‘Dangerous’ NHS treatment delays caused by referral centres

Doctors have warned that patients are facing ‘dangerous’ delays in NHS treatment due to a huge increase in referral management centres.

The centres, which were introduced in 2003, were brought about in an attempt to reduce unnecessary hospital referrals and reduce NHS spending, and in the last decade, there has been a 10-fold increase in their use.

In a recent Freedom of Information request to the 209 Clinical Commissioning Groups in England, 61 per cent of the 197 that responded said that they used a referral management centre.

The centres vet GP referrals and decide whether patients should receive GP or hospital care. They are often run by private firms and have been described by the British Medical Association as a “block between the GP and patient treatment”.

An investigation by the BBC has revealed that referral delays due to administration queries had risen from 28 per cent three years ago to 41 per cent last year, and the number of referrals being rejected for administration reasons had also risen.

The BMA’s Dr Chaand Nagpaul said “It’s a blunt instrument which is not sensitive to the needs of the patient and is delaying patient care.

“It has become totally mechanistic.  It’s either administrative or not necessary for the patient.  It’s completely unacceptable.  Performance seems to be related to blocking referrals rather than patient care.”

In one case, a patient requesting a referral to a dermatologist and who was rejected by the referral system, was later diagnosed with cancer.

NHS Clinical Commissioners, who represent CCGs, have said “CCGs will balance the cost of commissioning referral management centres with the benefit they provide to GPs and patients in terms of peer review, education, caseload management and choice.

“Ensuring patients get the best possible care against a backdrop of increasingly squeezed finances is one of the biggest issues CCGs face, but we know that clinical commissioners are working hard to improve local services by making responsible, clinically-led decisions in partnership with GPs, patients and providers.”

Chadwick Lawrence’s specialist team of clinical negligence lawyers have years of experience in medical negligence compensation claims, and have obtained substantial compensation for our clients. Not only do we represent clients in Yorkshire, but because of our reputation we also represent clients nationally.

If you believe that you or a relative may have been injured as a result of clinical/medical negligence, please call for free legal advice from our medical negligence solicitors on the freephone number below.

Posted by Karen Motley, Paralegal, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (karenmotley@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

Freephone : 0800 028 2969