Referrals to other hospitals

Musculoskeletal conditions, such as joint pain, back or neck problems, arthritis, or injuries, can significantly impact your daily life. While many of these issues can be managed by your community, in some cases onward referral into secondary care/the hospital for other specialist review is required. The MSKCATS team may decide after assessment that sending you into secondary care to see another specialist like an orthopaedic surgeon, a rheumatologist, or a pain consultant may be more appropriate. Depending on your symptoms and diagnosis, you may be referred to one of three key specialties:

Orthopaedic specialists focus on the bones, joints, muscles, and ligaments. They commonly treat:

Rheumatologists specialize in autoimmune and inflammatory conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system. These include:

If your condition causes chronic pain, a pain management specialist can help improve your quality of life. Conditions commonly seen in pain clinics include:

After a letter or referral has been made to the appropriate secondary care team, you may wish to find out about the status of your referral. Below is information (such as webpages for contact details) for the most common secondary care departments we refer patients into. You can then call the department directly to enquire about your referral and wait times etc.

 

Whittington Hospital 
Trauma and Orthopaedics

Rheumatology 

Pain clinic 

 

University College London Hospital (UCLH)

Royal Free Hospital