In 2011 GP’s could refer their patients to a Hospital Consultant electronically. The idea was that this would speed up the referral process, reduce waiting times to see Specialist Consultants, giving the patient improved access to diagnostic services.
In line with National recommendations HealthOne implemented the use of Electronic referring. For more information on this function click here
Patients Will Benefit from Faster, Safer, GP to Consultant Referrals
Date of publication: (ref: http://hiqa.ie/press-release/2011-06-22-patients-will-benefit-faster-safer-gp-consultant-referralsWednesday, June 22, 2011
Irish patients will benefit from reduced waiting times for referrals to consultant-led outpatient clinics when new recommendations published today by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) are implemented.
The Authority has published the Report and Recommendations on Patient Referrals from General Practice to Outpatient and Radiology Services, including the National Standard for Patient Referral Information.
The implementation of HIQA’s recommendations will mean that patients will benefit from improved access to diagnostic services and they will be able to easily find out how far their referral has progressed, when they can expect to receive an appointment, and get answers to any queries they may have in relation to their referral.
Timely, safe and equitable referral for patients depends on a number of key aspects including the quality of information provided in a referral letter. At present, there is no national agreement on the information which should be included in patient referral letters sent from GPs to hospitals. To address this deficit, and facilitate wholesale improvements in the quality and safety of care for patients, HIQA, in partnership with the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP), has developed a standardised template for use in patient referrals.