
Everything you need to know about labour's big changes to gps and hospitals
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NEARLY A MILLION HOSPITAL APPOINTMENTS ARE SET TO BE FREED UP UNDER NEW PLANS TO MAKE IT EASIER AND FASTER TO GET SPECIALIST TREATMENT ON THE NHS 00:01, 05 Jan 2025Updated 12:42, 05 Jan 2025
Nearly a million hospital appointments are set to be freed up under new plans to make it easier and faster to get specialist treatment on the NHS. Some £80 million of NHS funds will be paid
to GPs who perform more specialist referrals themselves through increased use of the ‘Advice and Guidance’ (A&G) scheme. Huge numbers of patients have to wait months for ‘second
opinion’ appointments with hospital consultants - even if their conditions don’t need to be treated in hospital. Under the new scheme, family doctors work with hospital specialists before
making referrals, to ensure patients are getting the right treatment in the right place and reduce hospital pressures. And it will mean hundreds of thousands more patients suffering from
ear, nose and throat complaints, age-related hearing loss, tinnitus and other conditions that don’t require hospital treatment will be cared for in the community. The scheme is one of a raft
of reforms to be announced by Keir Starmer and Health Secretary Wes Streeting on Monday * The NHS App will be overhauled to give patients more choice of when and where they are treated *
Action will also be taken to tackle missed appointments, which can be costly for the health service * From March patients at more than 85% of acute trusts will be able to view their
appointments on the app * They will also be able to contact their healthcare provider and receive regular updates, including how long they are likely to wait * It will also establish minimum
standards for patients, to give them more power over decision-making Mr Streeting said the changes will shift the NHS "into the digital age" and help cut waiting times "from
18 months to 18 weeks". This includes giving people a choice on how their care is followed up, be it in person or online, as well as giving patients a shortlist of providers to choose
from and making it easier for them to contact providers for follow-ups. “Shifting care from hospital to the community is one of the three big shifts we will implement to reform the NHS and
deliver our Plan for Change, so that our healthcare system is fit for the future,” Mr Streeting said. “Hundreds of thousands more patients each year will be cared for in the community, which
is better for them and less expensive for the taxpayer. “To be an outpatient, you shouldn’t have to go into hospital.” Roughly half of the patients sent for hospital second opinions don’t
need hospital treatment at all, and can be treated properly in other settings. Last year, over 2.4 million A&G requests were submitted by GPs, resulting in around 1.2 million cases being
referred for care outside of hospital. Under plans to expand the service the number of requests is expected to rise by up to 1.6 million to 4 million annually. More conditions that can be
treated in the community include breathing problems such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a common lung disease that causes breathing difficulties. Patients experiencing
urinary tract issues, such as incontinence, and gastrointestinal conditions could also benefit from the changes. As well as taking strain off the NHS, the plan will see patients treated more
quickly, avoiding the waiting list entirely in many cases. READ MORE: Join our Mirror politics WhatsApp group to get the latest updates from Westminster Some 800,000 hospital appointments
could be freed up if the scheme goes to plan. GPs will be paid an extra £20 per referral made using the A&G system - which the government plans to streamline to make it easier for GPs to
use. Amanda Doyle, the NHS’ National Director for Primary Care, said: “Hardworking GPs are using their expertise to deliver record numbers of appointments, but we know we need to do more to
support practices and improve access for patients in the community. “That is why the NHS will expand the use of the Advice and Guidance scheme which has already benefited hundreds of
thousands of patients and reduced unnecessary outpatient appointments. Article continues below “This is vital to ensuring we can continue to reduce the NHS waiting list, and together with
the measures in the Elective Reform Plan, we will be able to ensure that more people are able to access care on their doorsteps without the need to go to hospital unnecessarily.” BE THE
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