Annex A > Chapter 11 - Referrals > Referrals to Bristol - referral procedure, the catchment area and finance

Referrals to Bristol - referral procedure, the catchment area and finance

Referral procedure

15 Dr Joffe explained the referral procedure:

`It was very rare for a child with suspected heart disease to be referred directly to paediatric cardiac surgeons from GPs, consultant paediatricians, or by self-referral. ... The vast majority of such patients were referred initially by GPs, or medical staff in maternity units, to a consultant paediatrician in their area. The local paediatrician would be responsible for referring the patient to a paediatric cardiologist, either immediately, if the child was very ill, or was thought to need therapeutic intervention soon, or to a regular peripheral cardiology clinic in their area in the future ... The only general practitioners who referred children with suspected, non-urgent heart abnormalities directly to the paediatric cardiologists' OPD [outpatient department] sessions in BCH were those who practised in the catchment areas of the four Districts of the Avon Area Health Authorities; later, the four local Trusts. The paediatricians in Bristol were by-passed because the paediatric cardiologists were more readily accessible to local families.' [8]

16 Mr Wisheart told the Inquiry that `All paediatric cardiac referrals came through the paediatric cardiologists' [9] and Mr Dhasmana agreed: `Children ... were referred to paediatric cardiologists at Bristol in the first instance.' [10]

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Footnotes

[8] WIT 0097 0289 Dr Joffe

[9] WIT 0120 0116 Mr Wisheart

[10] WIT 0084 0062 Mr Dhasmana