Outpatients

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust sees almost half a million outpatients every year, either face-to-face, by video, or telephone consultation. Our aim is to provide specialist consultation in the most appropriate setting at the earliest opportunity.

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust provides acute care and specialist health services across three main hospitals:

We also deliver outpatient clinics in community hospitals and other settings.

Your outpatient appointment

If you cannot attend your appointment

Please let us know as soon as possible by either requesting a rebooking on Patient Hub or calling the relevant number detailed below and we will rearrange it for you.

If you no longer need the appointment

Please let us know at the earliest opportunity if you no longer need an appointment. This will allow us to offer the appointment to another patient.
If you do not attend your appointment, your clinician will decide if you should be offered another appointment or be discharged back to the care of your GP.

We are committed to reducing the number of wasted appointments. Currently 35,000 appointments are not attended each year, leading to longer waiting times for everyone and loss of £130 on average for each missed appointment. Help us to help everyone by letting us know if you cannot attend your appointment and need to rebook, or no longer need our care.

Updating your personal information

Please help ensure that the information we hold about you is up-to-date via this link – https://forms.office.com/r/YJD9z62gLX, or using the QR code below.  We will ensure your information is processed in line with UK Data Protection laws.

QR code for a form to update your personal information

Outpatient Booking Department Telephone Numbers

Patient Hub (online portal)

Patient Hub is a secure online portal which allows you to access all your hospital outpatient appointment information in one place, by using your smartphone, tablet, or computer. It will prompt you, via text message or email, to access the portal using either your mobile number OR email address and date of birth.

If you are unable to or have not accessed Patient Hub to review your appointment information within 72 hours of being prompted, an appointment letter will be posted to you. You do not need to call us to confirm attendance at an appointment – the appointment will remain booked for you unless you tell us you do not want it on receipt of your letter.

Pre-Appointment Information

How to get the most out of your appointment

We want you to feel informed and involved in your healthcare. Shared decision-making is a process where patients and clinicians work together to make decisions and plan care based on both clinical evidence and your preferences and values.

To help prepare for your appointment, there are some key questions you can think about in the leaflet and videos below:

Please ensure you have the following to hand for your appointment:

  • A list of any questions you would like to ask
  • A list of the medications you are taking
  • Money for your prescription or your exemption certificate (face to face appointments only)

Appointment Reminders

You will be sent a reminder of your appointment twice in the week before it is due. This will be for all appointments, including face to face, video and telephone. Please refer to your appointment letter for full details. If you need to reschedule your appointment, please request a rebooking on Patient Hub or call the number on the letter.

Patients’ Personal Property – Disclaimer Notice

Please note that the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust and our staff cannot be held responsible or liable for patients’ monies, valuables or property that is not deposited for safe keeping.

We recognise that patients need essential personal items, such as spectacles and hearing aids and our staff will try to ensure the safety of these items. However, we recommend that:

  • where possible, valuable items are not brought into hospital or are taken home by a friend or relative
  • any valuable items not sent home are given to staff to be deposited for safe keeping utilising the cash and valuable bags available from the General Office
  • any valuable or expensive items brought into hospital are covered by the patients’ own household insurance for loss, theft and damage.

Any items patients choose to keep with them whilst in hospital are their sole responsibility.  RCHT will not accept liability for lost or damaged property of any kind unless it has been handed over to staff for safe keeping and a receipt provided.

Please direct any queries to the nurse or midwife in charge.

If you need to come on site for your appointment

For further information about directions, parking and other facilities, please visit:

The Trust is undergoing various building works to enhance the services we deliver. Follow this link for information about accessibility to hospital sites during construction Accessibility to hospital sites during construction.

The Trust also holds clinics in community hospitals.  For information regarding these sites, please go to the Cornwall Foundation Trust website.

Help with transport

If you need help to get to the hospital, there are several community transport schemes available. If you receive Income Support or other benefits, you might also be able to reclaim your travel and parking expenses. For more information visit our Practical help and advice section.

Smoke-free policy

RCHT operates a smoke-free policy, including e-cigarettes. We appreciate that coming to hospital can be stressful and upsetting, but we kindly ask you to please refrain from smoking and use alternative nicotine products while on our sites. This includes all buildings, hospital grounds and car parks. For further support on this and other healthy lifestyle options, please visit the Healthy Cornwall website.

Patient Information Videos

As part of Royal Cornwall Hospital’s Trust commitment to make more services and support available to people in their own homes, we have launched a comprehensive online health information video library to make it easier for you to access clinically assured health advice.

The simple and engaging videos, developed and signed off by NHS clinicians, offer a practical alternative to written information and aim to help patients access quality and assured health care information, take better control of their health, and feel better supported in managing long term conditions.

Accessible Information Standard

The Accessible Information Standard (NHS England) tells organisations how to make information accessible to patients, service users and their carers or parents whose needs relate to a disability, impairment, or sensory loss.

Communication in other languages or formats

If you would like any information in large print, braille, audio version, in another language, or in another format, please contact the General Office:

Please provide your name, date of birth, and NHS number.

Page last reviewed: 11 October 2023

Alert: Visiting restrictions are in place due to Norovirus

See our news article for more information.

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