:. Current Provision of Specialist Services in the United Kingdom

The vast majority of healthcare in the United Kingdom is provided on two levels Primary Care and Secondary Care. Patients requiring specialist services in the NHS need to be referred to Specialists who almost exclusively work in Secondary Care Centres such as District General Hospitals and Teaching Hospitals. There is often a considerable delay between referral and treatment though it is clear that the large investment in the NHS by the present government has reduced waiting times and there are targets in place to continue this process.

At the same time General Practitioners are under considerable pressure to make savings by avoiding referral to Specialists. There are some Independent Specialist Treatment Centres (ISTCs) that have been set up to try and improve the waiting times for specialist care. These have in some quarters been criticized for employing doctors from outside the NHS as a result many patients distrust such ventures. Furthermore, given that some of the patients will have serious conditions the communication structures with the NHS may not be secure enough to ensure safe onward care of the patient.

The only widespread alternative to NHS treatment is Private Health Care. This is currently very expensive, especially compared to other European Countries. Consequently insurance premiums have risen and the cost of self-pay treatment is often regarded as prohibitive.

:. GastroCareUK Services

GastroCareUK therefore seeks to provide a rational alternative to the present situation. By developing efficient models of care, including a philosophy that the care is managed wholly by NHS Consultants, we feel that we can offer direct services to both patients and general practitioners. Naturally, these models of care could also be used in NHS Secondary Care Centres thus improving efficiency throughout the Health Economy.

To begin this process we are planning a series of conferences open to all, but particularly designed for General Practitioners entitled “Gastroenterology in Primary Care – Reducing the Need for Specialist Referral”. The first of these conferences is to be held at the Royal Society of Medicine on Friday 16th March. Places are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment. To book please download the Conference Brochure [ click here ]or contact us directly on THE TEL NO.

This site is under further development. If you would like to hear of further courses, conferences and other information about the services on offer in the future please enter your details here. This information will remain strictly confidential and will not be passed on to any third party.