NHS secret cost-cutting drive revealed

Health trusts have been told to review hospital referrals every week in an attempt to cut numbers by 30 per cent, a leaked memo has revealed.

A leaked NHS England memo tells health trusts to review referrals weekly and get backing from a panel of other doctors in a bid to cut numbers by around 30 per cent, according to Pulse magazine.

Pulse said the leaked document promised ‘significant additional funding’ for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) who established the schemes this year, the Guardian reports.

The magazine said individual GPs would still be responsible for making the final decision over the referral process and peer review would ensure all ‘options are explored and that patients are seen and treated in the right place, at the right time and as quickly as possible’.

An NHS England spokesman said: “Clinical peer reviews are a simple way for GPs to support each other and help patients get the best care, from the right person, at the right time without having to make unnecessary trips to hospital.

“More than half of CCGs have already implemented some sort of peer review system, with Luton seeing an 8 per cent drop in hospital referrals, and the latest NHS England guidance will help ensure best practice is shared to remaining local commissioners.”