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The Musculoskeletal (MSK) triage service is a specialist assessment service for patients with conditions that affect the bones, joints and muscles - collectively known as musculoskeletal conditions.
The purpose of the MSK triage service is to assess and diagnose complex musculoskeletal conditions and signpost patients to the most appropriate treatment, as quickly as possible.
Musculoskeletal triage service information poster
Accesible version of Musculoskeletal triage service information poster
- How the service is provided
- Who is eligible for the service
- What will happen at your appointment
- Making a referral
- Patient experience
How the service is provided
The MSK triage service is provided by a multidisciplinary team, consisting of advanced physiotherapy practitioners (specialising in physiotherapy orthopaedics, rheumatology and pain).
Referrals to the MSK triage service are assessed and triaged by an experienced clinician and, if appropriate, an appointment will be scheduled with the most relevant clinician for you to be assessed. The clinician will discuss your assessment and diagnosis with you and decide whether it would be best to treat you within the MSK triage service or to refer you to another department or an appropriate consultant.
Who is eligible for the service
The MSK Triage Service is available to patients aged 18-years and over who are registered with a Hertfordshire GP in Stevenage, North Herts, Welwyn and Hatfield, Lower Lea Valley, Upper Lea Valley and the Stort Valley.
You need to have been assessed by your GP first, and they will decide whether a referral to the MSK triage service is appropriate for your condition.
What will happen at your appointment
At your appointment, your clinician will assess you by asking a series of questions about your presenting condition and then carrying out a physical examination.
We recommend wearing comfortable clothes that can be easily removed, as it may be necessary to partially undress as part of your assessment. If the lower half of your body is to be assessed we would suggest bringing a pair of shorts to change into. It is also helpful to bring along details of any medication you are taking.
Your appointment may last up to 1 hour.
Following your assessment, your clinician will discuss the findings of the examination with you and the next steps for best managing your condition. In some cases you may be referred on to another team for further investigations.
Making a referral
Patients please note: You must be referred via your GP to access the MSK triage service; the information below is for professional use only - thank you.
Referrals to the MSK triage service should be made via the NHS e-referral system.
The MSK triage service is provided at The New QE2 (Welwyn Garden City), Kingsway Health Centre Stevenage, Hertford County Hospital and Waltham Cross Health Cenrre Stanhope Road..
The NHS e-referral contact number for MSK Triage Service referrals in East and North Hertfordshire is 01707 247 411 or 0788 4547579.
Patient experience
We greatly appreciate the feedback of patients who use our services.
If you would like to share your experience of the MSK triage service, please contact our Patient Experience team either by calling 0800 0116113 or by sending an email to hct.patientexperienceteam@nhs.net
You can also complete a survey by clicking here.
Your feedback helps us to continually improve the service we provide, both to you and other patients - thank you.
