Thousands of patients in England at risk as GP referrals vanish into NHS black hole'

"Three-quarters (75%) of these patients trapped in this referrals black hole suffer harm to their physical or mental health as a result of not being added to the waiting list for tests or treatment. Communication with patients is so unreliable that seven in ten (70%) of those affected only find out they have not been put on a waiting list after chasing up the NHS because they have not been told that a hold-up has occurred."

"Rachel Power, the chief executive of the Patients Association, said the findings were deeply alarming and that delays to referrals can leave some patients afraid to leave their home. When seven out of 10 people only find out their referral failed because they chased it up themselves, something is badly wrong. These are people already anxious about their health, already stressed waiting for treatment and then they discover they weren't even in the queue. While they wait, their conditions could be getting worse, added Power."

Fourteen percent of referrals from GPs to hospitals become stuck between surgeries and hospitals, leaving patients without appointments. Seventy-five percent of patients whose referrals are delayed, lost, or rejected suffer physical or mental health harm as a result. Seventy percent of affected patients only learn they are not on a waiting list after they chase the NHS, because they were not informed of the hold-up. Some GP-agreed referrals are never sent from surgeries to hospitals. Patients experience pain, stress, anxiety, and some become afraid to leave home while waiting. A YouGov survey of 2,622 adults in England referred by a GP in the past year underpins these figures.

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