Your first visit to the clinic after diagnosis can be a stressful event. The team at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham are here to make that first visit as comfortable and as informative as possible.

What happens on your first clinic visit after diagnosis?

On the first appointment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Outpatients department you will need to book in at reception and then take a seat. A nurse will come to meet you and take you into the clinic. The nurse will inform you of what happens in clinic, and provide you with relevant and practical information. At this point your weight, blood pressure, pulse and temperature will be taken.

You will then be asked to complete a communication form, ensuring we have up-to-date information on how to contact you if we need to. You can discuss any issues and ask questions at any time.

After the time spent with the nurse, the Health Advisor will see you. They will provide you with further information and sources of support and telephone numbers to contact staff in the department if you need to. We aim to provide support and guidance through this event.

At this point, if you have no immediate healthcare issues the next step is to have bloods taken.  Generally on a first visit you will not be seen by our doctor but will be asked to come back in two weeks' time, when we will have all the results from the blood tests and the doctor will discuss the results with you.

After having your bloods taken the dietician and social worker will introduce themselves to you.

Finally, you will be directed to the X-ray Department for a baseline routine chest X-ray.

Before leaving the department an appointment for you to come back will be made.

A clinic nurse will be there at all times to guide you through your first visit.