Figures obtained under Freedom of Information rules show 35% of 5,548 GP referrals received by a referral management centre commissioned by NHS Vale of York CCG in 2013/14 were returned to practices.

The Referral Support Service sent back 14.4% of referrals because they lacked certain information or attachments, while in 12.5% of cases GPs were told to treat the patient in primary care instead.

The finding emerged as part of a wider GP investigation into the rise of referral management centres under CCGs.

Reported by GP Online News. You can read the full story here. 

I am a journalist and author. I am a journalist at the UK edition of WIRED magazine. In 2015, my first book Freedom of Information: A Practical Guide for UK Journalists, was published. My second book Reed Hastings: Building Netflix, was published in March 2020. I created FOI Directory in 2012 and have maintained it in my spare time ever since.