My G.P & Consultant arguing over who refers me to knee Dr!!

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bubbadog
bubbadog Member Posts: 5,544
edited 11. May 2017, 05:08 in Living with Arthritis archive
A couple of weeks before I went away I saw my Orthopaedic consultant and I posted on how I got on and he saying my G.P would refer me to Knee Consultant for Arthroscopy. Well went and saw my G.P a week before I went away and asked her to do referral for Knee consultant to which she said 'no, we're not allowed to do that by law now, it has to be a hospital consultant to refer you now G.P's are not allowed to get involved with hospital to hospital referral's'. So phoned my consultants secretary to which she said 'poppy cock, G.P's are just trying to cut paperwork!!' But she understood I wanted the referral in before I went away and offered to get it signed by my Orthopaedic Consultant and sent. So at least it's been done but what the heck is going on between G.P's & Hospital Consultants? They used to talk and kept each other up to date with their patients, but now the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing!!

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  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    It's the same at my hospital now, inter-departmental referrals no longer happen, one has to go the GP and start from the beginning. I'm not sure why your ortho wants you to see another ortho unless he doesn't specialise in knees? DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • daffy2
    daffy2 Member Posts: 1,636
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Probably something to do with budgets. The advent of clinical commissioning groups does seem to have made everything much more complicated. In some cases I think it is the result of misunderstanding/misinterpretation, but I suspect much is the result of trying to reduce costs by getting things put on someone else's balance sheet. In the meantime the patient is left in limbo.
    I had something similar last year with a drug I was supposed to start taking which previously the GP was able to prescribe but for which she was then told she had to get consultant approval first. When I finally saw the consultant she said 'Nonsense, the GP can prescribe without consultant input'. An unnecessary consultant appointment seems a pretty silly way to save money if that's what it's all supposed to be about!
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,714
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Yup, I think it's all about who pays. Most things are.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • bubbadog
    bubbadog Member Posts: 5,544
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Yep my Ortho-Consultant doesn't deal with knee's another one does!! Shame as I adore the chap who did my bunion and fusing!! :(



    dreamdaisy wrote:
    It's the same at my hospital now, inter-departmental referrals no longer happen, one has to go the GP and start from the beginning. I'm not sure why your ortho wants you to see another ortho unless he doesn't specialise in knees? DD
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