The government has confirmed an additional £80 million has been granted for the expansion of the GP Advice and Guidance scheme, with more patients now set to receive their care closer to home.
The scheme links GPs with hospital specialists to access expert advice quickly and speed their patients through the system, ensuring they receive the right care in the correct place as soon as possible; in line with the government’s three NHS shifts.
This means patients are being directed to more appropriate care – such as accessing blood tests or scans in the community through their GP – rather than being put on long NHS waiting lists.
As part of this, payments will be made to GPs across the country, replacing the previous approach, which led to patchy provision and meant a postcode lottery for patients.
New data shows that, between July and December 2024, around 660,000 treatments were diverted from hospitals and into the community thanks to the scheme – a 60,000 increase on the same period the previous year.
The government has pledged to expand the use of the system, with an ambition to increase diversions from the elective waiting list to up to 2 million by the end of 2025 to 2026.
