How to contact our GP liaison service

The Royal Free London (RFL) GP liaison service is open for you as an informal route to raise an enquiry or concern about any of our services. This includes services at Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, North Middlesex University Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital or any of our satellite sites. It is a non-urgent service.

Please contact us using the following details:

In line with NHS mail policy, the mailbox for all site queries apart from North Middlesex University Hospital, has a new email address. The old address rf.gpliaison@nhs.net will remain active until end of February to ensure a smooth transition.

The above are monitored Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, excluding bank holidays.

When contacting the service, please include the following information:

  • patient’s details (name, date of birth and NHS number)
  • department the enquiry relates to
  • hospital the enquiry relates to

We will not be able to investigate your enquiry without the above information.

We endeavour to respond within 10 working days from the date the above information is provided.

The GP liaison service is only open to NHS colleagues and other healthcare professionals.

Please do not share these contact details with your patients.

Update on the future of sexual health and contraception services in Enfield

Enfield Council has agreed terms and arrangements with North Middlesex University Hospital for their continued delivery of sexual health and contraception services.

Services under Enfield Clinics Health Organisation (ECHO) will continue at its two main locations: The Town Clinic on Burleigh Way and at White Lodge Medical Practice on Chase Side. A further location through a satellite clinic at the Alexander Pringle Centre, which is located at North Middlesex University Hospital, is currently available one day a week on a Friday.

Patients with sexual health and/or contraception needs including long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), can continue to access these services at ECHO clinics. Booking information can be found on the ECHO website.  

Patients without symptoms can use the London Sexual Health e-service for testing.  

ECHO clinics accept referrals from Enfield GPs for complex contraception/complex LARC care. For example, for complex intrauterine contraception procedures, deep subdermal implant removals, and contraception for patients with complex medical conditions.

Referral letters should be sent via email to: northmid.enfieldclinics@nhs.net.

Patient referral and appointment queries

Patients should contact our outpatient appointments call centre if they have any questions about their care. This includes information about referrals, appointments, and test results.

If the team is unable to answer a patient’s question, they will forward the call to the relevant service.

Please contact us using the following details:

  • Queries about North Middlesex University Hospital: 020 8887 3663 or 020 8887 3664. The lines are open Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), 8.15am to 4.30pm.

Queries about other hospitals and satellite sites: 020 7443 9757. The lines are open Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), 8am to 5pm.

Information about outpatient appointments

 

Changes to colorectal bleed clinic referrals

From Monday 3 March, the RFL will no longer accept direct referrals to its colorectal bleed clinic.

GPs are asked to refer patients via the routine colorectal pathway or the faecal immunochemical test (FIT) pathway. 

When clinically appropriate, consultants will book patients directly into the bleed clinic following the submission of an additional FIT stool sample.

For further information, please contact Stacey Barnes, assistant operations manager for general, emergency and colorectal surgery.

Help us improve the Royal Free Hospital's echocardiography service

Share your views about the Royal Free Hospital’s echocardiography service. This will help us understand what is working well and identify areas for improvement.

We would be grateful if you could take a few minutes to complete our survey.

The survey closes on Monday 31 March at 5pm.

Have your say about our lung function reporting service at Finchley Memorial Hospital

Share your views about our lung function reporting service at Finchley Memorial Hospital.

Please take a moment to share your thoughts and experiences. This will help us identify any areas for improvement.

The survey closes on Friday 28 February at 5pm.

View indicative waiting times

Indicative waiting times for routine first appointments, cancer two-week waits, and diagnostics across north central London are available on the North Central London GP website.

Indicative waiting times

North Middlesex University Hospital merges into Royal Free London group

North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust (North Mid) merged into the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust group (RFL) on 1 January 2025.

We are thrilled to welcome North Mid into the RFL group. Our organisations have been close partners since 2017, and we know that our new single trust brings together the best of both organisations.

While there will be no significant changes for our patients – or the majority of our staff – from day one, this marks the beginning of a new chapter for the RFL, enabling us to go further and faster in improving services for our patients, delivering more opportunities for staff and enabling better, fairer health for our local communities.

To mark the merger, a new animation which explains who we are, our vision for the future, and the newest addition to our group, has been released. It highlights our enduring legacy: bringing healthcare to those in need, no matter what their circumstances.

Watch our video

How to contact the GP liaison service

The RFL GP liaison service is open for you as an informal route to raise an enquiry or concern about any of our services. This includes services at Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, North Middlesex University Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital or any of our satellite sites. It is a non-urgent service.

Please contact us using the following details:

In line with NHS mail policy, the mailbox for all site queries apart from North Mid, has a new email address. The old address rf.gpliaison@nhs.net will remain active until end of February to ensure a smooth transition.

The above are monitored Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, excluding bank holidays.

When contacting the service, please include the following information:

  • patient’s details (name, date of birth and NHS number)
  • department the enquiry relates to hospital the enquiry relates to

We will not be able to investigate your enquiry without the above information.

We endeavour to respond within 10 working days from the date the above information is provided.

The GP liaison service is only open to NHS colleagues and other healthcare professionals.

Please do not share these contact details with your patients.

Update: North Mid emergency department discharge summaries

GPs started to receive electronic discharge summaries from North Mid’s emergency department in September 2024.

Due to a supplier technical error, some discharge summaries were not sent to GP practices. This was identified, and a fix implemented, on Monday 28 October 2024.

To ensure that all discharge summaries have now been sent, we would be grateful if you could share information about the documents you received between Monday 9 September and Monday 28 October 2024. Please include the following in your report:

  • patient’s details (name, postcode, and NHS number)
  • discharge date
  • document description
  • practice code (for group practices please include all codes)

When we have received and reviewed this report, if appropriate, we will send you any documents that you have not recorded.

Please send this information to northmid.undeliveredds@nhs.net by 5pm on Friday 17 January. Please also contact this mailbox if you have any queries.

Patient referral and appointment queries

Patients should contact our outpatient appointments call centre if they have any questions about their care. This includes information about referrals, appointments, and test results.

If the team is unable to answer a patient’s question, they will forward the call to the relevant service.

The call centre can be contacted by calling: 020 7443 9757. It is open Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), 8am to 5pm.

Information about outpatient appointments

View indicative waiting times

Indicative waiting times for routine first appointments, cancer two-week waits, and diagnostics across north central London are available on the North Central London GP website.

Indicative waiting times

Thank you

On behalf of our staff and patients, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the support you have given to the RFL over the past year.

It has been a year of challenges for the RFL and the whole NHS – there has been a huge demand for our services; industrial action has continued to have an impact, and our emergency departments and urgent treatment centres have been extremely busy.

Next year promises to be an important one for the RFL with our anticipated merger with North Middlesex University Hospital. See below for how you can get involved.

We are hugely grateful for your ongoing support – we would not have been able to ensure the very best care for our patients without you.

This is the last newsletter of the year; the next update will be shared in January. However, you may receive separate messages before this.

We wish you a safe and happy festive season.

How to contact the GP liaison service

The Royal Free London (RFL) GP liaison service is open for you as an informal route to raise an enquiry or concern about any of our services. This includes services at Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital, or any of our satellite sites. It is a non-urgent and non-clinical service.

When contacting the service, please include the following information:

  • patient’s details (name, date of birth and NHS number)
  • department the enquiry relates to
  • hospital the enquiry relates to

We will not be able to investigate your enquiry without the above information. We endeavour to respond within 10 working days from the date the above information is provided.

You can contact the GP liaison service by email: rf-tr.gpliaison@nhs.net or by calling: 020 3758 2000 ext. 36015.

The GP liaison service is only open to NHS colleagues and other healthcare professionals. Please do not share these contact details with your patients.

Patient referral and appointment queries

Patients should contact our outpatient appointments call centre if they have any questions about their care. This includes information about referrals, appointments, and test results.

If the team is unable to answer a patient’s question, they will forward the call to the relevant service.

The call centre can be contacted by calling: 020 7443 9757. It is open Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), 8am to 5pm.

Information about outpatient appointments

View indicative waiting times

Indicative waiting times for routine first appointments, cancer two-week waits, and diagnostics across north central London are available on the North Central London GP website.

Indicative waiting times

Find out more about the North Middlesex University Hospital and Royal Free London merger

Primary care colleagues are invited to an online information event to find out more about the merger of North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust (North Mid) into the RFL group.

Join RFL chief medical officer Gillian Smith, North Mid medical director Vicky Jones, chief medical officer of North Central London Integrated Care Board Jo Sauvage, and RFL director of population health Judith Stanton, to hear about the clinical strategy for the merged organisation and what it means for your patients.

The virtual meeting will take place on Thursday 12 December, 1.10-1.50pm. Please register to receive the event invitation.

By merging to form a larger group, North Mid and RFL expect to be able to go further and faster in improving services for patients and the health of the communities they serve. The merger is planned to take place on 1 January 2025, subject to the approval of NHS England and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. 

Find out more about the RFL and North Mid merger

Changes to colorectal cancer referrals

The Royal Free London has introduced a new single point of access service for suspected colorectal cancer referrals.

GPs are asked to refer patients via e-RS to 2ww colorectal straight-to-test (STT) – telephone assessment only – Royal Free/Barnet Hospital – RAL.

Please search for the Royal Free London or Royal Free Hospital in the directory of services. Please note, that you will not find the correct service when you search by a postcode. 

The referral criteria and clinical guidelines for suspected colorectal cancer have not changed.

Patients will continue to be referred to their local hospitals for routine appointments and tests.

Information about our general surgery services

Reminder: labelling samples

The Health Services Laboratories is receiving an increased number of samples with the wrong labels attached.

Please ensure the correct labels are placed on sample bottles with the patients’ details clearly written to avoid delays.

Please follow this labelling practice guidance.

For more information, please email helpdesk@tdlpathology.com.

The helpdesk is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Reminder: pathology turnaround times and helpdesk contact details

Primary care colleagues can expect to receive pathology results within the following timeframes. These start when a sample is received in our laboratories, or the test has been completed. They are subject to change.

All RFL sites

  • Biochemistry tests: three days
  • Haematology tests: two days

If you have any questions about your patient's results, please contact the pathology results helpline:

The results helplines are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

For tQuest support enquiries, please email helpdesk@tdlpathology.com

If you would like to receive these updates directly, please contact rf-tr.gpliaison@nhs.net with your name, role and practice name. Alternatively, if you do not wish to receive further updates, please do the same stating this.

How to contact the GP liaison service

The Royal Free London (RFL) GP liaison service is open for you as an informal route to raise an enquiry or concern about any of our services. This includes services at Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital, or any of our satellite sites. It is a non-urgent and non-clinical service.

When contacting the service, please include the following information:

  • patient’s details (name, date of birth and NHS number)
  • department the enquiry relates to
  • hospital the enquiry relates to

We will not be able to investigate your enquiry without the above information. We endeavour to respond within 10 working days from the date the above information is provided.

You can contact the GP liaison service by email: rf-tr.gpliaison@nhs.net or by calling: 020 3758 2000 ext. 36015.

The GP liaison service is only open to NHS colleagues and other healthcare professionals. Please do not share these contact details with your patients.

Patient referral and appointment queries

Patients should contact our outpatient appointments call centre if they have any questions about their care. This includes information about referrals, appointments, and test results.

If the team is unable to answer a patient’s question, they will forward the call to the relevant service.

The call centre can be contacted by calling: 020 7443 9757. It is open Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), 8am to 5pm.

Information about outpatient appointments

View indicative waiting times

Indicative waiting times for routine first appointments, cancer two-week waits, and diagnostics across north central London are available on the North Central London GP website.

Indicative waiting times

Refer your patients to our skin cancer teledermatology service

The RFL is piloting a teledermatology service for suspected skin cancer referrals.

This involves a medical photographer taking high quality images of the areas of concern.

These are reviewed by a specialist skin cancer clinician within 72 hours and enables patients to be seen and diagnosed as quickly as possible.

GPs are asked to refer patients for teledermatology if they meet the criteria below:

  • One or two lesions maximum (not in intimate areas). 
  • No risk factors or history of skin cancer. 
  • No performance status or access needs.

GPs should indicate patients’ suitability for this service in this referral form.

For further information, please contact Tom Banks, project manager, RFL: t.banks@nhs.net.

Find out more about the North Middlesex University Hospital and Royal Free London merger

Primary care colleagues are invited to an online information event to find out more about the merger of North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust (North Mid) into the RFL group.

Join RFL chief medical officer Gillian Smith, North Mid medical director Vicky Jones, chief medical officer of North Central London Integrated Care Board Jo Sauvage, and RFL director of population health Judith Stanton, to hear about the clinical strategy for the merged organisation and what it means for your patients.

The virtual meeting will take place on Thursday 12 December, 1.10-1.50pm. Please register to receive the event invitation.

By merging to form a larger group, North Mid and RFL expect to be able to go further and faster in improving services for patients and the health of the communities they serve. The merger is planned to take place on 1 January 2025, subject to the approval of NHS England and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

Find out more about the RFL and North Mid merger

Leadership news

David Crampsey has joined the RFL as the new chief executive of the Royal Free Hospital.

David has joined us from Airedale NHS Foundation Trust where he was deputy chief executive and medical director. He previously held the positions of deputy medical director and divisional director for surgery and diagnostics at Airedale.

RFL leadership news

Reminder: pathology turnaround times and helpdesk contact details

Primary care colleagues can expect to receive pathology results within the following timeframes. These start when a sample is received in our laboratories, or the test has been completed. They are subject to change.

All RFL sites

  • Biochemistry tests: three days
  • Haematology tests: two days

If you have any questions about your patient's results, please contact the pathology results helpline:

The results helplines are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

For tQuest support enquiries, please email helpdesk@tdlpathology.com.

If you would like to receive these updates directly, please contact rf-tr.gpliaison@nhs.net with your name, role and practice name. Alternatively, If you do not wish to receive further updates, please do the same stating this.

How to contact the GP liaison service

The Royal Free London (RFL) GP liaison service is open for you as an informal route to raise an enquiry or concern about any of our services. This includes services at Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital, or any of our satellite sites. It is a non-urgent and non-clinical service.

When contacting the service, please include the following information:

  • patient’s details (name, date of birth and NHS number)
  • department the enquiry relates to
  • hospital the enquiry relates to

We will not be able to investigate your enquiry without the above information. We endeavour to respond within 10 working days from the date the above information is provided.

You can contact the GP liaison service by email: rf-tr.gpliaison@nhs.net or by calling: 020 3758 2000 ext. 36015.

The GP liaison service is only open to NHS colleagues and other healthcare professionals. Please do not share these contact details with your patients.

Patient referral and appointment queries

Patients should contact our outpatient appointments call centre if they have any questions about their care. This includes information about referrals, appointments, and test results.

If the team is unable to answer a patient’s question, they will forward the call to the relevant service.

The call centre can be contacted by calling: 020 7443 9757. It is open Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), 8am to 5pm.

Information about outpatient appointments

View indicative waiting times

Indicative waiting times for routine first appointments, cancer two-week waits, and diagnostics across north central London are available on the North Central London GP website.

Indicative waiting times

Guidance: urgent adult blood test referrals

The process for referring your patient for an urgent adult blood test at Barnet Hospital, Edgware Community Hospital and the Royal Free Hospital has not changed.

Patients should visit our blood testing departments with a hard copy of their blood test form. Please ensure that you have typed ‘urgent’ on this.

Urgent adult blood tests do not need to be pre-booked, and patients can walk-in. Handwritten forms will not be accepted.

Royal Free London and North Middlesex University Hospital merger

Following approval from both trusts’ boards, the full business case for the merger of RFL and North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust (North Mid) is currently being reviewed by NHS England and will then go to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. Subject to this standard approval process, we expect to bring our organisations together around the end of the year, with a planned formal merger date of 1 January 2025.

We believe that the merger will enable us to go further and faster in improving services for patients, the health of the local community and opportunities for staff to develop their careers. We have identified the first four clinical areas that we will prioritise for early integration. These are areas where, as a group, we will be able to accelerate the delivery of the benefits for patients, staff and our communities: oncology; colorectal, research and development and surgical hubs.

 Patients will still be referred to their usual local hospital and our hospitals will continue to provide the same routine services for their local patients. At North Mid, these include A&E, maternity, intensive care, paediatrics, acute surgery, acute medicine, and community services.

Find out more about the RFL and North Mid merger

Changes to reporting biochemistry test results: Barnet Hospital

We have made some changes to how biochemistry tests are reported from our laboratory at Barnet Hospital. 

The reference ranges for some biochemistry tests have been updated. Please read this document from Health Services Laboratories which lists the tests that are affected. 

It is essential that all GPs review these new reference ranges when they receive a patients' results to ensure that they are interpreted correctly. Please note that paediatric acute kidney injury reporting has been updated in line with the British Association for Paediatric Nephrology's guidance.

These changes were introduced in our Barnet Hospital laboratory on Tuesday 1 October. We will be making similar changes at the Royal Free Hospital laboratory soon and will keep you updated.

We have also introduced a new laboratory information system at the RFL. There should be no changes to how GPs request and review results, however, if you experience any problems, please let us know by contacting rf-tr.pathologyadminsupport@nhs.net.

For further information, please contact Dr Puja Ayrton, clinical lead for biochemistry at Barnet Hospital: p.ayrton@nhs.net or Dr Mfon Ewang, clinical lead for biochemistry at the Royal Free Hospital: mfon.ewang@nhs.net.

New chief executive starts at Chase Farm Hospital 

Palmer Winstanley has joined the RFL as the new chief executive of Chase Farm Hospital and group clinical services. He has been the acting chief executive at Northampton General Hospital for the past year.

Previous to this, Palmer worked at King’s College Hospital before moving to Northampton General Hospital as the chief operating officer and deputy chief executive.

Reminder: pathology turnaround times and helpdesk contact details

Primary care colleagues can expect to receive pathology results within the following timeframes. These start when a sample is received in our laboratories, or the test has been completed. They are subject to change.

All RFL sites

  • Biochemistry tests: three days
  • Haematology tests: two days

If you have any questions about your patient's results, please contact the pathology results helpline:

The results helplines are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

For tQuest support enquiries, please email helpdesk@tdlpathology.com.

If you would like to receive these updates directly, please contact rf-tr.gpliaison@nhs.net with your name, role and practice name. Alternatively, If you do not wish to receive further updates, please do the same stating this.

How to contact the GP liaison service

The Royal Free London (RFL) GP liaison service is open for you as an informal route to raise an enquiry or concern about any of our services. This includes services at Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital, or any of our satellite sites. It is a non-urgent and non-clinical service.

When contacting the service, please include the following information:

  • patient’s details (name, date of birth and NHS number)
  • department the enquiry relates to
  • hospital the enquiry relates to

We will not be able to investigate your enquiry without the above information. We endeavour to respond to your enquiry within 10 working days from the date the above information is provided.

You can contact the GP liaison service by email: rf-tr.gpliaison@nhs.net or by calling 020 3758 2000 ext. 36015.

The GP liaison service is only open to NHS colleagues and other healthcare professionals. Please do not share these contact details with your patients.

Patient referral and appointment queries

Patients should contact our outpatient appointments call centre if they have any questions about their care. This includes information about referrals, appointments, and test results.

If the team is unable to answer a patient’s question, they will forward the call to the relevant service.

The call centre can be contacted by calling: 020 7443 9757. It is open Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), 8am-5pm.

Information about outpatient appointments.

View indicative waiting times

Indicative waiting times for routine first appointments, cancer two week waits, and diagnostics across north central London are available on the North Central London GP website.

Visit the North Central London GP website here.

Reminder: new baby tongue-tie clinic referral form

When referring babies with suspected tongue-tie to the Royal Free Hospital, please complete this new referral form. If the correct form is not used, our service will not be able to accept the referral. Please complete the referral form and send it to: rf-tr.tonguetie@nhs.net.

Royal Free London and North Middlesex University Hospital trust boards approve business case for merger

The RFL and North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust (North Mid) trust boards have approved the full business case for the coming together of our organisations.

Our plans for North Mid merging into the RFL group, alongside Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, and the Royal Free Hospital, will now be looked at by NHS England in the autumn and following its approval, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with the aim of bringing our organisations together around the end of the year.

Hundreds of colleagues across both trusts have been involved in developing our plans for merger. We have also spoken with over 100 stakeholders and engaged with our patients and communities, and will continue to do so, to keep them informed and to respond to their comments and questions. We would like to thank them all for their valuable input.

Our work has reaffirmed our belief that we can go further and faster in improving services for patients, the health of our communities and opportunities for our staff as a single organisation than as two separate trusts.

Patients will still be referred to their usual local hospital and our hospitals will continue to provide the same routine services for their local patients. At North Mid, these include A&E, maternity, intensive care, paediatrics, acute surgery, acute medicine, and community services.

Find out more about the RFL and North Mid merger.

Reminder: pathology turnaround times and helpdesk contact details

Primary care colleagues can expect to receive pathology results within the following timeframes. These start when a sample is received in our laboratories, or the test has been completed. They are subject to change.

All RFL sites

  • Biochemistry tests: three days
  • Haematology tests: two days

If you have any questions about your patient's results, please contact the pathology results helpline:

The results helplines are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

For tQuest support enquiries, please email helpdesk@tdlpathology.com.

If you would like to receive these updates directly, please contact rf-tr.gpliaison@nhs.net with your name, role and practice name. Alternatively, If you do not wish to receive further updates, please do the same stating this.

Receive our monthly newsletter

A monthly newsletter for primary care is produced. This includes operational updates such as changes to referral pathways, service changes such as opening times and key contact information. 

To receive updates straight to your inbox, please email rf-tr.gpliaison@nhs.net with your name, job role and GP practice name. Please note, we are unable to add personal email addresses to this list.