Clinical Assessment Service (CAS)

The Clinical Assessment Service looks after your referral to the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.

You may see a time and date for your referral to be reviewed in the NHS App. You do not need to attend the hospital for this, even though it is described as an ‘appointment’. This is just the time set aside for the specialist clinician to review your referral. When your GP refers you to a service at the hospital, a specialist clinician will look at all the information provided to decide on the best way to plan your care before your first appointment. This helps us to make sure you see the right person in the right place, first time.

Using a CAS makes sure that you are getting the right treatment for you as quickly as possible in the most suitable location, whether that is with your GP or at one of our hospital or community sites. It reduces the number of appointments you need to come to by making sure that our clinicians have all the information they need before they see you for the first time.

When your GP refers you to a service at the hospital, a specialist clinician will look at all the information provided to decide on the best way to plan your care before your first appointment. They will read the information your GP has sent, along with your medical history and decide whether they have all the information they need to see you. It may be that they can give you a treatment plan without you needing to come to the hospital, and will ask your GP to arrange this for you. Or, the clinician might need you to have some more tests before seeing you, so that you don’t have to make more trips to hospital than necessary. If they already have all the information they need, they will arrange to talk to you either in person or on the phone, and will book you an appointment with a waiting time that takes into account the urgency and severity of your symptoms.

Once the clinical team have made a decision, our administration teams will arrange the appointment booking and will write to you and/or send you an app notification and text message to tell you where and when the appointment will be.

 If an appointment is not needed, the clinician will write to your GP who will then contact you to discuss your treatment plan. In some cases, you will receive a copy of this letter as well.

If your referral is going through a CAS process, we will write to you to tell you that this is happening so that you know why it might be taking longer than usual to get an appointment, and to make you aware of the possibility that you might not need an appointment at all. The letter  will include a phone number for the clinical area that you have been referred to which you can call if you need any additional information that is not answered on this page. Please note that there are currently longer than expected waits for appointments in most areas, meaning it might take several months before you receive an appointment, so please don’t worry if you don’t hear from the hospital straight away. We are working to reduce the waiting times, and using a CAS system means that if your symptoms are very urgent, you will be seen more quickly.

CAS helps us to make sure you see the right person in the right place, first time.

Using a CAS process makes sure that you are getting the right treatment for you as quickly as possible in the most suitable location, whether that is with your GP or at one of our hospital or community sites. It reduces the number of appointments you need to come to by making sure that our clinicians have all the information they need before they see you for the first time. This is to help save you time and money, and to make sure that you are receiving personalised care based on your individual needs and circumstances.’

How CAS Works Flowchart (Download the PDF below for an accessibly version)

Download How CAS Works Flowchart (PDF, 158Kb)

You don’t need to do anything. You will receive letters and/or text messages telling you what to do next, depending on the outcome of the assessment.

A letter and an app notification will be sent to you confirming that your referral is being reviewed in the CAS

You may see a time and date for the CAS review in the NHS App – PLEASE DO NOT ATTEND the hospital for this as you will not be seen but may still have to pay for parking.

After the assessment is complete, we will inform you of the outcome in one of the following ways:

• The referral may be returned to your GP if this is the best way for your condition to be managed. Our clinicians will give you and your GP clear instructions on what to do, for example this may include a change in your medication, lifestyle advice or information about a different service that is more appropriate for your needs. You will receive a copy of the letter to your GP.
• You may be offered a face to face or telephone appointment at one of our hospital sites. You will receive an appointment letter and/or text message with the details of when and where you need to attend, as well as any other instructions. This may take some time at the moment due to longer than usual waiting lists but if your symptoms are urgent, you will be seen more quickly. If the appointment date is not convenient, instructions will be included in the letter to tell you how to change it.
• You could be asked to do some tests or for further investigations. You will receive an appointment letter and/or text message with the details of when and where you need to attend, as well as any other instructions. If the appointment is not convenient, instructions will be included in the letter to tell you how to change it.

There are lots of different tests you may be asked to have. Below is a list of common tests that are requested as part of the CAS treatment pathway with some more information for each.

• Sleep Study
• Lung Function Test
• Spirometry Test
• Computed Tomography (CT) scan
• X-Ray
• Oximetry Test
• Blood Test

Patients can register for the NHS App to view all NHS appointment details, please visit NHS App.

Patients visiting our hospitals can also find out about appointments by using the myRWT patient portal, which you can find out more about at Accessing your appointments digitally, or if you have already registered, by logging in at myRWT – Sign-in