Appointments
Ageing and health
How to get an appointment
You can ask your GP or other health professional to refer you.
Changing or cancelling your appointment
Phone: 020 7188 2093
Always let us know if you can't come to your appointment so we can offer it to someone else.
If you miss your appointment without telling us, we may not give you another appointment. You may be discharged back to the person who referred you.
Before your appointment
Please bring:
- any letters or test results from your GP or other hospitals
- a list of medicines you are taking, you can bring the medicines with you if you don't have a list
At your first appointment you'll need to take off some of your clothes for a physical exam. You may want to wear loose clothing to make this easier.
Before your appointment we'll send you letters, leaflets and reminder texts.
During your appointment
If you are having a telephone appointment, it may be later or earlier than expected.
Please make sure you are available before and after your appointment time.
Your first face-to-face appointment can take about 2 hours. Follow-up appointments can take up to 30 minutes.
Please arrive 15 minutes before your face-to-face appointment. The nurses will do some tests with you. This may include:
- an electrocardiogram (ECG)
- a blood test
- a urine sample
- a swab to test for MRSA
- a swab to test for coronavirus (COVID-19)
- a breathing test (spirometry)
After these tests you'll see a member of the clinical team for your appointment. You may see:
- doctors
- nurses
- physiotherapists
- occupational therapists
During your appointment we may:
- ask about your medical history
- examine you
- ask you questions about how you manage at home, your mood and memory
- do some tests such as a walking test or X-ray
We'll use the results of these tests to decide what treatment you need. You may need to have:
- more tests
- an occupational therapy assessment at your home
- physiotherapy
We're a teaching hospital and sometimes students will be in the clinic to observe. We'll ask you if you are happy for them to be at your appointment. It will not affect your care if you prefer not to have them there.
We have volunteers who are available to make you a drink and have a chat while you're waiting.
After your appointment
We'll explain your results and what happens next. You may need to come back for more tests.
If you need a follow-up appointment, we'll make one before you leave.
We'll send your GP an electronic letter from the hospital within 10 days of your appointment. This is so they know what we talked about and agreed at the clinic.
If you have any questions after your appointment, please contact us.
