GPs being paid to cut patient referrals http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34421115

You really cannot make these things up.No wonder it took me 3 visits to the gp to get to see a physio 🙁

You really cannot make these things up.

Well the BBC has.

It’s not a case of being paid not refer, it’s about being paid for the use of the right pathway of care.

Would you rather they were rewarded every time they did refer you?

This popped up on my newsfeed too…
First I’ve heard of it (southern locality) so can’t really comment.

I do wonder if it’s a spin from the media though.
As in – rather than GPs refer to the ‘NHS trust’ for an investigation, a local service is commissioned (likely by GPs) at a lower cost. Ergo, ‘less referrals’ and ‘more money to GPs’.
It’s just that the money pot is held by the CCG/GPs anyway, so they’re not really paying themselves, just making savings.
Possibly..??

DrP

The outrage bus leaves in 5 minutes, all aboard please.

It doesn’t sound too much different to the scheme which was started with various ambulance trusts a few years ago where they were paid for using Appropriate Care Pathways to refer people to rather than taking everyone into A+E when other options were available.
The press got their collective knickers in a knot about that as well but it was really a nothing story.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/7530895/Ambulance-service-gets-38-for-every-patient-they-dont-take-to-hospital.html

Sounds like the usual storm in a teacup combined with the regular NHS bashing.

“CCG change pathway” doesn’t sound quite as sexy as bashing GP’s again does it

Exactly notmyrealname. What they forget to mention is they get paid more to transport them to hospital.

Actually… in our locality we’ve been awarded half a million buckaroonies to set up a GP led/ran minor injury/ailment clinic.
The aim of this is to reduce referrals/presentations to A+E and childrens’ services. It’s likely to SAVE over 2 million over the course..

So there’s a headline for you:
“Greedy fat cat GPs paid half a million pounds to stop you going to A+E with your sick child…”

Royalties as PPG please…

DrP

You couldn’t make it up.

Fact is always wilder than fiction.. 😉

DrP

Even more so when you twist the fact. 😆

Depends how it’s structured really. If the payment is directly dependent on the headline 1% reduction in outpatient referrals, then it’s potentially open to abuse.

If it’s actually an incentive to increase the use a different pathway, that would be measured and rewarded separately, and I don’t understand how the 1% fewer OP referrals comes into it, it would happen naturally.

You couldn’t make it up.

You can, plenty of the press prove that on a daily basis 😀

Just another example of the right wing press bashing the NHS and medical staff so they can harness public support for cuts/privatisation/insert self interest here.

We’re probably due another full NHS reorganisation. Haven’t had one for at least 18 months.

Actually… in our locality we’ve been awarded half a million buckaroonies to set up a GP led/ran minor injury/ailment clinic.
The aim of this is to reduce referrals/presentations to A+E and childrens’ services. It’s likely to SAVE over 2 million over the course..

Whereas in reality, it’ll cost twice as much and save half as much…

Folk ALWAYS over-estimate savings and under-estimate costs.

It’s probably all about the drive to send patients to more appropriate local care pathways, rather than the expensive hospital based care.

E.g. Physio locally is much much much cheaper than hospital based physio.

IANAD IANAHCP

My surgery told me that it costs them about £300 to do a referral, it’s not just a case of the GP writing a quick letter.
I do know that a lot of patients with migraine insist on having a scan, and some doctors will send them for a scan even when they have had a diagnosis of migraine from a neurologist and a scan is uneccessary. Maybe it’s to cut down on that kind of thing?