> > Sorry, to satisfy my work's Private health insurance requirements, I had > to have an NHS referral. > Do you mean you needed a referral from your GP?
That's not an NHS referral (thank God). I like making private referrals because: 1) My patients sees the consultant that they and I agree on, that they see the consultant, not a junior with 10 years less experience than me, another GP, a nurse or a physio. As can happen when I make an NHS referral. 2) It's simple. I dictate the letter, my secretary types it and either the patient picks it up to take with them for their appointment or we send it directly to the consultant. No buggering about with "choose & book" or mythering about whether I've correctl;y followed the correct PCT approved "patient care pathway". 3) It doesn't matter how many private referrals I make, I won't have the PCT breathing down my neck if they think my referral rates are too high (funnily enough, they never seem worried if referral rates are "too low". Not that there's any evidence for what a "good" referral rate is. We're just supposed to aspire to the mean, apparently. Seeing your GP first is just good clinical practice, really. Think of it as Triage. - Sean _______________________________________________ the Leeds List is an unmoderated mailing list and the list administrators accept no liability for the personal views and opinions of contributors. Leedslist mailing list [email protected] http://list.zetnet.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist and the hardest time in a sailor's day is to watch the sun as it sails away
