Submitted by Alexandra Morris on Friday 27th March 2026
Published on Friday 24th April 2026
Current status: Open
Open until: Saturday 24th October 2026
Current Signatures: 1,034
(count is updated approximately hourly)
Relevant Departments
Tagged with
$PUSH ~ April ~ Colleagues ~ Consultants ~ Contract ~ Create ~ Demand ~ Department ~ Department of Health ~ Direct ~ England ~ Harder ~ Mandatory ~ NHS ~ NHS England ~ on the 1st ~ Primary ~ Restore ~ Scraps ~ Secondary ~ section ~ Social care ~ stuck ~ the department of health ~ U-turn ~ Viewing ~ Voluntary
Scrap Mandatory Advice and Guidance for Primary Care Referrals
On the 1st April 2026, NHS England introduced mandatory advice and guidance for GPs and primary care professionals. This means clinicians must get advice and guidance from secondary care colleagues before referring patients, which we think removes their ability to make direct referrals.
We demand that the Department of Health and Social Care U-turn on this section of the new GP contract for 2026/27 and restore advice and guidance as a voluntary service. In our view, mandating advice and guidance in primary care makes it even harder for patients and their GPs to advocate on their behalf. We believe this is nothing more than a PR stunt by the government to create the illusion of reducing waitlists by stealth. We think it will only push patients out of sight, stuck between the inboxes of consultants and GPs.
If you want to sign this petition (as opposed to merely discuss it), you need to do that on the government's e-Petitions website.
216.73.217.179 Tue, 23 Jun 2026 05:28:16 +0100
