You must be referred to our service by any healthcare professional, including your occupational health doctor/nurse or your GP. If you are a healthcare professional, find out how to refer a patient to our service.
We aim to see all new patients within eight weeks. You will receive either a letter, text message or telephone call informing you of your appointment.
We offer either face-to-face or virtual appointments depending on both clinical need and patient preference.
If you are unable to attend your appointment with the Occupational Lung Disease clinic, please let us know as soon as possible. We may be able to offer the appointment to another patient.
To discuss changes to your appointment, please contact the Occupational Lung Disease clinic by emailing gstt.OCLDAdmin@nhs.net or phoning 0207 594 3177 (Mon-Fri excl. bank holidays, 9am-5pm).
If you have signed up to the hospital's patient app, MyChart, then you can also request to change your appointment there.
Our clinical team will contact you beforehand to ensure we are all prepared for your appointment. We may ask you to avoid specific medications or send us additional information. Please let us know if you take any regular inhalers or antihistamines.
We recommend you sign up to MyChart to check your appointment details and test results online.
For face-to-face appointments, we may ask you to arrive up to 30 minutes before your appointment time so we can carry out initial tests. You are welcome to bring someone with you, such as a carer, family member or friend.
For virtual appointments, please ensure you can have the appointment in a quiet and private area where you can have confidential conversations. Please keep your phone nearby, as we will phone you if the video call does not work for any reason.
Please visit the hospital website for more information about video calls: https://www.rbht.nhs.uk/patients-visitors/for-patients/outpatient-information/video-appointments
The hospital will send you the video link by email or text message within 24 hours to 1 hour before your actual appointment. You will need to use a device with a camera function (i.e. smart phone, tablet or a computer).
Please log in as close as possible to your actual appointment time. Do not join too early, as the system may log you out of the virtual waiting room.
If you have problems connecting via the video link on the day, do not worry - the clinical team will phone you instead. This will be from an unknown number/No Caller ID.
Face-to-face appointments take place on Monday afternoons in our outpatients department at the Royal Brompton Hospital.
The section is being updated - please check back soon.
Some workplaces might help pay for employees' travel costs to and from our hospital as part of your referral to the Occupational Lung Disease clinic. Please speak to your workplace about local arrangements.
You may also be able to get a refund of your travel costs for getting to and from hospital appointments if you are in receipt of specific benefits. Please ask us in clinic for how to apply for a refund. You can read the full conditions on the patient information leaflet.
During your appointment, you will speak with an occupational lung disease doctor and in some cases the clinical nurse specialist.
We are a teaching hospital. Medical students may also be present at your appointment. If you would prefer not to have joining your consultation, please let us know. This will not affect your care in any way.
During face to face appointments we may carry out some tests including lung function tests (such as spirometry and FeNO), skin prick allergy tests, blood tests, and scans. We will contact you beforehand about how to prepare for these tests, including omitting any interacting medication.
Yes - please let the clinic doctor know during your appointment if you would like to review your letter first. You can also email us at gstt.OCLDAdmin@nhs.net or phone us on 0207 594 3177.
We’ll arrange any follow-up appointments you may need.
We’ll send a letter to the healthcare professional who referred you - this could be your occupational health nurse or doctor. We’ll also send a copy of this letter to you and your GP.
You can use the MyChart patient app to view appointment information and get reminders of upcoming appointments. If you do not have the MyChart app, you will receive appointment reminders via your preferred means of communication.
No - we only share your health information with you, your GP, and the healthcare professional who referred you to our clinic. This could be your occupational health nurse or doctor
We would only liaise with your employer if you provided us with written consent and a specific reason to do so; for example if you needed us to share appointment information with your employer so you can attend an appointment with us during your working hours.
We understand that details about health assessments related to your work and environment can be sensitive. We work hard to maintain your confidentiality whilst ensuring our assessments are as accurate as possible. If you would like to review your clinic letter before we finalise it, please let the doctor know during your appointment. You can also email the clinical team at gstt.OCLDAdmin@nhs.net or phone us on 0207 594 3177.
