Outrage at plans for ‘devastating’ ban on GPs sending patients to hospital… even those at risk of CANCER

A PROPOSED ban on GPs referring non-urgent patients to hospital this winter would be devastating for public health, medics have warned.

The money-saving measure would allow the cash-strapped NHS to focus on urgent issues, including people with suspected cancer and sick children.

Those requiring routine treatment, such as hip operations and sight-restoring cataract surgery, would have to wait.

The drastic plans – announced by St Helens Clinical Commissioning Group, Merseyside – would last for a maximum of four months.

It did not detail how it would block referrals, but said any decision to not refer will be made with the agreement of the patient and the GP.

The CCG – recently rated “inadequate” by NHS England – admits the move “will not be popular”.

But it said it is facing a £12.5milling funding gap next year after busting its budget and has put together a two-year recovery plan.

This includes the proposal to “suspend, reduce or withdraw certain services”.

The British Medical Association, which represents the country’s doctors, said the move could result in deadly cancers being missed and cost the NHS more money in the long-term.

Dr Richard Vautrey, deputy chair of the BMA’s GP committee, said: “This is an unacceptable decision, which highlights the incredible financial pressure facing general practice and its impact on patient care.

“It cannot be right that the public will be effectively denied access to healthcare because the local CCG has run out of money.

“What apparently may not be urgent at first presentation and is therefore not referred could turn out to be very serious in the long term.

“Many cases of cancer are subsequently diagnosed following routine referrals of patients who have undifferentiated symptoms early on in their illness.

“The cost to the health service of delaying referrals could ultimately be much greater in the long term as more complex and costly problems develop as a result.

“This is yet another sign of how desperately under-funded the NHS now is and how the Government need to step up their commitment to resolving this crisis.”

A spokesman for the CCG said: “One proposal is to pause (temporarily suspend) non-urgent referrals to hospital for a maximum four month period.

“Hospital referrals are one of our biggest areas of financial pressure and currently activity in the hospital exceeds the budget we receive.”

It added that “any decision not to refer will be made in agreement by the patient and GP”.

The four-month pause of all non-urgent treatment over the winter months would “support hospitals during the busy winter period”.

And it would enable them to “concentrate on treating patients who require urgent referrals, suspected cancer and referrals for sick children”.

The move will also “reduce the risk of your operation being cancelled during the busy winter months when there are less non-urgent beds available”, they say.

CCG lay chairman Geoffrey Appleton said: “We recognise these proposals will not be popular but we will be involving those, who want to have their say, in the discussions and we welcome your thoughts about how we should be making cost savings.”

The proposal, along with another to put a two-year suspension on IVF services for patients aged under-37, is out for public consultation until October 5.

The NHS England regional office will review the proposals before a decision is made because of the CCG’s inadequate rating.

An NHS spokeswoman said: “Decisions when prioritising resources are always very difficult for commissioners but it is up to CCGs to make the best decisions for their area and work with hospitals to plan and manage demand over winter.

“St Helens CCG is actively engaging with its local population on the best way to ensure patients have their care prioritised over the busy months for the NHS.

“The 18-week target [from referral to treatment] is a national objective which all CCGs and hospitals should be striving to meet.”

CCGs commission health services, including planned hospital care, rehabilitative care, urgent and emergency care, most community health services, general practice and mental health and learning disability services.

St Helens CCG serves a registered population of 193,000 people.