Local people's views on the referral process from general practice to secondary care
Download (PDF 466.27 KB)Summary of report content
This is a report from Healthwatch Birmingham. The project looks at referrals from GP onwards.
This report is based on feedback from Birmingham residents collected between April 2023 and March 2024. There were 2376 pieces of feedback about general practice and 2937 about hospitals, covering 258 general practices and four hospital trusts.
This report is based on feedback about three key areas:
• GP referral to hospitals.
• Access and waiting for hospital appointments.
• Treatment at hospitals.
Analysing this feedback reveals three areas for improvement which will help reduce demand
for services, support improvement and increase patient satisfaction.
• Improved referral process, with better integration and communication between services.
• Managing patient expectations through clear explanation of the referral process, likely waiting times and what to expect at appointments.
• Regular updates for patients during the referral process
A series of improvements are outlined at the end of the report.
There are follow up actions in this report. Ongoing conversations are planned with NHS BSOL, local NHS Hospital Trusts, and the local GP Provider Support Unit. Also changes made will be highlighted to the public.