You can make an appointment by contacting Dr. Hammond's rooms (see the 'Contact Us' section above). The following information will help you with your appointment.


Referral From Your GP

You will need a referral from your GP before seeing Dr Hammond. You can ask your GP to fax or email it to us. Alternatively you can bring it with you when you are seen.

 

X-Rays / CT scans / Ultrasounds / MRI scans

All patients require an x-ray before being seen - if you arrive without x-rays Dr Hammond will need to send you to the radiologist to have these done. This can delay your appointment – sometimes by hours!! You should ask your GP to organise “plain x-rays of the shoulder”.

If you are being seen for dislocation of your shoulder (shoulder popping out) then you will require a CT scan. Please ask your GP to write the following on the CT referral -  “CT scan of the shoulder with fine cuts of the glenoid to assess for possible bony Bankart lesion”

An MRI scan is a very useful investigation for shoulder problems. Dr. Hammond may look at your GP's referral and decide you will probably need an MRI. His secretary will then ask you if you would like her to organise this for you.

You should check that you have BOTH your x-rays AND either the CT scan, ultrasound or MRI scans when you come for your appointment.


 


Waiting Times

Dr Hammond places great importance on keeping your appointment waiting time as short as possible – we realize your time is as valuable as ours. We aim to see all patients within 15 minutes of their arrival. However if patients before you have complicated medical problems your appointment may be delayed. We still try and see people within ½ hour at the very most. If you have waited longer than that please alert the receptionist who will attempt to have you seen as soon as possible.

If you have a particular need to be seen quickly please tell the receptionist when you arrive and we may be able to fit you in urgently.

 
 

Patient Information

When you are seen for the first time we will ask you to fill in a detailed form with your patient details and medical history. You can speed up your appointment process by filling that in before you are seen and emailing it to us. If you wish to do this, my staff can fax or email the form to you. You can then fill it out, scan it and then email it or alternatively fax it to us. We would appreciate if you could do this at least one week before your appointment.

 


When you arrive:

When you arrive in Dr Hammond’s rooms you will notice a large reception desk with a number of receptionists sitting behind it. Please notify the staff of your arrival and you will be directed towards Dr Hammond’s receptionist. You will then be asked to complete any administrative details before being asked to wait to see Dr Hammond.

You may see a large number of patients in the waiting room - please don't be alarmed! We often have three doctors and two nurses working at once - your waiting time should not be too long.