Need for referral to A&E just ridiculous
I read a short report in the Shropshire Star that NHS England and the Health Secretary have plans to pilot a scheme whereby patients will be banned from attending A&E departments unless they have been referred by a GP or 111.
This policy could only have been dreamt up by someone sitting in an office who was tired off sorting out paper clips.
I have many concerns about the plan and I have put a few of them as follows:
1. If I have an accident before 9am or after 5pm I will not be able to get hold of my GP.
2. GPs made a killing financially by being paid to sub-contract their out of hours service to NHS Direct and 111.
3. The 111 service is staffed mainly by unqualified staff who follow a computer programme which has been shown to make spectacular mistakes.
4. At night the 111 service is seriously understaffed and it may be some hours before they get back to you.
5. If I have a car accident and I am seriously injured will the ambulance have to contact my GP or 111 before they can take me to A&E?
6. This policy will put frontline staff in great difficulty because if somebody turns up at the door of A&E they are duty bound by their professional guidelines to examine them. Do they break the law and treat a casualty or do they refuse treatment and, potentially, let an injured person get worse?
Dave Adams, Oswestry
