Information for Patients

Contact details

In the first instance please contact us by email.  The direct email address is:

qvh.handtherapy@nhs.net

Alternatively, our direct number is 01342 414072. 

If your call is not immediately answered, please leave a message on our answerphone and we will respond as soon as possible.

Opening hours

The department’s opening times are 0800 – 1700 Monday to Friday.

Address

Occupational Therapy/Physiotherapy Department – Building One

Queen Victoria Hospital

Holtye Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 3DZ

Location within the hospital site

Building One (main Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy department)

Urgent queries

If you have had surgery with us and have an urgent concern, for example regarding a possible infection, please call the above number to speak to a therapist.  If it is outside of office hours and your symptoms are worsening, please call the hospital switchboard on 01342 414000 and ask for the Trauma Coordinator, or seek local medical attention.

Attendance

Please let us know, with as much notice as possible, if you are not planning on attending your appointment.  This allows us to offer the appointment to another patient. If you do not attend and fail to let us know, you may be discharged.  See contact details above.

Late arrivals

Hand Therapy appointments are scheduled at 30-minute intervals throughout the day.  Therefore, if you arrive late you may have a shortened appointment or you may be asked to rebook for another time or day.

Types of appointments

Out-patients

Many of our appointments take place in the Therapy Department at QVH where you attend for an out-patient appointment.

In-patients

We provide hand therapy to patients who are staying as an in-patient on one of our wards.

Video call

If you do not require hands-on treatment, we offer virtual appointments via the NHS system, “Attend Anywhere”.  These appointments can be particularly useful if you would otherwise need to travel a long distance to see us or for any other reason that makes physical attendance with us difficult.

NHS Attend Anywhere

Telephone

For those unable to do video appointments we also make telephone appointments but treatment is understandably limited.

Local follow up appointments

Patients are often referred to us from long distances as we specialise in treating hand injuries.  Your local hospital may not have the experience to treat your type of injury and therefore it may be beneficial for you to continue to attend QVH.  However, we have close links with the hand therapists at Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford and there are a limited number of appointment slots for patients to be treated there.

How to access us

You can find more information on our Referring to hand therapy page.

Page last updated: 5 December 2024