NEW BMA Template, Standards for Communication Patient Diagnostic Test Results on Discharge from Hospital
Last week we shared the new guidance from NHS England setting out Standards for the communication of patient diagnostic test results on discharge from hospital. The document proposes clearer lines of responsibility and accountability for investigations requested in hospital settings, one of the many areas in which we as GPs routinely find ourselves the recipients of inappropriate and unresourced work. The crucial explicit principle in the guidance is that ‘the clinician who orders the test is responsible for reviewing, acting and communicating the result and actions taken to the general practitioner and patient even if the patient has been discharged’. The guidance is clear that reviewing a hospital-initiated investigation can only be delegated to the GP if s/he has agreed to it and if reached by consensual agreement by the GP and the hospital team. This principle is vital for clinical governance standards and patient safety. The GPC have developed this new template.

That practices can use to send copies of test results back to hospitals to ensure/confirm they have been actioned by the requesting clinician. This additional template can be used to let the CCG know if the above principles are being breached, so that appropriate commissioning levers can be applied.

DWP General Practice Bulletin
DWP have provided this update for GPs.