I didn't believe my eyes at first, and something in
the back of my mind is still wondering ...
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1939882,00.html
Managers block NHS access
Administrators are intercepting GPs' referrals
and turning patients away in a bid to save money
Jo Revill, health editor
Sunday November 5, 2006
The Observer
Impossible to summarise the detail of this article, but
the following quote gives the overall picture:
As the NHS struggles to deal with £620m of debt,
administrators are using referral management schemes
to curb hospital admissions and to cut waiting lists.
The schemes start to operate once a GP sends an
electronic letter to a hospital consultant, requesting
an appointment for the patient.
The letter is scanned by administrators who decide
whether it constitutes an 'appropriate' referral.
If they deem it unnecessary, the patient is 'bounced'
back to a clinic within the primary care trust, or
to a nurse manager or a physiotherapy clinic if it
is an orthopaedic problem.
This looks to me like administrators taking on the role
of clinical decision-makers, intercepting communications
along the chain of normal clinical referral. I'm wondering
if a hospital trust would be at risk of legal action
should a clinical adverse event result from such a decision
(with, perhaps, the GP and the consultant s/he wrote to
as expert witnesses? Or perhaps not?)
At the end of the article are two contrasting quotes:
"A spokeswoman for Enfield primary care trust
said the changes are in line with government
policy to encourage patients to be treated in
primary care near their homes."
"A spokesperson for the Department of Health said:
'Referral management schemes should ensure NHS
patients see the most appropriate clinician in
the most convenient setting. These schemes must
only be set up where they will benefit patients.'"
Cor!
(And what is this going to do to NHS Statistics?)
Best wishes to all,
Ted.
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E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <[log in to unmask]>
Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861
Date: 05-Nov-06 Time: 11:00:15
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