Information for referring
doctors
We welcome referrals to the City of London Migraine Clinic. Most of our patients
are referred by their GP with whom we work closely. However, many referrals
are also from Occupational Health doctors, Neurologists, Gynaecologists and
other doctors who see patients with headache.
Specialist nurses are also welcome to refer their patients.
We also accept patients without a GP referral. This makes it easier for patients
to be seen and lessens the burden on GPs.
Here are the most frequently asked questions from doctors
about why and how to refer patients to The City of London Migraine
Clinic. We hope that these will tell you everything you need to know.
If you have any other questions please telephone us on 020 7251 3322.
You can download our most
frequently asked questions for doctors
leaflet here.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What service does the City of
London Migraine Clinic provide?
2. Who can be referred?
3. How much does it cost?
4. Are your doctors qualified?
5. Why would I refer my patients to the Clinic?
6. How to refer?
7. Can patients self-refer?
8. How does a consultation work?
9. Where are you located?
10. Where can I get further information about how to treat
migraine patients?
1. What service does the City of London Migraine Clinic provide?
The City of London Migraine Clinic - a registered medical charity with more
than 25 years experience - provides access to a team of doctors
with a specialist interest in the management of migraine and other headaches, including
cluster headaches. We offer outpatient appointments by prior arrangement. We welcome all patients from across the UK and abroad.
Research into the causes and better management of migraine and other headaches
is also undertaken. Standard treatments for migraine as defined by the International
Headache Society have resulted from studies undertaken at the City of London Migraine
Clinic. We continue to study drug and non-drug treatments for migraine at
the Clinic in peer reviewed clinical trials. Patients may be given
the opportunity to try new treatments in a clinical study. We ask all our
patients to consider taking part in current or future trials, but there is
no obligation and our care is not affected in any way.
The Clinic is a renowned teaching centre. Visiting specialist doctors, GPs,
nurses and students often have the opportunity to sit in on consultations.
The Clinic also trains year-2 and year-4 medical students of Barts and The
London Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry and we supervise year-4
medical students on their dissertations on migraine. In addition many lectures
are given to the medical community as well as the lay public. Go
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2. Who can be referred?
Patients from any part of the British Isles can be seen as long as they are
eligible for hospital referral under NHS regulations. We are also happy to
treat any patients who wish to be seen privately. No charge is made to the
referring GP. However, as we are a medical charity our survival is dependent
on patient donations.
Although most of our patients live in London and the Home Counties, patients
come from all over the UK and the rest of the world. The only limit is how
far they are prepared to travel. Go To Top
3. How much does it cost?
There is no charge for referring doctors or any other NHS body.
The City of London Migraine Clinic is an independent medical charity. We do
not receive NHS or government funding and are dependent on the financial support
of patients. We therefore ask our patients for a donation and we suggest a
minimum of £50 per visit. If patients cannot afford £50 we are grateful for whatever they are able to give. Other funds come from donations from individuals
and organisations who support our cause and from our specific fundraising
activities.
Our charges for private patients and visitors from outside the British
Isles are in accordance with standard rates. Please contact us for further
details. Go To Top
4. Are your doctors qualified?
All our medical staff are fully qualified doctors with a specialist interest
in headache and are registered with the UK’s General Medical Council.
Our doctors provide expertise on various specialist areas including: neurology,
women’s health and ophthalmology. Go To Top
5. Why would I refer my patients to the Clinic?
We recognise that most GPs are confident about managing migraine and feel
no need to refer to a specialist clinic, unless medication is ineffective
or the diagnosis is uncertain.
However, there is little time in a GP consultation to give patients
an
in-depth account of all potential migraine triggers. Such advice can be
of enormous advantage to the patient — research shows that identifying
and avoiding triggers can more than halve the frequency of attacks. Furthermore
attack therapy is most effective when tailored to individual requirements
— often depending on information obtained from the patient's diary of
attacks.
Our specialist clinic has the advantage of more than 25 years of migraine research and
the doctors have time to discuss with each patient all aspects of their headaches
and treatment. All the doctors working at the Clinic have a specialist interest
in migraine and headache and are happy to see any patient with suspected migraine
or cluster headache — not just the difficult cases. Go
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6. How to refer?
A doctor's referral letter should be sent to the Clinic and an appointment
will be sent directly to the patient. Please provide a daytime telephone number
for the patient.
A referral letter is also requested for private patients, unless they are
resident outside the UK. Go To Top
7. Can patients self-refer?
After a successful pilot we now accept patients who self-refer and GP referral, although encouraged, is no longer a requirement. We encourage patients to inform their GP that they are attending the clinic. A report will be sent to the GP unless the patient specifically requests otherwise.
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8. How does a consultation work?
In the first - 40 minute - consultation a full medical history is taken from
each new patient before they are examined. Once the diagnosis has been established,
our doctor discusses management regimes with the patient and writes a full
report to his/her GP/Doctor. The Clinic doctors work closely with GPs. It
is at the discretion of the GP to prescribe any suggested medications, as
the City of London Migraine Clinic is unable to issue NHS prescriptions. Some of the drugs we recommend for migraine and cluster headache are not licensed for these conditions, but our strategies are in line with the management guidelines produced by the British Association for the Study of Headache downloaded here. However, recommendations are usually minimal — our aim is to
help patients understand their migraine, often finding non-drug ways of reducing
the frequency of attacks, although effective attack therapy is always necessary.
Since there are no specific tests for most types of headache, brain scans
and further investigations are not normally required if a diagnosis is clear.
If we consider that such investigations would be of advantage to the patient we will suggest this in our report to the GP, who can organise them locally, as the Clinic is unable to do this.
Patients are usually invited to a follow-up appointment, which lasts for 20
minutes. During this follow-up the management strategy may be revised if necessary.
A handwritten report will be given to the patient for the GP.
Please note that prescriptions and referrals can be made directly by the Clinic
for private patients. Go To Top
9. Where are you located?
The City of London Migraine Clinic is located in central London at 22 Charterhouse
Square, near Barbican and Farringdon tube stations.
Details about how to get to the Clinic are available on our website at the
how to find us page. Go
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10. Where can I get further information about how to treat migraine patients?
Our website provides general information on migraine and other headaches and
their possible treatments. A number of references to publications
on migraine are also provided. In addition you will find links to national
and international migraine sites
with information that may be of use to medical professionals and patients. Go To Top
August 2007