After you have been to your GP and they have referred you to see a specialist for your treatment, you will have to come for what is called a ‘First Specialist Appointment’. Dependent upon your condition at the time, you may or may not be selected to come for your procedure at the ESC. This will be decided by the specialist when they meet you at your first appointment and will be dependent upon your medical condition at the time and the type of surgery you might require. You will receive a call from one of the surgical bookings team to arrange this initial appointment and then, just after, you will receive a letter confirming the time and date to come in. You may or may not come to the ESC for your specialist appointment but your letter will confirm exactly where you have to go. Some outpatient appointments can occur at Waitakere Hospital or at North Shore Hospital clinics.

At the appointment, you will meet a surgeon and he/she will consider your condition, your circumstances and your health status at the time and decide when, if and where it would be suitable for you to have your operation. In some instances, straight after your appointment, before you leave, you may also see a nurse, who will give you some information about your impending operation and a number of informative brochures that we ask you to read through thoroughly. Before you leave the clinic we ask you to complete a questionnaire form about your current health status, which will be used to determine if you are well enough to have a general anaesthetic, if required. In some circumstances, you may be asked to come back and meet your anaesthetist for an appointment. You will receive a phone call from our team if this is required.

Once this has all been done, you will be contacted again, to see when you are available to come for surgery (if selected to go on the waiting list, this will happen within 4 months of you having your initial appointment) and you will be provided with some dates for you to consider. At this point, you will also be informed if you are coming for your surgery at the ESC, or somewhere else.