Over two million patients have to visit GP four times for referral

More than two million patients each year have to make four or more repeat visits to their GP before they get a referral, a patient watchdog has warned.

Patient safety campaigners said people faced waits of “weeks, months or even years” before officially joining NHS waiting lists, and that their health and wellbeing was suffering as a result. They warned it would also add to pressure on other services such as A&E departments.

Research by Healthwatch England revealed what the patient watchdog called a “hidden waiting list”.

“People wait for a GP appointment; they wait for their GP to tell them they will be referred; they wait for the hospital to confirm that referral; and then they join a hospital waiting list,” it said.

“NHS statistics monitor only the hospital waiting list, leaving the steps between getting a GP referral and a letter confirming a hospital appointment as a dangerous ‘blind spot’ for the NHS and patients.”

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Source: The Times, 11 April 2023