Practices to receive £55m in e-referrals scheme

NHS England has announced it is investing £55 million in rewarding Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG) which choose to phase out referrals made through second class post, as part of a plan to move towards a fully electronic referrals system.

The proposal advised that the funding would be used to ‘support GPs and hospitals to adopt the practice of electronic referrals’. The funding is being issued through the ‘Quality Premium’ which rewards CCGs for improvements in quality services.

In 2018, NHS England will consult on whether completing referrals electronically should become a contractual condition for commissioners and hospitals. Currently, around 50 per cent of patients are referred for hospital appointments electronically, however, it is expected that this figure will increase to 60 per cent by September 2016, 80 per cent by 2017 and 100 per cent by 2018.

Beverley Bryant, NHS England director of digital technology, said: “For a long time our first class healthcare system has been let down by outmoded systems, where patients are referred to hospital by second class post.

“We have a duty of care that extends beyond providing effective treatments. We must also provide an effective patient experience that ensures patients feel reassured at a time when they are most vulnerable.”