GPs face panel test to send patients to hospital for non-urgent care under drastic new measures

GPs will have to seek approval from a panel of doctors to send patients to hospital for non-urgent care under controversial plans to cut costs.

The NHS is rolling out a scheme that sees assessors examining each request and determining if they should be offered alternative treatment.

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Patients seeking hip and knee replacements could be advised to exercise or eat more healthily by an NHS review panel.

The policy is being rolled out nationwide after being piloted in several clinical commissioning groups and health chiefs hope it will save cash and ease pressure.

But referring GPs retain responsibility for the patient and make the final decision, sparking complaints that the bureaucracy will needlessly increase strain on doctors.

Joyce Robins, of Patient Concern, slammed the plan as a “dreadful idea”.

She said: “Putting the review decision to a group of people who don’t know the patient is not the right way to practise medicine.”

Professor Martin Marshall, vice chairman of the Royal College of GPs, added: “There is little or no evidence that referral management schemes are cost effective and they can damage patient care.”

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According to a leaked memo to Pulse magazine, NHS England told all health trusts to carry out weekly reviews of referrals “by September 2017”.

It suggests the Government is offering financial incentives to trusts to set up the schemes, which aim to save money by slashing referrals by 30 per cent.

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NHS England 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 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.”