The NHS is piloting a scheme for women with red flag symptoms to be referred directly to a breast diagnostic clinic without seeing a GP.
Announcing the scheme, health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said it would lead to faster diagnosis and free up GP appointments.
The pilot is starting in Somerset where women who have contacted 111 online through the NHS app with breast symptoms will be directly referred to diagnostic testing.
It will be evaluated before further roll out, Mr Streeting told the Royal College of GPs’ conference in Liverpool.
He said it would remove the need for ‘pointless appointments’ just so GPs could tick a box.
‘Where there are appointments that can be cut out, with patients seen by specialists faster and GPs’ time freed up to do what only GPs can do, we will act.
‘Starting in November, 111 online, which is available through the NHS app, will pilot directly referring women with a worrying lump to a breast clinic. That means faster diagnosis for cancer patients and more GP appointments freed up.’
He added: ‘I suspect there are cases that come across your desks every week, where a patient has been passed to you by someone else in the NHS to refer them on to someone else in the NHS,’ he told the conference.
‘It is a waste of everyone’s time, including yours, and where you give us examples of patient pathways that can be simplified through appropriate patient self-referral or direct referral by other NHS services to save your time, we will act.’
The move follows announcements made in Labour’s manifesto to allow other professionals to make direct referrals for specialist services or tests as well as expanding self-referral ‘where appropriate’ to take pressure off GPs.
They had pledged to remove ‘burdensome’ bureaucracy that is ‘grinding GPs down’, in return for continuity of care noting that GPs were experienced doctors yet made ‘to do millions of tick box appointments’.
But plans for patients to bypass the GP and access some tests for suspected cancer were already being considered under the previous Government.
Dr Vin Diwakar, NHS medical director for transformation, said: ‘New technology has the power to transform how we manage our healthcare – we’re excited to be piloting in Somerset whether 111 online could refer women with red flag symptoms for breast cancer checks without the need to see a GP, and this is just the start of our plans to bring NHS services to patients through the app.’
A version of this story was first published on our sister title Pulse.
