Preventing unnecessary trips to hospital

A simple new system has meant around 2,500 patients have been treated in their local community, instead of having to go to hospital.

CASES stands for Clinical Assessment, Services, Education and Support. In seven areas of care, the Elective Care team introduced a process where, if a GP feels a patient needs to be referred to hospital or a specialist clinic, the patient’s case is reviewed by a GP with particular interest in that area. Because of their knowledge and interest, the second GP may be able to suggest an alternative treatment, further investigation or confirm that the referral is the best way forward, helping patients get the most appropriate care as quickly as possible. The best thing about this is that it is clinically led, designed by doctors for doctors, and gives GPs feedback they can use next time they see someone with the same problem.

Keeping patients in their communities

So far the service has reviewed over 26,000 referrals, and nearly 2,500 patients have been managed in the local community after advice and guidance, instead of having to go to hospital.

 It’s helped to bridge the gap between busy GPs and hospital consultants, as the GPs reviewing referrals meet regularly with specialists mentoring.  Primary Care Sheffield who provide the CASES service, has produced a number of guides and videos for GPs to learn from.

The benefits we are seeing so far include avoiding unnecessary hospital appointments and reducing avoidable referrals to hospital - so better care for patients and resources better used for your NHS.

The approach is also providing valuable information to help us identify areas where we can develop new services in the community for patients, with plans to do this starting with dermatology, gynaecology and cardiology over the coming months.

To find out more, please visit the CASES webpage.