RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Referral to consultants — the National Health Service versus private practice
JF The Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
JO J R Coll Gen Pract
FD British Journal of General Practice
SP 15
OP 18
VO 35
IS 270
A1 David M. Gillam
YR 1985
UL http://bjgp.org/content/35/270/15.abstract
AB In a three-month audit of referrals to consultants by 18 general practitioners, a wide variation in individual doctor's referral rates was observed. The rate for private referral varied between doctors to a remarkable degree. Referrals made privately were twice as likely as NHS referrals to have been initiated by the patient. Private referrals were perceived by the doctors to have been no less worth-while than NHS referrals. The holding of private health insurance by patients was a factor in a third of private referrals.