A RIGHT TO REFER: Sign our petition

refferal right should not be scrapped
Dr S A khan
Birmingham

I think it will be proved to be best that the GP decides who is the best person for the patient to see.

As a GP, I have a right to refer when appropriate and according to my medical judgment.

Dr Lucy Marchand Milton Keynes

referrall centres should be banned. they are detrimental to patient care

Dr Pamela Barcella--Suffolk

It has to be a sine qua non that the person who has taken the appropriate history, completed the appropriate examination, and come to the decision that the patient needs to see a specialist is the person to refer the patient. Thus the right to refer must be accredited to the GP. If it is clinically necessary and no referral takes place - because a management centre has concluded that there should be no referral - then there is a clear case for legal action should there occur 'damage' to the patient.

Malcolm Freeth
Bournemouth

Elizabeth Foster, Salaried GP, Oldham

Referring patients is a basic right and privilege of any GP. It came when they gave us the right to practice as GP's. If this basic right is taken away from us, what is the use of becoming a GP in the first place when all the years of training is put aside because a group of people found it "cost effective" to have this Referral management centre. This is just one way of putting down GP's again, disrespecting us! It seems a lot of people who makes these decisions " know" so much about "GP work" and think they could do better. Improvement is always good, I am all for that!. But the problem is with all these cost-cutting moves,we a re not improving healthcare. in fact , patient care suffers , healthcare is thrown into the deeper end. Eventually who will absorb all the negative impact of these changes! guess who? the lowly, overworked GP again!! and more dissatisfied patients!!

David Windsor-Martin

I fully agree that General Practitioners need autonomy in referring their patients. Any interference will undermine the trust relationship between the doctor and his patient and cause unnecessary and potentially dangerous delays as well as risking the referral to become inappropriate.

Dr Simon Cats.
London

Let me do my job and refer in my patient's interests. If you block it give your name and designation with GMC or NMC number. If my patient comes to harm then we both know what will happen. :-)

Dr Paul Attwood

:We need to state that problems following on from blocking of referrals are the responsibility of the blocking organisation.

Dr O Alam
Birmingham

Subbu Manian
Newcastle-u-Lyme

Frances Cryan Locum GP Derbyshire

We are gatekeepers We must be allowed to refer based on clinical need not economics

Dr S Nehring, Sheffield.