UK GPs being paid to stop patients referrals

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IT has been reported that a number of doctors in England are being offered thousands of pounds to cut the number of patients being admitted to hospital.

Local NHS groups are being paid to restrict the number of patient referrals at GP practices. This will affect patient’s appointments along with scans and consultations with specialists.

The British Medical Association claimed that their motives have been “misguided.”

At least nine clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) were paying GP practices for hitting targets. In one case, Birmingham South Central CCG was giving practices more than £11,000 (€14,387) to reduce new outpatient attendances, follow-ups, A&E attendances and emergency admissions by 1 per cent compared with 2014/15.

The NHS is under pressure to make savings, with a target of carving out £22bn (€29bn) of efficiency savings by 2020.

NHS leaders want to cut patient referrals that are deemed inappropriate, particularly when patients could be cared for locally.

Some have evaluated the wisdom of the move, claiming patients could miss out on vital care. But CCGs have defended their stance, saying it is about good practice, not about keeping people who need treatment out of hospital.

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Comments


    • Mike

      03 October 2015 • 07:26

      How much does Cameron give to other countries and the EU and we can’t even look after our own, the shambles the UK is in with the lack of finance to run our public services while it gives away billions every year is a disgrace.

    • kay peukert

      03 October 2015 • 09:21

      typical good old NICE money not people again
      I had to go to hospital – WHY- used to 500mg plus anti biotics and when I needed them doctor could only give me 250mg of course they didn’t work and that meant six days in hospital instead of treatment at home
      kay

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