS(ORL-HNS)

Mr John Pickles, Consultant
MBChB FRCS

Mr Chee Toh, Consultant
BSc MBBS FRCS(ORL-HNS) FRCS ENT (Eng)
FRCS ENT Ed FRCS (Eng)

Dr Jackie Impey, GPwSI (Clinical Lead)
MBChB DRCOG DCH

Dr Dylan Phillips, GP
MBBS BSc DRCOG DFFP

Dr Julian Smith, GP
MBBS MRCGP

Dr Jaya Gupta, GPwSI
MBChB MRCGP

Jocelin Pratley, RGN

Ami Watson, RGN

Ruth Mayo, RGN

Clare Mealey, RGN

Teresa Williams, Health Care Assistant

Jo Adams, Practice Manager

PRESCRIPTION REQUESTS
The CATS team will be able to issue prescriptions for short courses of treatment (up to 7 days).  It may be necessary for a patient to have a longer
course of treatment following their ENT CATS appointment. In these cases, a prescription request together with a clinical discharge summary will be sent to the referring GP indicating the diagnosis and reason for the request. These prescriptions are not urgent, but ideally should be issued within 72 working hours.

HOW TO GET THERE

Harpenden Station trains from St Albans
Buses 321,521,45, 365,366,202,636
Bus Stop outside The George Public House
The High Street, Harpenden

COMMENTS

Please send comments to:

ENT CATS Admin
The Elms Medical Practice
5 Stewart Road
Harpenden
AL5 4QA
Tel: 01582 716673 10am-5pm Monday to Friday
and ask for the CATS Administrator

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SERVICE OVERVIEW FOR GPs

Name of Service
ENT CATS

Commissioned by
West Herts PCT/St Albans & Harpenden Practice Based Commissioning

Service provided by
The Elms Medical Practice, Harpenden

This service provides a routine ENT CATS for St Albans and Harpenden. Patients will be triaged and then seen as appropriate by the ENT CATS team. If a subsequent secondary care referral is required, this will be arranged utilising Choose and Book. We do not accept referrals for suspected cancer or urgent problems; these referrals should be directed to secondary care as usual. Patients will be seen at The Elms Medical Practice, Harpenden on Mondays to Thursdays. Joint Consultant and GP clinics are held for new patients, follow ups and triage.

PROCEDURES & TREATMENTS

We have a range of ENT facilities to provide the following:

• Ear suction with microscope
• Endoscopy
• Nasal cautery
• Skin testing for allergic rhinitis
• Audiology

HOW TO REFER

Referrals by letter are accepted from GPs. No urgent or suspected cancer referrals.

• Post
  ENT CATS
  The Elms Medical Practice
  5 Stewart Road
  Harpenden
  AL5 4QA
   
• Email entcats@nhs.net
   
• Fax 01582 461735

In your referral letter please include the following patient details:

• Address, date of birth, NHS number
• Daytime & evening contact numbers
• Relevant past medical history
• Current medication
• Allergies

THE TEAM

Mr Om Chawla, Consultant
MBBS MS (ENT) MNAMS FRCS (ENT)

Mr David Johnston, Consultant
BSc MB ChB FRCS(ORL) Ed FRCS(ORL) Eng

Ms Jaan Panesar, Consultant
BSc MD FRCS(ORL-HNS)

Mr John Pickles, Consultant
MBChB FRCS

Mr Chee Toh , Consultant
BSc MBBS FRCS(ORL-HNS) FRCS ENT (Eng) FRCS ENT Ed FRCS (Eng)

Dr Jackie Impey, GPwSI (Clinical Lead)
MBChB DRCOG DCH

Dr Dylan Phillips, GP
MBBS BSc DRCOG DFFP

Dr Julian Smith, GP
MBBS MRCGP

Jaya Gupta, GPwSI
MB ChB MRCGP

Jocelin Pratley, RGN

Ami Watson, RGN

Ruth Mayo, RGN

Clare Mealey, RGN

Teresa Williams, Health Care Assistant

Jo Adams, Practice Manager

The team includes 5 local ENT Consultants from West Herts Hospital NHS Trust and The Luton & Dunstable Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, working with a GPwSI and other local GPs.

OBJECTIVES

• Develop and improve patient care pathways
• Provide alternatives to hospital based specialist treatment
• Provide timely assessment of patients
• Reduce the secondary care waiting lists
• Help manage patients in primary care through specialist advice and feedback
• Ensure excellent communication with referring doctor, patient and the CATS.

PRESCRIPTION REQUESTS

The CATS team will be able to issue prescriptions for short courses of treatment (up to 7 days).

It may be necessary for a patient to have a longer course of treatment following their ENT CATS appointment. In these cases, a prescription request together with a clinical discharge summary will be faxed to the referring GP indicating the diagnosis and reason for the request. These prescriptions are not urgent, but ideally should be issued within 72 working hours.

COMMENTS

Please send comments to:
ENT CATS Admin
The Elms Medical Practice
5 Stewart Road
Harpenden
AL5 4QA

Email entcats@nhs.net

Telephone (Mondays-Fridays 10am-5pm) 01582 716673
and ask for the CATS Administrator

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