I have today had a missive from East Riding HA asking us to restrict emergency
and routine referrals, as they are predicted to overspend, on pain of halting
elective work. Is this ethical? How should one, or should one, do this? What
is our legal position? Will we be blamed if, as most likely happens, referrals
continue upwards? If the PR shit hits the fan, will ERH say " well of course
the patient should have got his treatment, but it's the clinical
responsibility of the GP to refer"?
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