Diagnostics Task and Finish Group Report - 18 Weeks

Streamlining Diagnostics Service ProvisionManaging Demand into Diagnostic ServicesMany Boards through the ‘Closer Working’ projects or other locally developed projectshave begun to examine variation in referral practice into key specialities and diagnosticservices. This has enabled an open dialogue between primary and secondary care aboutthe needs of general practitioners when assessing a patient and choosing the mostappropriate intervention or onward referral route.A combination of strategies rather than one single solution have helped NHS Boards todevelop an effective relationship between primary and secondary care and to reducevariation in referral practice into some specialities. These include:• the development of easily accessible care pathways agreed between primary andsecondary care for particular presenting complaints detailing the appropriateassessment, intervention and onward referral routes;• easily accessible advice routes for referrers into secondary care colleagues toinform the referral decision including telephone advice or advice only referralsthrough SCI Gateway;• opportunities for reflective practice on referral patterns using comparative databetween peer practices with input from secondary care;Diagnostics Task and Finish Group Report - V1.0 December 201120