Sirona supports people to be fully involved in their care, including offering a second opinion.

Second opinions can be requested by the patient or, for a child or people without capacity, by their parents/carers. If you are requesting a second opinion for your child, this must be done with their consent if they are at an age and developmental level to provide this.

Before asking for a second opinion, ask your clinical team to go over the assessment and management plan to explain anything you don’t understand.  If you have concerns, do discuss this with them. Your team will be happy to explain things;  in many cases there may be no need for a second opinion.

Regardless of the second opinion, if you have any concerns, please talk to your team so they can understand your concerns and help  get the best outcomes for you or your child.

If discussion with your clinical team does not address your concerns, you can request an internal Sirona second opinion. A different clinician will review the assessment and any interventions undertaken.

If there are any identified concerns, an alternative plan will be made to address these.

Following this review, you will receive communication regarding the outcome and if further actions need to be completed.

If you feel that the above process does not address your concerns, you may request a second opinion with repeat assessment from another clinician. Here are the routes you can consider for this in the outpatient setting:

• Further second opinion from a Sirona clinician. This can be a re-referral from the original referrer, or you can request this directly following the outcome of the initial second opinion as above. For outpatient care, this will usually be treated as a new referral and be subject to the same referral criteria and waiting times as other people being referred for assessments.
• You can discuss with your GP referral to an alternative NHS funded provider, including out of Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) region.
• You can consider a private provider assessment either by self-referral or via your GP. Please note that costs for private assessments are not usually covered by NHS funding and that funding for medication prescribed by private providers may not be covered by your GP or the NHS.

If you have any concerns about your care, we encourage you to contact us and to discuss with us, no matter how big or small your concern is.  Please discuss with your clinical team and they will be happy to support you.