Choose & Book passes the 5 million referral mark
Congratulations to all you users out there (unfortunate term that), commissioning PCTs, Acute Trusts and dare we say it Connecting for Health, for reaching the landmark figure of facilitating the referral of over 5 million patients into specialist care, through the portal of Choose & Book. Onwards and upwards!
Progress – Every NHS Hospital is now using Choose & Book along with 88% of all GP practices in England, who send over 15,000 electronic referrals every day, some 45% of all NHS referral activity. Having taken 2 years to reach the first million referrals, it has taken less than one to add the further 4 million.
Resistance – But why are there still GPs not using the system? Dr Stephen Miller, the clinical lead charged with driving Choose & Book forward, thinks it is GP misconceptions that have prevented clinical engagement and thus a higher percentage of referrals through the system.
Connectivity – In their defence GPs who have used the system complain that it is still too slow to complete a referral during consultation time. They also argue that despite Free Choice @ Referral commencing in April 2008, (meaning that a patient can book an appointment at any hospital in the country), pretty much all patients would choose a local hospital.
The future – Latest guidance from the BMA accepts that Choose & Book is “likely to stay”, and that GPs need to get involved and therefore have a say in its development. Already feedback from user groups in all the SHAs has apparently led to changes that will be apparent in the much talked about Version 4 of the system due for release in April 2008.
Education – During 2005/6 our trainers introduced Choose & Book to over 50,000 NHS staff. We have encountered every attitude to the system, from visionary inspiration and enthusiasm to scathing attack and outright refusal to engage. I particularly remember on a visit to a practice in London, one GP saying to me “I am a doctor, not a bloody travel agent”. I laughed at the time and girded my loins for what I knew was going to be a tough training session. Before the end of that session the same GP was so enthusiastic that he hogged the PC to himself preventing his colleagues from having a go on the system.
Support – By helping clinicians to break through misconceptions, meeting technological challenges and working round them and establishing best practice at a local level some PCTs have achieved impressive results with their Choose & Book referrals. But as our experience has shown, there is no reason why, with some extra hands on training and support, that by the time of the launch of version 4, we should not see all PCTs meeting and exceeding their targets in 2008.
Story Date
19 December 2007
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